For a couple weeks, Baker Botts partner Bill Kroger, Blank Rome partner Susan Bickley and Vinson & Elkins partner Chris Popov worked their phones. They called colleagues and clients, law firm leaders and neighbors.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial impact it has had on Texas, the need for legal services for the poor and disadvantaged is soaring.
At the same time, the Houston Bar Association and Houston Volunteer Lawyers program were unable to host their annual Harvest Party, which is a seven-decade-old event that raises hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for legal aid efforts in metro Houston.
Kroger, who is HBA president, and other Houston Bar leaders took action. They created the Harvest Celebration and asked lawyers and clients to step forward with donations.
The result: They raised more than $878,000 – the most ever and significantly more than the $650,000 from last year’s in-person event.
“We were really worried that because we could not have the Harvest event this year that we would not have these important funds for the Houston Voluntary Lawyers program,” Kroger told The Texas Lawbook in a Thanksgiving morning interview. “We had nothing to offer people. We just hoped that people would step up.”
And they did.
Baker Botts, Bracewell, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Vinson & Elkins and Williams Hart Boundas Easterby contributed $35,000 each. Locke Lord and Norton Rose Fulbright stepped forward with donations of $30,000.
Several additional law firms – including Baker Hostetler, Akin Gump, Chamberlain Hrdlicka, Hicks Thomas, King & Spalding, Morgan Lewis, Yetter Coleman, Abraham Watkins, AZA, Foley Lardner, Gibbs & Bruns, Haynes and Boone, Kirkland & Ellis, McKool Smith, Pillsbury and Quinn Emanuel – made contributions ranging from $3,000 to $13,000.
Large corporations, including Chevron, CenterPoint Energy, LyondellBasell, Conoco Phillips, Frost Bank, Energy Transfer and Service Corporation International, made donations.
And several individuals and couples also open their wallets. Kroger himself gave $25,000. Dee and Phil Sellers contributed $20,000. Michael Darden and Hillary Holmes of Gibson Dunn and Mindy and Joshua Davidson contributed $10,000. Texas Supreme Court Judge Jane Bland and her husband, Doug Bland, who is a partner at V&E, gave $5,000.
“The lawyers in Houston have stepped up and this is a sign that the lawyers in this community are waking up and recognizing the needs that exist here,” Kroger said. “We had so many law firms step up – some that had never given before. One lawyer donated $10,000 to recognize his wife who died this year.”
The Texas Lawbook gives its deep expression of thanks to those who donated and we would like you to know that it is not too late to contribute. Just visit hba.org. There is a link to the donations page.
Now, here is the full list of the lawyers, firms, corporate legal departments and organizations who financially supported this year’s initiative:
$35,000
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Bracewell LLP
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Williams Hart Boundas Easterby LLP
$30,000
Locke Lord LLP
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
$25,000
Elizabeth and Bill Kroger
$20,000
Dee and Phil Sellers
$15,000
Chevron Corporation
$13,000
Baker Hostetler LLP
$10,000
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Mindy and Joshua Davidson
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP/Michael P. Darden and Hillary H. Holmes
The Weldon Granger Family
HBA Litigation Section
Hicks Thomas LLP
J. Dahr Jamail
King & Spalding LLP
LyondellBasell Industries
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
$9,000
HBA Bench Bar Conference Committee
$8,000
Yetter Coleman LLP
$7,500
Blank Rome LLP
$5,500
Nikki & Benny Agosto, Jr.
$5,000
Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner
Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing
Jane and Doug Bland
Conoco Phillips
Dentons US LLP
Michael Donaldson/EOG Resources, Inc.
Eversheds Sutherland US LLP
Foley & Lardner LLP
Harry and Antje Gee
Gibbs & Bruns LLP
Haynes and Boone, LLP
HBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Section
HBA Oil Gas & Mineral Law Section
HBA Real Estate Law Section
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
McKool Smith LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan/Karl Stern
Service Corporation International
Ann Stern
Susman Godfrey
Thompson & Knight Foundation
Weil Gotshal & Manges
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP
Winston & Strawn LLP
$3,000
HBA Corporate Counsel Section
Martin, Disiere, Jefferson & Wisdom, L.L.P.
