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Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

‘I Can Have a More Peaceful Life’: Sidley Helps Sexual Assault Survivor Secure VA Benefits

It was the actions of a series of men in the 1970s and 1980s that derailed the rest of Rachel Faili’s life, even almost ending it. It was the decision by a group of Sidley Austin lawyers to take action and represent this Houston veteran pro bono that helped her move forward from decades of the severe post traumatic stress disorder that has haunted her since her military service.

This is the story of both events, the bridge between them and how a lawyer’s skills can be used to truly make a difference in the lives of those who suffer.

P.S. — Pro Bono Turkeys and Fixings 

A short and sweet P.S. this week highlights two Thanksgiving-themed public service efforts led by Winston & Strawn, a name partner at Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. Plus: a movie recommendation.

P.S. — Pro Bono Honor Roll, Civility in the Paxton Trial & More Accolades

This edition of P.S. features a new bank that joined a program that finances civil legal services in Texas through IOLTA accounts, a firm that recently became Mansfield 6.0 certified, recent awards received by Texas law students and law schools and law school staff and faculty for their dedication to pro bono, two lifetime achievement awards, a Texas firm’s recognition for its veteran pro bono work and an ABOTA civil and ethics-oriented award given to a special prosecutor in the Ken Paxton impeachment trial.

P.S. — An Aviation Gala, A Humanitarian CLE, A Veteran ‘Hype Man’

This edition of P.S. features an award received by an Aldous Walker attorney, an upcoming international rule of law-focused CLE hosted by Dallas nonprofit ACT and a Veterans Day gala tonight in Houston co-chaired by the top lawyers at CenterPoint and ConocoPhillips. Plus: a feature of Haynes Boone associate Alex Clark, an Air Force intelligence analyst turned lawyer who helped organize a special swearing-in at the state capitol this week for newly minted lawyer-veterans, discusses how his personal experiences motivate him to continue serving veterans.

An Army Veteran Applies Martial Wisdom to Trial Practice

While I am now proudly a Texas trial lawyer, I spent the first 18 years of my adult life in the Army. Although I left the Army in 2016, I still view many things through the lens of my military training and experiences. My work as a trial lawyer is no exception. On this Veterans Day weekend, I write to share a few of the military teachings that have stuck with me and how I conceptualize them now as a member of the profession of law rather than the profession of arms.

Jeremy Wallace: From Air Force Language Analyst to Lawyer Giving Back to Vets 

Commercial litigator Jeremy Wallace loved his four years in the Air Force. He loved his work as a cryptologic language analyst, the friends he made, and the acquired skills that still show up in his law practice at Greenberg Traurig.

But, he acknowledges, “many people serve and they don’t leave unscathed,” so he’s put in significant hours this past year helping veterans pro bono. Wallace sat down with The Lawbook this week to discuss his military service, his path to becoming a lawyer and, as Veterans Day approaches, why he continues to serve veterans through pro bono work.

TAJF Hosts Veterans Legal Aid Week 

Throughout this week and next week, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation is celebrating Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week, which offers free civil legal aid to Texas veterans at various in-person and virtual clinics across the state. This article lists all upcoming clinics for veterans in need of pro bono legal advice as well as attorneys who want to inquire about volunteering.

P.S. — UH Law’s New Immigration Clinic Director, DVAP Pro Bono Awards, The “Why” Behind HBA’s Harvest Celebration

This week’s edition of P.S. features the fundraising outcome of the JL Turner Legal Association Foundation’s annual awards gala, an Arlington nonprofit that received federal funding to help prevent youth homelessness, select quotes from partners at Baker Botts and Hunton Andrews Kurth and LyondellBasell’s general counsel on why supporting this year’s Houston Bar Association Harvest Celebration was important to their organizations, this year’s recipients of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program’s pro bono awards, and the University of Houston Law Center’s newest legal clinic hire.

Three Senior In-House Lawyers on How to Gain (and Lose) their Business

During a panel discussion last Friday at the Texas Minority Counsel Program’s 31st annual conference in Houston, the three high-ranking in-house lawyers at Goldman Sachs, Energy Transfer and Republic National Distributing went into detail on what they look for in outside counsel, and also offered a plethora of ways law firms could immediately land in the doghouse — if not lose their business immediately. 

P.S. — TMCP Fights DEI Vampires; Haynes Boone Did Not Ghost on 2023 Pro Bono Work 

In this special Halloween edition of P.S., Natalie Posgate highlights details from the Texas Minority Council Program awards, the recipients of A&M Law’s 2023 Alumni Legacy Awards, NAMWOLF’s 2023 law firm MVP, November legal clinic dates in Dallas (the first one falling on Día de los Muertos), a Texas Access to Justice Foundation luncheon that honored a group of individuals for their efforts during the Texas Legislature’s 88th session, and how Haynes Boone celebrated the end of the ABA’s National Celebration of Pro Bono last week.

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