P.S. — Meet The Lawbook’s New Pro Bono & Diversity Reporter

Throughout the world of corporate law, there have been attacks on diversity and inclusion, as the biggest companies and law firms in America have bowed to pressure to back off their public commitment to DEI. At the same time, some political leaders and media commentators openly shame lawyers for tackling unpopular defendants or policies. The Texas Lawbook is actually doubling down on our commitment to pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession. Today, we officially announce the hiring of Krista Torralva as a new pro bono and diversity beat reporter for The Texas Lawbook. Krista is a former Dallas Morning News courts reporter who has covered litigation for The Lawbook for more than a year.

February 14, 2025 Mark Curriden

Conservative Group Targets American Airlines’ Diversity Contracting Program in New Lawsuit

The American Alliance for Equal Rights, headed by political conservative Edward Blum, has filed a lawsuit against Fort Worth-based American Airlines and its supplier, alleging the airline’s diversity policy for awarding certain contracts violates civil rights law. Blum, who took down affirmative action in college admissions, has recently been targeting diversity programs in law firms and corporations, including Southwest Airlines in a lawsuit last year alleging a charitable program that provided free tickets to low-income Hispanic students flying home to visit their parents is illegally discriminatory.

February 12, 2025 Krista Torralva

O’Melveny & Myers and First Liberty Institute File Lawsuit Over Denied Church Permit, Alleging Religious Liberty Violations

O’Melveny & Myers lawyers have joined Plano-based First Liberty Institute on a federal lawsuit accusing the city of Santa Ana, California, of violating a Chinese- and Taiwanese-American Christian church’s religious liberty rights. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Central District of California, accuses the city of violating the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, as well as the First Amendment. O’Melveny is working on the case pro bono. 

February 5, 2025 Krista Torralva

North Texas Jail Alters Mail Procedures After Lawsuit Alleging Censorship of Inmate Reading Materials

The Human Rights Defense Center is suing Grayson County and its sheriff, claiming the facility’s rejection of books, magazines and other materials sent to inmates violates the organization’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The county and the sheriff told the court it has adjusted its mail intake procedures after a hearing on a preliminary injunction.

February 3, 2025 Krista Torralva

P.S. — 2024 DFW Corp. Counsel Awards Big Winners: Keurig Dr Pepper, Texas Capital, Arcosa, Toyota, Texas Pacific Land

More than 400 corporate general counsel, senior in-house counsel and prominent business lawyers across North Texas celebrated the 2024 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards Thursday night at the George W. Bush Institute. The Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW Chapter and The Texas Lawbook presented awards to 15 in-house counsel who achieved extraordinary successes during the past 18 months. 

January 31, 2025 Mark Curriden

Lawsuit Alleges North Texas Jail’s Book, Magazine Bans Violate Free Speech, Due Process Rights

The Human Rights Defense Center is suing Grayson County and the sheriff, claiming the facility’s rejection of books, magazines and other materials sent to inmates violates the organization’s First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. The lawsuit, filed in September, argues that the jail’s policies prevent inmates from receiving important legal literature, with no clear process for challenging rejections. U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant had questions for both sides during a hearing Monday on the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction.

January 29, 2025 Krista Torralva

P.S. — Sam Prince Has a ‘Fierce Dedication’ to Legal Aid

In the mid-1990s, looking for “something to do in between other things,” a young Sam Prince took a job with the Dallas branch of legal services. Coming from a fundraising gig at the University of Dallas where he’d honed his development skills, the Buffalo, New York, native thought he would learn a few things about the legal nonprofit field and then move on to his next adventure. Twenty-eight years later, Prince is still adventuring with legal services (now Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas) where he’s raised more than $50 million for needy Texans.

January 24, 2025 Saedra Pinkerton

Special Edition of P.S. — Remembering Kirkland’s Olivia Clarke and ‘Humor Beats Cancer’

The world of corporate law lost someone special last week. Olivia Clarke was not a lawyer. She was not a judge. She was not a general counsel. Olivia was the communications director at Kirkland & Ellis. She also was a former reporter and editor at the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. She knew her lawyers and firm and she equally knew our work and business. She was a strong advocate for her colleagues at the world’s largest corporate law firm, but lawyers inside Kirkland say she was equally an advocate pushing them to be open with journalists.

After a decade-long battle with cancer, Olivia died last week. She was only 46. “Olivia was incredibly capable and unfailingly thoughtful,” Texas Lawbook senior editor Allen Pusey said Monday.

January 20, 2025 Mark Curriden