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.
P.S. — America’s Civil Justice Gap is ‘a Chasm, Really’
Without legal aid, domestic violence survivor Veronica Gonzalez was almost certain she would have been forced to return to her abuser in Washington state and lose custody of her child. Getting pro bono representation prevented that from happening, but at least hundreds of thousands of other domestic abuse survivors — and over 1 million other low-income Americans facing civil legal issues — are turned away from legal aid organizations each year due to a lack of funding. Gonzalez, Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, and two other witnesses sought to remedy this issue last week when they testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to advocate for increased funding to Legal Services Corporation.
“The justice gap burdens society, the economy, businesses and taxpayers who must pick up the costs of people’s inability to make do because of unmet civil legal needs that study after study has confirmed,” Hecht said during his testimony.
P.S. — Lawyer Joins PUC; DBA Takes Home Slew of Awards
This week’s edition of P.S. includes an upcoming inaugural convention in Houston aimed at supporting and empowering Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a series of awards recently received by the Dallas Bar Association and the 4/11 on the PUC’s newest board member, who happens to be a lawyer.
A Conversation with a Mother of 4 About Practicing Law on Her Own Terms
Many female litigators believe an “all or nothing” narrative they’ve been fed: They cannot raise a family while also advancing in their careers. But Reese Marketos’ Kendal Simpson is here to challenge that narrative with an alternative way of practicing law. After taking six years off to be a stay-at-home mom, Simpson recently returned to her firm with the goal of growing a team of high-achieving women who want more flexibility without having to leave their practice. In a Q&A with The Lawbook, Simpson discusses her part-time arrangement at her firm, how it’s added value and how others can pursue these types of opportunities.
“When we are the sex expected to do it all — that is unsustainable,” Simpson said. “This model is about women being able to sustain a skillset that they worked so hard to develop while also not neglecting other parts of life.”
My Month of Pride: Celebrations, Reflections and Allyship
In this guest article, Jackson Walker bankruptcy partner Genevieve “Gen” Graham talks about her journey of coming out, Pride Month’s significance on a personal level and the importance of allyship.
P.S. — A Pledge to Help Students, An Immigrant-Oriented Public Defender System Gaining Notice
This week’s P.S. features the winners of two ABA awards that recognize outstanding public defenders and other public sector lawyers and details on a Dallas law firm’s hefty batch of higher education scholarships being distributed to students in DFW, Chicago and Atlanta to the collective tune of nearly $900,000.
P.S. — A Renamed Fellowship, A Barefoot Sanders Scholarship, A Congressional Request
This edition of P.S. features a firmwide volunteer day that yielded thousands of meals for Texas families in need, a five-day program hosted at a Dallas law school that educated high school students on the law school experience and life as a lawyer, a recent letter to Congress by law firm managing partners that expresses their grave concern for the underfunding of civil legal aid, a scholarship that a Dallas trial boutique recently awarded to two Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet high school students, and the story behind a renamed diversity fellowship at a large Houston-based firm and the names of this year’s fellows.
Firms and corporate in-house departments mentioned in this week’s column include AT&T, American Airlines, Gray Reed, Lynn Pinker, Baker Botts, Bracewell, Haynes Boone and Vinson & Elkins.
Pictured: The 2024 class of SMU Dedman School of Law’s Rising Scholars Program.
P.S. — A Brunch (and Q&A) for Dads, A 5K Sponsorship, A New NAMWOLF Firm
This week’s edition of P.S. features a spotlight on Houston-based, fatherhood-focused nonprofit CoolxDad and a Q&A with the lawyer who recently handled the lease negotiations for its new headquarters pro bono, details of a recent 5K benefiting those affected by sickle cell disease that was sponsored by a Dallas law firm, another firm operating in Dallas that just became NAMWOLF certified and June dates for the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Line Clinic.
Other firms and organizations mentioned this week include Pillsbury, Hilgers Graben, Witherite Law/1-800-TruckWreck, The Alta Arts, Midway, Kier’s Hope, The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Trinity Groves, Carter Blood Bank, Smile Time Dentistry and D. Herbs.
P.S. — Lynn Pinker Leads Pledge for Hispanic Law Scholarships & More Fundraising News
This week’s P.S. column features background information on two fundraising events on June 13: a luncheon event that raises scholarship funds for Texas Hispanic students interested in a career in the law and an evening event to celebrate Pride Month and raise scholarship funds for LGBTQ+ law students.
Firms featured in this week’s P.S. include Reed Smith, Lynn Pinker, Dykema, Paul Hastings, Sidley, Baker McKenzie, V&E, Gibson Dunn, Holland & Knight, Baker Botts, Greenberg Traurig, Jackson Walker, Kirkland, Bell Nunnally, Weil, Haynes Boone, Foley, O’Melveny, Law Office of Domingo Garcia, Norton Rose Fulbright, McKool Smith, K&L Gates, Alston & Bird, Linebarger, Jackson Lewis, Ogletree Deakins, Akin, Barnes & Thornburg, Lira Bravo Law.