$2,500
Arnold & Porter LLP
Baker & McKenzie LLP
Baker Wotring LLP
Berg & Androphy
Susan Bickley and Bob Scott
Bissinger, Oshman & Williams LLP
The Buck Family Fund
Burford Perry, LLP
Cokinos I Young
Hon. Rabeea Sultan Collier
Wendy and Alistair Dawson
Dobrowski Larkin & Stafford
Emma Doineau
Energy Transfer, L.P.
Fogler, Brar, O’Neil and Gray LLP
Polly and Stephen Fohn
Frost Bank
Germer PLLC
Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro
Gray Reed & McGraw LLP
Hagans Montgomery Hagans
David and Tammie Harrell
Jim S. Hart
HBA Federal Practice Section
HBA Juvenile Law Section
Hogan Lovells US LLP
Houston Lawyer Referral Service, Inc.
Jackson Walker
Jenkins & Kamin, LLP
Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC
Daniella D. Landers
Latham & Watkins LLP
Massey Law Firm PLLC
Mayer Brown LLP
Audrey Momanaee and Jeffrey Levett
Greg and Jennifer Moore
Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.
Nathan Sommers Jacobs, A Professional Corporation
Jeff Paine and Brandon Holcomb/Goldman Sachs
Chris and Annsley Popov
Porter Hedges LLP
Reynolds Frizzell LLP
Jason M. and Megan Ryan
Shearman & Sterling
Shipley Snell Montgomery LLP
Shook Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
Sidley Austin LLP
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
South Texas College of Law Houston
Tindall England PC
Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
Winstead PC
Travis Wofford and Dr. Lisa Wofford
Wright Close & Barger, LLP
$1,600
HBA Mergers & Acquisitions Section
$1,500
Bill Book
Stewart and Lynn Gagnon
Diana and Hon. Mike Gomez
Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP
HBAA Charitable Fund, Inc.
Jim Hurd and Cisselon Nichols Hurd
Neil and Dana Kelly
Hon. David and Pamela Medina
W. Michael and Laurie D. Moreland
Hon. Frank Rynd
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Smyser, Kaplan & Veselka, L.L.P.
Taylor, Book, Allen & Morris, LLP
Hilary Tyson
Sandy and Greg Ulmer
$1,200
Dudley and Judy Oldham
Tesha Peeples
$1,100
Hughes Ellzey, LLP
Shannon, Martin, Finkelstein, Alvarado & Dunn, P.C.
Ware, Jackson, Lee, O’Neill, Smith & Barrow, LLP
West Mermis
$1,000
Barry Abrams
Allegiance Bank
Anonymous Donor
Scott and Hon. Nancy Atlas
Brent and Christy Benoit
Keri Brown
Hon. Christina Bryan and Mr. Trey Peacock
Byman & Associates, PLLC
Anne Chandler
Collin J. Cox
Cozen O’Connor
Amy Catherine Dinn
John and Annette Eldridge
The Fealy Law Firm, PC
George and Reagan Fibbe
Kerry Anne Galvin
Roland Garcia
Craig and Penny Glidden
John Goodgame
Gregor Wynne Arney, PLLC
HBA Appellate Practice Section
HBA Bankruptcy Section
HBA Commercial & Consumer Law Section
HBA Construction Law Section
HBA Criminal Law and Procedure Section
HBA Labor and Employment Law Section
HBA Taxation Section
Judge Joseph “Tad” Halbach
Lauren and Warren Harris
Jennifer A. and Gregory M. Hasley
Hon. Kristen Hawkins
Lindsey and Greg Heath
Linda and Tracy Hester
Hicks Davis Wynn, P.C.
Yvonne Y. Ho and Allen S. Rice
The Hoerster Mediation Firm
Jennifer and Richard Hogan
Houston Young Lawyers Association
Monica Hwang
Kevin and Francyne Jacobs
Johnson DeLuca Kurisky & Gould PC
The Christine and Rob Johnson Family Fund
Jones Day
Frank G. Jones
Hugh Rice Kelly
Kirby, Mathews & Walrath, PLLC
KoonsFuller Houston
Christine and Craig LaFollette
Chanler Langham
James Lewis Leader
Jose R. Lopez II
Peter Lowy & Gabriela Boersner
Gina Lucero and Terry G. Fry
Hon. Erin Lunceford and Mike Lunceford
Diana E. Marshall
Guy and Carolyn Matthews
Ginnie and Tim McConn
Cassie McGarvey
McKinney Taylor P.C.
