This edition of P.S. features a firmwide volunteer day that yielded thousands of meals for Texas families in need, a five-day program hosted at a Dallas law school that educated high school students on the law school experience and life of a lawyer, a recent letter to Congress by law firm managing partners that expresses their grave concern for the underfunding of civil legal aid, a scholarship that a Dallas trial boutique recently awarded to two Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet high school students, and the story behind a renamed diversity fellowship at a large Houston-based firm and the names of this year’s fellows.
For your public service news to be considered in a future P.S. column, email public.service@texaslawbook.net
Firms and corporate in-house departments mentioned in this week include AT&T, American Airlines, Gray Reed, Lynn Pinker, Baker Botts, Bracewell, Haynes Boone and Vinson & Elkins.
The Latest
— Baker Botts recently renamed its diversity in action fellowship to honor Rufus Cormier, who in the 1980s became the first African American attorney to be promoted to partner at a major Houston law firm. Cormier, now retired, practiced corporate and finance law and was known as someone who “helped recalibrate the firm’s priorities forever,” said Baker Botts managing partner Danny David. Cormier was also a committed philanthropist and leader in his community, serving on the boards of Texas Southern University, MD Anderson, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. He also received numerous awards throughout his career for his commitment to service and professionalism, including the Anti-Defamation League’s Karen Susan Jurisprudence Award and the Houston Bar Auxiliary’s Leon Jaworski Award.
In a firm memo, David described Cormier’s life as “a profile of achievement against great odds,” noting that Cormier grew up in Beaumont when it was still segregated. He graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University as a member of SMU’s second class that included African American students and also was co-captain of the varsity football team. Cormier got his law degree from Yale University and joined Baker Botts after serving as a special assistant to special counsel for the House Judiciary Committee’s Nixon impeachment inquiry.
This year, six law students have been named fellows of the Rufus Cormier Diversity Fellowship, and all but one are working as 1L summer associates in Baker Botts’ Texas offices. They are:
- Anuj Khoje, who is studying at Emory University School of Law and working in the New York office;
- Victoria Moreno-Gama, a Harvard Law School student working in the Austin office;
- Evan Ortiz, attending Duke University School of Law and working in the Houston office;
- Akshara Rajavel, also of Duke Law, working in the Austin office;
- Aabha Singh, a University of Texas School of Law student working in the Houston office; and
- Taha Syed, a law student at Georgetown University Law Center working in the Dallas office.
In addition to their summer associate salary, the fellowship also provides scholarship funds to help the students cover their law school costs. Baker Botts selects fellowship recipients who are excellent students who have demonstrated strong leadership attributes and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession.
— On May 31, 130 attorneys and staff members from Gray Reed’s Dallas, Waco and Houston offices participated in the firm’s second annual volunteer day. The volunteers spent the afternoon at their local food banks — 63 at the North Texas Food Bank and 67 at the Houston Food Bank. In Dallas, the volunteers prepared 18,000 pounds of food, which will provide more than 15,000 meals for North Texas families in need. In Houston, volunteers sorted and organized 417 boxes of food, which will end up in nearly 13,000 meals for families in need in 18 southeast Texas counties. The Gray Reed Foundation also donated $5,000 to the North Texas Food Bank, which will supply an additional 45,000 meals.
— Three Texas-based law firm managing partners signed a recent letter that urges Congress to increase funding for Legal Services Corporation, which is a major funding source to legal aid providers across the country. The letter was signed by leaders at 154 law firms and represented all 50 states. The letter included the signatures of:
- Houston-based managing partner Greg Bopp of Bracewell;
- Dallas-based managing partner Taylor Wilson of Haynes Boone;
- Houston-based firm chair David Taylor of Locke Lord; and
- Houston-based firm chair Keith Fullenweider of Vinson & Elkins, as well as firm vice chairs Jim Fox of New York City, Michael Holmes of Dallas and Hilary Preston of Austin.
LSC is an independent nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support for civil legal aid to low-income Americans. The corporation currently provides funding to 131 legal aid programs in every state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories.
The June 7 letter is the latest in a series of external stakeholder letters sent to Congress advocating for fully funding LSC for its 2025 fiscal year. Others who wrote in included 39 bipartisan state attorneys general, 147 general counsel, 84 law school deans and the national Conference of Chief Justices and the Conference of State Court Administrators.
In the law firm leaders’ letter, they note that LSC is critical for making possible pro bono legal services in their communities since, in addition to the funding local legal aid organizations, LSC screens cases for merit and eligibility, conducts trainings and mentors private attorneys who volunteer to take on some of the pro bono work.
“We are gravely concerned by the continuous underfunding of LSC’s budget, which harms children, seniors, veterans low-income families and many other vulnerable groups in our communities,” the letter says. “The pro bono activity facilitated by LSC funding is exactly the kind of public-private partnership the government should continue to encourage.”
To read the full letter, visit here.
— Last week, SMU Dedman School of Law hosted its fourth annual Rising Scholars Program for 22 high school students in the Dallas-Fort Worth region — and two from Florida and California. The program, orchestrated by SMU Dedman’s diversity, equity and inclusion office, seeks to introduce high school students to the law school experience and the practice of law through an immersive program that provides students housing for the week in SMU’s dormitories. During the five-day program, the students took mini classes, participated in development workshops and panel discussions with practicing attorneys.
This year the program added a new three-hour wellness session where the students learned about the stress, pressures and challenges lawyers face at times and various stress-relief tools. After dinner one evening, an instructor from a local studio who specializes in youth yoga visited to teach students some breathwork and simple yoga techniques that are helpful in reducing stress.
The programming taught the students about the fundamentals of law, becoming a lawyer at a law firm, and also provided a peek into judicial careers and in-house corporate work. They also brushed up their skills in public speaking, networking and interviewing. The program ended with a moot court competition where students developed and displayed their critical thinking and communication skills.
This year’s sponsors were AT&T and American Airlines. AT&T was the program’s first sponsor when it began in 2021, while American joined as a major contributor in 2023. The program culminated in a luncheon on June 7, where American Airlines Chief People Officer Cole Brown surprised the students with AAdvantage miles to help with their travel for family or college visits.
— Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann recently announced that it has awarded two Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet scholarships to high school seniors Ari Arceo and Valen Garcia. Arceo will attend Northwestern University this fall and aspires to become a lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission, while Garcia will attend Brown University to pursue a double major in economics and philosophy.
The Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet, established in 1978, has a mission to prepare students for careers in law, government and law enforcement. The scholarship recipients must enroll in a full-time undergraduate study at a four-year college or university, have a minimum GPA of 3.3 and demonstrate outstanding leadership potential and an intent to pursue a career in the legal field.
“For many years, LPHS has supported the talented and hardworking students at Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet School in pursuing their dreams of becoming lawyers and making an impact in our world,” partner Alan Dabdoub said in a statement. “We are proud to see the past winners’ success and look forward to seeing this year’s winners achieve their goals. It is an honor for us to contribute to the Law Magnet’s mission each year. We wish Ari and Valen well and look forward to staying in touch.”