April 25 is a busy day for the public service world in Texas. If you’re able to make it to Austin that day, the Texas Access to Justice Commission is holding one of its largest galas and fundraisers of the year that will benefit low-income veterans in Texas.
If you’ll be in North Texas that day, consider venturing to Plano, where Toyota, Gibson Dunn and others will host a program featuring two high-profile, high-ranking former federal prosecutors who will inform persons susceptible to bias and hate crimes of their rights when this happens and equip them (and their allies) with other helpful knowledge. The program is geared toward Asian Americans and allies in advance of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, but the information will arm members of any marginalized group with helpful knowledge to combat hate.
More details on both events below. For your public service news to be considered in a future P.S. column, email public.service@texaslawbook.net
The Latest Charitable Happenings
— On April 25, the Texas Access to Justice Commission will hold its Champions of Justice Gala in Austin at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Proceeds directly support civil legal services for low-income Texas veterans. The keynote speaker will be Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, and emceeing will be Hecht’s colleague, Justice Brett Busby.
Many law firms, corporations, family foundations and individual lawyers are sponsoring this year’s gala, but some of the top sponsors include AT&T, CenterPoint Energy, H-E-B, Locke Lord, Toyota, Vinson & Elkins, Richard Warren Mithoff, the Moody Foundation and the Audrey & Carlos Zaffirini Jr. Family Foundation.
Each of those sponsors, called the Champion of Justice sponsors, has an individual representing them on the 2023 gala committee, which is chaired by V&E’s Harry Reasoner. The gala co-chairs are Jerry Clements of Locke Lord, Elizabeth Gibson of Toyota, Monica Karuturi of CenterPoint, David McAtee II of AT&T, Richard Warren Mithoff of Mithoff Law, Ross R. Moody of the Moody Foundation, Stephen C. Mount of H-E-B, Marie Yeates of V&E and Carlos M. Zaffrini, Jr. of the Zaffrini Jr. Foundation. (For a full list of sponsors, click here).
Remaining sponsorships are limited but may still be available. To inquire about sponsoring, contact Dominga Titus at dtitus@texasbar.com or 512.427.1838.
If your unable to attend but would still like to donate visit Texas Access to Justice Foundation’s link here: https://www.teajf.org/donate/gala2.aspx
For general information about the event, send an email to atjmail@texasatj.org
— Also on April 25, Toyota and Gibson Dunn are putting on an event in Plano called “Know Your Rights Against Anti-Asian Hate.” The panel discussion features two former U.S. Attorneys well-versed in this topic, Gibson Dunn’s Debra Wong Yang (former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California) and Alston & Bird’s B.J. Pak (former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Virginia). The program comes right before the start of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and is designed to give members of the AAPI community and their allies a better understanding of the legal rights of bias and hate crime victims, potential remedies, and sources of support victims and bystander intervention techniques.
The program is also hosted by the Dallas Asian American Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel’s DFW chapter and the Alliance for Asian American Justice.
The event will be at the Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West Hotel from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. There will be a networking reception both before and after the panel.
To attend in-person, email dallasrsvp@gibsondunn.com. To attend virtually, register here.