Hon. Margaret Garner Mirabal
Ginni and Richard Mithoff
Hon. Daryl L. Moore
William D. Morris
Michael Neel
Michele N. O’Brien
Robert Painter
Charlie Parker
Judge Fredericka Phillips
Colin and Sangita Pogge
Carol and John Porter
Mitch and Shannon Reid
Barbara K. Runge
Judith Sadler
Beuna and James B. Sales
Travis and Sandy Sales
Hon. Ravi K. Sandill
Alyssa Schindler
Lionel M. Schooler
Schulman, Lopez, Hoffer & Adelstein, LLP
Denise and John Scofield
Seyfarth
Shortt & Nguyen, P.C.
Judge Chuck Silverman
Nicole and David Singer
Sponsel Miller Greenberg PLLC/Roger Greenberg
Squire Patton Boggs
Stacy & Baker, P.C.
John and Pam Strasburger
Travis Torrence and Heath LaPray
University of Houston Law Center
Roy and Dominique Varner
Willie and Ingrid Wood
Ytterberg Deery Knull, LLP
Janie and Daniel Zilkha
Additional Donors
John Adkins
Shaheryar Ahmed
Amaro Law Firm
Anonymous Donors
Bolivar C. Andrews
Anna M. Archer
Michael Bell
Levi J. Benton
In honor of Blank Rome LLP
Terri Boles
Kristen Bollinger
Bragg Law PC
Kate and Mike Brem
Dean Joan R. M. Bullock
Nicole Soussan Caplan
Christie Cardon
Brian Q. Carmichael
Angeles Garcia Cassin
Seth J. Chandler
Alison Chen
Grant Cohen
Hon. Julie Countiss
Ronnye and Chip Cowell
Hon. Jason Cox
Stephen D. Davis/Akin Gump
Rachel Delgado
Bonnie and Otway B. Denny, Jr.
Hon. Grant Dorfman
Jennifer Walker Elrod
Eva and Judge Mike Engelhart
Brian Faulkner and Jacqueline Macha
Patrick M. Flynn, P.C.
Charles C. Foster
Lisa Garrett
Hon. Tanya Garrison
The Christian A. and Janet G. Garza Family
Bradley D. Gray
Liza A. Greene
David T. Harvin
HBA Animal Law Section
HBA Environmental Law Section
HBA Health Law Section
HBA Law Practice Management Section
HBA Probate, Trusts & Estate Section
HBA Probate, Trusts & Estate Section in honor of Stephanie Donaho
HBA Taxation Section
HBA Social Security Section
Lisa Hearn
Richard Heaton
Anthony E. Hilbert
Judge James Horwitz
Catherine North Hounfodji
Justice Rebeca Huddle
Kate Huggins
Ruth A. Hughes-Deaton
Patrick Hurley
Veronica F. Jacobs
Camille C. Jenman
Penny Johnson
Bill Lamb
Tiffany C. Larsen
Louie and Maggie Layrisson
James R. Leahy
Elizabeth and Russell Lewis
Ronald C. Lewis
David T. Lopez
Maria Lowry
Cynthia Mabry
Melissa and Thomas McCaffrey
MacIntyre, McCulloch & Stanfield LLP
Tara and William McElhiney
Meghan Dawson McElvy
Kathlyn Hendrix Mickan
Allison Standish Miller
Hon. Beau A. Miller
Steven L. Miller, Jr.
Paul Monsour
Amber Morrison
Donna Moye
E. Munoz
Liam O’Rourke and Alexandra Caritis
Nick Petree
Michael Phillips
Thomas R. Phillips
Beth and Tommy Proctor
Elizabeth Ray
Susan and Barrett Reasoner
Emery Gullickson Richards/Blank Rome LLP
Jennifer Richardson
Roger Rider and Nancy Huston
Nikki Roberts and Krisa Benskin
Anna Robshaw/Greenberg Traurig LLP
Christian Ryholt
Judge Robert Schaffer
Kevin Schott
Julie Seifert
Hon. Susan S. Soussan
Hon. Charles Spain and John Adcock
Kendall Valenti Speer
Hon. Barbara Stalder
Jocelyn Tau
Roxanne Tizravesh
Jennifer Tomsen
Cara Vasquez
Tony L. Visage
Hon. Dale Wainwright
Hon. Clinton Chip Wells
Richard F. Whiteley
Hon. Ken Wise
Nikki Wise
Margaret Wittenmyer
Russell Taft Wong
Gary L. Wood
Wyly & Cook, PLLC
Paul Yale
Andrew Yeh
Krisina Zuniga