P.S. — Holiday Giving Begins
Holiday giving is already ubiquitous across the Texas legal community. A few ways lawyers are giving back are through turkey meal deliveries, food drives and suit donations. All in this week's P.S. column.
P.S. — Happy Veterans Day from The Texas Lawbook
On this Veterans Day, The Texas Lawbook thanks veterans for their service and lists a cluster of upcoming events benefiting veterans as well as law firm initiatives and individual lawyers who have helped those who served.
Robert Uhl: Helping Veterans One Benefits Application at a Time
Since he began his legal career in 2018, Sidley associate Robert Uhl has spent hundreds of pro bono hours helping veterans obtain combat-related benefits. Sometimes, the road is tough, but it's not stopping him. The Texas Lawbook spoke with Uhl to learn why this work is important to him and why he continues to do it.
Houston Harvest Celebration Raises $725,250 for Pro Bono Legal Services
The Harvest Celebration supports the Houston Volunteer Lawyer, a project of the HBA that provides pro bono legal services for veterans, the elderly, those with disabilities, and other low-income residents with family law, consumer law, probate and other legal matters.
Brewer Firm Starts Newest Voting Rights Legal Battle Against Coppell ISD
Coppell Independent School District’s election system discriminates against the area’s largest ethnic group by preventing proper representation on the school board, a lawsuit filed Thursday in Dallas federal court alleges.
On UNT Accreditation Challenge, is the Real Problem the ABA?
Earlier this summer, an ABA committee recommended that the ABA not grant UNT provisional accreditation after determining that the school admits too many students with weak grades and low LSAT scores and that the program has a questionable financial plan, among other factors.
Chief Justice Hecht Favors UNT Law Grads Taking State Bar
Texas’s highest ranking judge said he supports UNT Dallas College of Law’s first class of graduating students taking the Texas bar exam next July – even if the American Bar Association refuses to give its stamp of approval.
Trial Lawyers Unite to Sanction Brewer in Jury Polling Case
Plaintiffs’ attorneys and corporate defense lawyers found a common bond Friday: they jointly believe that Dallas lawyer Bill Brewer should be sanctioned for improperly trying to influence jurors and claim the right to trial by jury is at stake. Three influential legal groups – the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the Texas Association of Defense Counsel and the American Board of Trial Advocates – filed an unprecedented joint amicus brief Friday asking a state appeals court to uphold a trial judge’s ruling that Brewer committed misconduct for doing a so-called “push poll” weeks before his case was set to go to trial. Brewer is appealing the sanctions. The article has full details.
Lawyer Couple Helps Free Nonviolent Drug Offender From Behind Bars
Many married couples might cringe at the thought of working together, but Houston corporate lawyers Darin Schultz and Christina Vitale treasure the opportunity.
Akin Gump and UT Law Team Up in Pro Bono School Police Brutality Lawsuit
The parents of three schoolchildren have filed suit against the City of Abilene and its school district for allowing an Abilene Police Department peace officer to use excessive force against the students – including one in kindergarten at the time of the attacks.
Deason and Koch Give $7 million to SMU Dedman Law for Criminal Justice Reform
Doug Deason, the son of ACS founder Darwin Deason, was 17 in 1979 when he held a party at a neighbor’s house while they were gone. Booze flowed. Music was loud. Cops were called. Deason was charged with felony burglary. A well-connected lawyer convinced prosecutors to reduce the charge to a misdemeanor, which was expunged a year later. Deason said a felony could have ruined his life. On Tuesday, Deason donated $3.5 million to SMU Dedman School of Law to create a legal institute that conducts innovative research and educational outreach efforts designed to promote criminal justice reform. Charles Koch gave another $3.5 million for the effort. This article has full details.
Andrews Kurth Played Role in Seeking Genocide Declaration Against ISIS
By Kerry Curry Andrews Kurth recently took a lead role in seeking a historic declaration from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on behalf of several humanitarian groups that ISIS