The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

P.S. — October is Pro Bono Month for this Houston Organization, Plus Dallas Hispanic Bar Association Celebrates 20th, and Lambda Legal Honors Trailblazing Judge 

October brings a flurry of pro bono and legal community celebrations across Texas. Houston Volunteer Lawyers is marking the entire month as Pro Bono Month, spotlighting volunteers and hosting CLE opportunities. The Dallas Hispanic Bar Association celebrated its 20th Anniversary Noche de Luz Gala during Hispanic Heritage Month, honoring civil rights pioneer Sylvia Mendez as keynote speaker and presenting awards to leaders in the legal community. Looking ahead, Lambda Legal will host its Landmark Dinner on Oct. 11 in Dallas, where it will present Judge Tonya Parker with the Liberty Award for her civil rights work and feature speakers including decorated Navy pilot Commander Emily “Hawking” Shilling and Texas lawmakers Jessica González and Nathan Johnson.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Wills for Officers, AZA Partner Goes to U.N., Eviction Advocacy Comes to Houston

In this edition of P.S., we highlight the Texas legal community’s impact at home and abroad. In Dallas, nearly 100 volunteers came together for the Wills for Heroes Clinic, helping police officers prepare more than 80 wills. Meanwhile, the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center — a nonprofit organization fighting unlawful evictions — is expanding its reach to Houston. On the global stage, AZA Houston Partner Shahmeer Halepota addressed the United Nations, offering insight on Pakistan’s water crisis. 

Krista Torralva

Sarah T. Hughes Scholarship Returns With New Focus on Hardship, Drops ‘Diversity’

The Dallas Bar Foundation has resumed its long-running Sarah T. Hughes Scholarship after pausing it earlier this year but has removed “diversity” from its title and eliminated explicit references to race and minority status from the scholarship’s description and application. Formerly titled the Sarah T. Hughes Diversity Scholarship, the stated purpose was to support minority law students and promote diversity in the North Texas legal community. The revised version now focuses on applicants who have demonstrated resilience and overcome hardship, emphasizing broader examples of underrepresentation such as being first-generation college students or balancing school with work or military service. 

Krista Torralva

SALSA Names New Executive Director

The San Antonio Legal Services Association announced it has hired nonprofit executive and fundraising strategist James Martinez to lead the organization as executive director. After experiencing a funding shortfall earlier this year, SALSA touted Martinez’s more than two decades of experience fundraising and leading nonprofit organizations.

Krista Torralva

Texas Law Graduates Win Precedent-Setting Civil Rights Case Before Receiving Bar Exam Results 

Just a few days before joining Kirkland & Ellis as litigation associates, and while awaiting the results of their bar exams, Gabrielle Olubanke Howells and Lizeth Badillo Garcia notched their first court win — a precedent-setting decision from a panel of judges at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The rare opportunity to argue a pro bono case before a federal appeals court before bar admission was the result of a collaboration spearheaded by Kirkland & Ellis Partner Zack Ewing, who was inspired by the graduates to emulate a program afforded to him while a student at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

Krista Torralva

P.S. — ‘Dean of the Texas Appellate Bar’ Honored, HBA Launches Days of Service and How to Boost Giving to LANWT  

In this week’s column, renowned appellate attorney Mike Hatchell of Haynes Boone is set to receive the Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award for his decadeslong contributions to appellate law in Texas. The Houston Bar Association also announced its new Days of Service initiative. And the Texas Indigent Defense Commission approved more than $1.7 million in grants to bolster mental health defense services and public defender capacity across rural counties. 

Krista Torralva

P.S. — Houston Lawyers Win National Awards, Dallas Initiatives Receive Major Support

In this week’s edition of P.S., we highlight the Houston Lawyers Association and its members who earned several national honors at the National Bar Association Convention. Meanwhile, the Dallas Bar Foundation awarded a $20,000 grant to the SMU Dedman School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic, bolstered by a $40,000 matching gift from the Stanton Foundation. Finally, an auction of memorabilia from retired U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn raised over $8,000 for the Dallas Women Lawyers Association Foundation, supporting grants for female legal professionals and women in need across North Texas. 

Krista Torralva

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