This week’s rendition of P.S. highlights the long overdue recognition of a former Texas chief justice and an educational program that helps children with superpowers. In addition, as law firms struggle to attract and retain talented and diverse young lawyers, The Texas Lawbook is asking law firms and legal organizations to provide information regarding grants and scholarships being offered to low-income and disadvantaged students who are interested in becoming lawyers.
P.S. — Greedy, Money-Grubbing, Good-For-Nothing Corporate Lawyers: This Column Is Not For You
During the dozen years since I launched The Texas Lawbook, hundreds of lawyers have told me that we never publish articles about the good deeds that lawyers do. The Lawbook fixed that by assigning a full-time reporter to cover pro bono, public service and diversity in the Texas legal profession. We recognize the charitable and community work of lawyers every Friday in a column called P.S.
Now we need your help. Please send us news of your monetary donations to charitable causes, your service for community organizations and your non-profit fundraising efforts.
P.S. — A Farewell from Natalie Posgate
People leave jobs all the time for new opportunities, but when they explain their career move, what are they really thinking? On her last day at The Lawbook, Natalie Posgate offers musings on her own move to Reese Marketos.
Pro Bono Opportunities Alive and Well in Patent Law
Intellectual property may not be the first area of law you’d think of to find pro bono work, but it’s just as vital for boosting diversity, equity and inclusion in our country as focusing on the usuals — criminal justice reform, food insecurity, or hiring practices. Pillsbury’s Chad Hammerlind tells The Lawbook about a partnership between the USPTO and an Austin-based nonprofit that houses these IP pro bono opportunities.
“It’s usually wealthy individuals and corporations that can afford getting a patent, so this program helps some other individuals build wealth and get the chance to build some assets,” he says.
Natalie Posgate Bids Farewell to The Texas Lawbook
From covering the insider-trading trial of billionaire Mark Cuban to launching the full-time pro bono, public service and diversity legal beat, Natalie Posgate has authored more than 900 articles that covered all aspects of business law in Texas. After more than 12 years as a reporter for The Texas Lawbook, Posgate is sadly stepping away from journalism to become the chief marketing officer at Reese Marketos, a litigation boutique in Dallas.
The Woman Behind Haynes Boone’s Healthier Legal Culture
A registered and licensed dietician, Abby Read joined Haynes Boone as the firm’s first wellness manager with a vision that far exceeded overhauling the office’s snack selection. Now two years into the new position, Read has helped lawyers and staff at the global firm incorporate more movement into their day, feel less alone in their wellness struggles by learning the stories of their colleagues and have a confidant in their office to turn to when they need mental health support. Read’s latest effort of launching a podcast seeks to expand that support to the larger legal community.
Read recently talked with The Lawbook about her background running the wellness program of a major healthcare system before joining Haynes Boone, what the firm is doing to support its lawyers’ mental health and what she’s learned since bringing her wellness expertise to a law firm environment.
Texas Supreme Court Calls on Nonlawyers to Shrink Justice Gap
After an exhaustive, 22-month process, the Supreme Court of Texas on Tuesday issued a set of preliminary rules that will allow select nonlawyers — licensed paraprofessionals and court-access assistants — to provide limited civil legal services to low-income Texans. The order places the efforts of the Texas Access to Justice Commission and SCOTX at the finish line for this slice of their ongoing effort to help close the civil justice gap in Texas.
Natalie Posgate talked with Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby about how this project began and Legal Services Corporation President Ron Flagg about the success of this model at a national level.
P.S. — A Fundraiser for Sick Children, A Changing of the Guard, Another Award for Rusty Hardin
This week’s edition of P.S. features two law firms’ school supply giveaways; August dates for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s legal clinics (plus sponsor info); a new award for Rusty Hardin presented by a foundation; a Weil associate’s remarkable track record for pro bono work, which recently resulted in an award; fundraising results for a recent Dallas Association of Young Lawyers event; new leadership at Hispanic bar associations in Houston and Austin; and awards recently presented to law firms and individuals by a Houston nonprofit dedicated to combatting gender-based violence.
Firms and organizations mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Winston & Strawn, Witherite Law Group, Jackson Walker, Goldman Sachs, AT&T, Nexstar Media Group, Bradley, Cisco, DLA Piper, Haynes Boone, Fish & Richardson, Beck Redden, Weil, Children’s Health, Innocence Project of Texas, Latham, Skadden, Texas Council on Family Violence, King & Spalding, Baker Botts, Targa Resources and Tahirih Justice Center.
P.S. — Rachel Elkin: From Aspiring Book Editor to Haynes Boone’s First Pro Bono Counsel
In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Elkin discusses her background and decision to dedicate her legal career to pro bono, why she joined Haynes Boone and what she hopes to achieve there.
P.S. — A Civil Legal Aid Advocate, Legal Aid for Beryl, Baylor’s Lawyer of the Year
This week’s edition of P.S. features a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas who was honored with Baylor’s Lawyer of the Year award, Hurricane Beryl disaster relief information from the State Bar of Texas and a Nacogdoches lawyer committed to the civil justice gap who has joined forces with Legal Service Corporation.