On Thursday, Caitlin Halpern will host a pizza party to commemorate the re-launch of a program that teaches public speaking and critical thinking through debate to incarcerated people in Harris County. Natalie Posgate collected details on the event, the program and the organization behind it that marries Halpern’s passions for debate and criminal justice reform.
Baker McKenzie Names Marredia Crawford as Chief ID&E Officer
The firm’s new top inclusion, diversity and equity official talked with The Lawbook about her background, the challenges the DEI industry is facing, how to retain diverse talent and why the firm leads with “inclusion” in her job title.
P.S — Lawbook Foundation, LANWT and NTX Giving Day Updates
This week’s edition of P.S. puts on your radar some key dates for community giving and The Lawbook and ACC’s pro bono and diversity awards nomination deadlines, a new series Natalie Posgate is launching this fall and a Dallas lawyer who has joined a nonprofit board.
A Conversation on Mental Health with TLAP’s Leader
The Lawbook recently spoke to Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program director Michelle Fontenot, who elaborated on the range of mental health and substance abuse services TLAP offers and shared her thoughts on the pandemic’s effect on lawyers’ mental health, the billable hour, best ways for the legal community to support TLAP and what firms and corporate legal departments could be doing better to support the wellness of their employees.
P.S. — A Corporate LGBTQ+ Conference, A Maui Fund, A Life Saved
This edition of P.S. details September dates for the DBA’s phone legal clinics, an upcoming conference that aims to inform on the LGBTQ+ climate and help corporations build more inclusive workplaces, ways Texas lawyers can support the ABA’s disaster relief efforts in Maui and a back-to-school fundraiser that is close to the hearts of lawyers at Norton Rose Fulbright. Plus: the son of a well-known Dallas lawyer’s life-saving tale.
A Word With the Lawyers Who Helped Eviscerate the Texas Tampon Tax
On Friday, Texans will no longer pay sales tax for menstrual products and an array of family care products. While lawmakers passed SB 379 only a few months ago, the new state law is the product of years of work by a coalition of young Texas women and their lawyers at Baker Botts. In a Q&A with The Lawbook, the lawyers talk more about their work on this pro bono matter and SB 379’s significance.
P.S. — Fentanyl Education, September Legal Clinics, Hispanic Law Scholarships
This week’s edition of P.S. features details on a recent scholarship awards luncheon in Houston benefitting Hispanic law students and recognizing several public service pioneers, an upcoming online program hosted by the Dallas Bar Association that will educate the public on the fetanyl crisis at a local level, and September dates for the DBA’s DVAP pro bono legal clinics.
DEI Initiatives Challenged at Law Firms with Two New Lawsuits
After weeks of chatter, law firms have officially been roped into the legal battle over corporate diversity hiring initiatives following the aftermath of the SFFA v. Harvard Supreme Court decision that banned race-based affirmative action in higher education. The same plaintiff behind that case has now sued Perkins Coie and Morrison Foerster, which both operate in Texas. Natalie Posgate dissects the facts and details known about the litigation so far.
P.S. — Hope for Humanity, Rising Women, the Hot List
In this week’s edition of P.S., lawyers from Southwest Airlines, TIAA and 12 firms receive awards for advancing women, their DEI leadership, and their commitment to advancing society and combatting hatred; Texas RioGrande Legal Aid receives funding in the six-figures for pro bono disaster relief legal work; an upcoming runway show supports low-income residents suffering from HIV and terminal illnesses — plus more dates for future charity events.
Nonprofit Spotlight: Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center & its New COO
Tenants’ rights nonprofit Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center is in a period of growth, both in staff and operations. Its newest employee, Bill Holston, joined today and will focus primarily on growing operations as COO. The Lawbook talked with Holston about why he joined DEAC as well as Mark Melton, who provided the latest on the nonprofit that he founded in the height of the pandemic.