Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
In this edition of P.S., we report on law firms and corporate counsel who recently teamed up to staff clinics helping families in Houston and San Antonio prepare essential legal documents. And we spotlight Texas A&M Law Professor Luz Herrera, who received two prestigious honors recognizing her contributions to the Latino community.
In this edition of P.S., we highlight the volunteer work of Holland & Knight, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Haynes Boone and Bank of America in observance of Sept. 11, 2001. Holland & Knight’s efforts also honor the legacy of Glenn Winuk, a partner in the Manhattan office who was also a volunteer firefighter and EMT who died helping others at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks.
Today, in observance of Sept. 11, 2001, Bank of America lawyers are hosting its global Wills for Heroes event. In Dallas, lawyers from Bradley and Haynes Boone are volunteering alongside the Bank of America attorneys at the Dallas Police Department headquarters to draft wills and estate planning documents for members of the DPD and Dallas Fire-Rescue.
Plus, the details on the historic Rural Justice Initiative.
Baker Botts closed out August with two notable pro bono victories — a due process claim on behalf of a Florida tenant in the Eleventh Circuit and a closely watched constitutional challenge to Texas’ drag ban. Also in this edition of P.S., we spotlight two Texas recipients among the American Association of Law Libraries’ annual award winners.
Also in this edition of P.S., a University of Houston Law Center professor and Phillips 66 General Counsel Vanessa Allen Sutherland earn prestigious recognitions.
In this edition of P.S., civil rights organization LatinoJustice PRLDEF has honored Sidley Austin Management Committee Chair Yvette Ostolaza with a 2026 “Latina Trailblazer” award; representing a former Houston police officer on a pro bono basis, Rusty Hardin and John MacVane secured a unanimous victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in a lawsuit stemming from the high-profile 2019 Harding Street raid; and Akin Gump recently announced the winners of its annual firmwide Bruce McLean Pro Bono Awards.
In this edition of P.S., Gray Reed Managing Partner Kyle Sanders opens up about his three bouts with blood cancer in an effort to fundraise for blood cancer research, patient services and advocacy. The nonprofit Blood Cancer United has named Sanders a candidate for its Visionary of the Year.
Last week, The Texas Lawbook had the honor of co-hosting the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards with the Association of Corporate Counsel DFW Chapter. The words shared by the four honorees in the Diversity and Inclusion and Pro Bono and Public Service categories are still resonating with us and are well worth sharing with readers in this column.
In this edition of P.S., we also report that Dallas-based Attorneys Serving the Community held a record-breaking fundraising event for Shared Housing Center and a Paul Hastings Texas partner has joined the advisory board of the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law.
In this edition of P.S., we report that San Antonio native Cristina M. Rodríguez is set to make history as the first Latina to lead Yale Law School when she assumes the deanship on Feb. 1. Also, the San Antonio Legal Services Association has announced that Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby will serve as the keynote speaker at its premier fundraising event in April. And retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn, a trailblazer and mentor to many, will be honored with the Charles O. Galvin Award for Extraordinary Service as part of SMU Dedman School of Law’s 2026 Distinguished Alumni Awards.
In this edition of P.S., we spotlight the Dallas Bar Association’s Martin Luther King Jr. Justice Award Luncheon. During the event, Shonn Evans Brown of Heidelberg Materials North American was honored with the MLK Jr. Justice Award for her leadership, commitment to justice and service to the legal profession and broader community. We also share news that SMU Law donors met a fundraising goal set by the Stanton Foundation, which provided a $2 million endowment gift. There’re also some important dates you don’t want to miss: Attorneys Serving the Community has opened applications for its 2026–2027 beneficiary partnership, and the annual Champions of Justice Gala announced the date of its 2026 event. Last but not least, William Toles, a litigation shareholder at Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, has been selected to receive the James H. “Blackie” Holmes Award from the Dallas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
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