The Texas Lawbook is expanding again. And there are more additions to come.
More than 18 months ago, The Lawbook added Michelle Casady, who had covered litigation for Law360. Michelle, who lives in Houston, leads our litigation coverage team that also includes Janet Elliott, a former Wall Street Journal and Houston Chronicle reporter in Austin. Janet had the wonderful article last month on First Amendment legal advocate Laura Prather of Haynes Boone and her exclusive story earlier this month on lawyers who have applied to be appointed to the new Texas business courts.
Today, I am pleased to announce that former Dallas Morning News courts reporter Krista Torralva has joined The Lawbook team to work with Michelle and Janet to cover complex commercial litigation being handled by Texas lawyers. Krista has already published several significant articles in The Lawbook, including last week’s story on court reporters and AI and the story last month on the retirement of Joe Redden of Beck Redden in Houston.
Below, I have a Q&A with Krista in hopes that you get to know her and reach out to her and Michelle with story ideas.
Mark: Krista, tell us a little about where you were born and grew up and your family’s background?
Krista: I grew up traveling the U.S. and Europe thanks to my father’s military career. Although I consider myself a Texan, I was born in Bethesda, Maryland, while my father was a Navy Chaplain stationed in Quantico, Virginia. My father was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and my mother is from a small island in eastern Canada. Our little family of three was transferred from Italy to Corpus Christi, Texas, while I was in middle school. My parents still live in the coastal city, the place I call home and visit as often as I can with my husband.
Mark: When did the idea of becoming a reporter first come to you?
Krista: I was an athletic girl growing up and I was a big fan of swimmer Michael Phelps, so I initially wanted to become a sports journalist to cover the Olympics. While in college, I dabbled in all types of coverage areas: sports, news, music, etc. News journalists often find their roles are acts of public service through holding powerful people accountable, shining a light on areas of democracies that need attention, and generally fostering public understanding of the branches of government. As I covered more local news, I saw my work lead to incremental changes and decided news journalism is where I belonged.
Mark: What have been one or two of your favorite stories to cover as a reporter?
Krista: My favorite pieces of work are the ones that spurred changes. For example, I worked for two years on a series with my hometown newspaper about family violence. The series explored how law enforcement investigated, how prosecutors pursued offenders in court and the roles of judges in domestic abuse cases before them. Several changes stemmed from the series and my work was recognized by the State Bar of Texas’ Gavel Awards.
For The Dallas Morning News, I am especially proud of my work reporting on long-confidential documents that hid the knowledge Jesuit Society leaders had about sexually abusive priests. The voluminous records became public as a result of a lawsuit brought by former Jesuit College Preparatory School Dallas students, who were represented by Dallas lawyers Charla Aldous and Brent Walker.
Mark: When did you start covering courts and trials and what big cases have you covered?
Krista: I’ve covered courts in Texas and Florida since 2013. My coverage includes the high profile federal terrorism trial against the Pulse nightclub shooter’s widow in Orlando, which resulted in a rare acquittal. A jury rejected prosecutors’ accusations that Noor Salman, whose defense team included Dallas-area lawyer Charles Swift, aided and abetted a terrorist organization. I also reported on the long-winding Texas voter ID lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas for a few years.
Mark: What do you find interesting about covering courts and trials?
Krista: Legal decisions affect our lives and shape our society, so the courthouse is a crucial place for a journalist to be. I feel like journalists who cover courts pick up the torch from the journalists who cover legislative bodies. We’re reporting on how the laws are actually put into practice. The former sports journalist in me is also fascinated with legal strategy and the ways attorneys spar in the courtroom.
Mark: How do you like to be contacted by sources about potential news stories and cases and what information do you want to know?
Krista: All the information! I like to be in the know. And I love to be in the courthouse, so please come up to me if you see me there. Otherwise, email me (krista.torralva@texaslawbook.net) to schedule a conversation! I look forward to meeting you.
Mark: What are one or two things that Texas Lawbook readers need to know about you?
Krista: The bulk of my career has been covering criminal courts. I am presently transitioning to focusing on civil courts, so please don’t be concerned about over-explaining things or sending me educational materials. I am eager to learn and I learn quickly.
Readers should also know that I appreciate them taking the time out of their days to read my work and I don’t take it for granted that they chose to read my story.
Mark: What question am I not asking that I should be asking?
Krista: Perhaps you should ask what I’m thinking about when I’m not thinking about the law and the answer is traveling! I caught that travel bug early in life and I am constantly planning a trip in the back of my mind.