The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

P.S. — TX Appleseed, V&E and Witherite Making the Holiday Spirit

The Texas Lawbook will announce next week the finalists for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, including Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. In addition, the Texas Lawbook Foundation is seeking interests for its board of directors. More details in this week's column, plus, we have two firms — Vinson & Elkins and the Witherite Law Group — and a group of lawyer volunteers led by Michael Hurst that are spreading the holiday spirit early, and TODAY ONLY we have an extraordinary opportunity to help Texas Appleseed achieve some of its amazing public service work.

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

Trump Budget Proposal Would Eliminate Legal Services for Tens of Thousands of Veterans, Low-Income Texans

Legal aid activists in Texas are “deeply concerned” that President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal year 2026 budget calls for eliminating Legal Services Corporation, the federal nonprofit that provides funding to legal aid organizations across the state that help military veterans access rightful benefits, victims recover from natural disasters, survivors of domestic violence obtain protective orders and more. In Texas, the proposed elimination threatens more than $45 million in annual grants that help fund three major legal aid organizations: Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Those grants account for approximately one-third of these organizations’ total funding. 

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

Defying Political Backlash, Susman Godfrey Expands Diversity Scholarship Amid Legal Battle with Trump Administration

Amid growing political pressure and legal threats from the Trump administration, Houston-based law firm Susman Godfrey is expanding its diversity scholarship program for law students of color. The firm announced it will increase both the number of recipients and the award amount for its annual Susman Godfrey Prize, despite accusations from federal officials that its diversity efforts violate discrimination laws.

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

Appeals Court Upholds Part of Verdict for Fired Southwest Flight Attendant, Tosses Religious Training Order

Southwest Airlines won partial relief from a jury verdict in a case involving the firing of a flight attendant over antiabortion messages she sent to her union president. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday that while the airline violated Charlene Carter’s right to religious expression, it did not break federal laws banning religious discrimination in the workplace. The court also struck down U.S. District Court Judge Brantley Starr’s order requiring three of the airline’s attorneys to attend religious liberty training with a Christian legal group.

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

P.S. — Prison Conditions, Death Penalty Cases Are ‘Projects of Compassion’ to These Pro Brono AT&T Lawyers

Jamal Wilson, an inmate at Alabama’s St. Clair Correctional Facility, survived a brutal stabbing in 2019 that left him with a fractured skull. Fearing for his life, Wilson, represented pro bono by in-house lawyers from AT&T and Foley Lardner, filed a lawsuit in 2021 alleging the prison’s failure to protect inmates from rampant violence, poor security, and mismanagement — violations of the Eighth Amendment. The Department of Justice investigated, and a settlement was reached in 2024, with Wilson set for transfer to a safer facility. Tragically, before the agreement was implemented and just months before being eligible for parole, Wilson was beaten to death. His case was among 10 prison condition cases and two death penalty appeals handled pro bono by AT&T's lawyers, who worked with officials at Montgomery-based Equal Justice Initiative and its executive director, Bryan Stevenson.

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

P.S. — Free Citizens Law School in San Antonio, Tennis Clinics for Boys & Girls, $82K Raised from Law Rocks Concert

All right, all right, all right. In this week’s P.S. column, St. Mary’s School of Law and the San Antonio Bar Association announce their annual People’s Law School event. Dallas lawyers fundraised to the tune of $82,000 for local charities through a battle of the bands style concert. The Austin office of Latham & Watkins sponsored a youth tennis clinic for Boys & Girls Club and sponsored the WTA tournament that drew a local celebrity. And The Texas Lawbook needs your help identifying scholarships for low-income students who need assistance.

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

P.S. — AT&T and Halliburton GCs: Legal Aid ‘Is a Texas Issue that Deserves Your Voice and Advocacy’

Lawyers, corporate general counsel and leaders of the Texas legal profession — 467 of them to be exact — received an email letter Thursday from AT&T General Counsel David McAtee and Halliburton Chief Legal Officer Van Beckwith announcing the annual Champions of Justice Gala that raises funds for Texas Access to Justice and military veterans. The 2025 Gala — to be held on April 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin — will feature Equal Justice Initiative Executive Director Bryan Stevenson, author of New York Times bestseller Just Mercy, which was made into a major motion picture of the same name. “To me, the Champions of Justice Gala has always been special,” McAtee said. “Working with Van to extend its reach and legacy is a real thrill. The funds we raise are dedicated to the many legal needs of our veterans. Last year, we set a fundraising record. We hope to shatter that record this year.”

Krista Torralva & Mark Curriden

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