This week’s P.S. column features fundraising updates on two recent events — one that took place in Austin this week and one that recently happened over the interweb — as well as information on Houston Volunteer Lawyers’ new executive director and a special thank-you to a group of Texas Lawbook Foundation donors.
For your public service news to be considered in a future P.S. column, email public.service@texaslawbook.net
The Latest Charitable Happenings
— Houston Volunteer Lawyers announced that it has a new executive director: Jessica Howton Stool, who started her role April 17. Stool joined HVL, the pro bono arm of the Houston Bar Association, from nonprofit Tahirih Justice Center, where she served as managing attorney for 12 years. Tahirih is a nonprofit that serves immigrant women and children fleeing gender-based violence, and pro bono legal services it offers include representing clients in asylum cases and Violence Against Women Act petitions.
Howton Stool fills the shoes of Anne Chandler, who left HVL earlier this spring to launch a statewide immigration advocacy center. She earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School, where she represented unaccompanied migrant children and first worked at Tahirih as a staff attorney through a fellowship.
“Jessica brings a wealth of pro bono experience to this role,” HVL Chair David E. Harrell said in a statement. “She comes to HVL as we look to maximize our impact to pro bono services in greater Houston. In her role, Jessica will ensure we continue to make justice happen by providing direct legal assistance to thousands of low-income Houstonians, assist veterans through the Veterans Legal Initiative (VLI), and inspire, support, and empower Houston attorneys to volunteer their services through ongoing programs.”
— Legal Aid of Northwest Texas surpassed its $15,000 fundraising goal at its previously reported 2023 trivia night. The virtual event on April 16 attracted 55 players on 12 teams, and their sponsorships and donations will help LANWT serve its legal aid clients. Akin’s “Runaway Rural Jurors” team won the outside team award, while LANWT’s San Angelo branch, the “Quizidry of Magic,” won the branch office team award. Major sponsors of the event included Bell Nunnally and Bazan Roofing.
— The Texas Access to Justice Foundation’s Champions of Justice Gala, which took place Tuesday evening in Austin, raised $485,000 to help provide civil services to low-income veterans in Texas and recognized several lawyers and legal aid professionals who are making a mark in public service across the state. Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby served as master of ceremonies for the evening, while SCOTX Chief Justice Nathan Hecht (a veteran himself) delivered the keynote speech, speaking about the importance of a justice system that is accessible and available to assist veterans when they need it the most.
The 2023 James B. Sales Boots on the Ground Award went to Victor Hunt of Legal Aid of Northwest Texas and Maureen O’Connell of Disability Rights Texas. Hunt’s four-decade career has always involved providing direct legal representation to low-income clients, including work for the mentally disabled and the homeless. At LANWT, he heads its bankruptcy practice, where he has developed and provided training to ensure LANWT is able to provide bankruptcy services to clients in all 114 counties it serves. O’Connell has represented the rights of disabled people throughout her 45-year career. She helped found — and later was director of — the Southern Disability Law Center. She also has won ground-breaking cases that helped set legal precedents that will benefit the community of disabled persons well into the future.
The 2023 Harry M. Reasoner Justice for All Award went to Thomas S. Leatherbury, a retired Vinson & Elkins partner who now serves as the director of SMU Dedman School of Law’s First Amendment Clinic. He spent his private practice career defending the constitutional rights of fellow citizens, often doing so on a pro bono basis. At V&E, Leatherbury served as the firm’s chair of talent management and oversaw training, evaluation, development and the firm’s DEI initiatives.
The 2023 Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award went to Betty Balli Torres, who has served as the executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation since 2001. She has played an instrumental role in securing funding for legal aid throughout her tenure, especially in times of economic stress, which usually means tighter funding coinciding with a greater need for legal aid by the public. Through her efforts, TAJF is currently responsible for distributing $50 million in funds annually to legal service organizations around the state.
V&E’s Harry Reasoner served as chair of this year’s gala committee. For more information on co-chairs and sponsors of the event, view the previous report on this event in this P.S. column.
— Finally, The Texas Lawbook would like to thank Ana M. Mena of Baker Botts; Eleox General Counsel Becky Gottsegen, DistributionNow General Counsel Raymond Chang and Amy Hunt of Muse Legal Communications for their generous donations to the Texas Lawbook Foundation for the upcoming 2023 Houston Corporate Counsel Awards co-hosted by ACC Houston and The Texas Lawbook. The finalists will be honored and winners announced at an awards event on May 4 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Houston. Net proceeds from the event will go to ACC Houston’s support of Street Law, which takes the law into public schools, and the Texas Lawbook Foundation, the funding source of the pro bono, public service and diversity beat.