This week’s P.S. column features a Houston in-house lawyer who has joined the board of a national renewable energy-focused nonprofit, a nomination period that has opened for in-house lawyers dedicated to pro bono work benefiting legal aid organizations and an award recently received by Vinson & Elkins’ head of pro bono.
Other legal departments mentioned in this edition include CenterPoint, Chevron, Pattern Energy, ExxonMobil and Toyota North America.
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— Today marks the beginning of the nomination period for the Texas Access to Justice Commission’s 2024 Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Award, which it presents in partnership with the State Bar of Texas’ Corporate Counsel Section. The award recognizes in-house lawyers who are active in providing pro bono work serving low-income Texans as well as promoting pro bono culture within the corporate framework. A unique aspect of this award is that it comes with a $2,000 stipend that is donated to a legal aid organization of the honoree’s choice.
The award will be presented at 11:45 a.m. on Thursday, June 20 during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, which will be in Dallas this year at the Hilton Anatole.Past award recipients in recent years include CenterPoint Energy General Counsel Monica Karuturi, Chevron senior counsel Alyssa Schindler, ExxonMobil executive counsel Doug Neagli and Toyota North America managing counsel Scott Young.
Those who wish to nominate someone have until April 29 to do so. To nominate someone or learn more about the award, visit this link. The award is open to any individual corporate counsel or in-house attorney in Texas.
— Pattern Energy senior counsel Lauren Haller has joined the board of directors of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy. WRISE is a women-led national nonprofit that focuses on recruiting more women into the renewable energy sector and retaining and advancing women that are already there as part of its larger mission to accelerate the transition into a sustainable and equitable energy future for all communities. In 2020, The Texas Lawbook and the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Houston Chapter honored Haller with the Houston Corporate Counsel Award for Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion.
“With over 20 years in the energy industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of diverse perspectives in driving innovation and equitable solutions,” Haller said in a statement. “At WRISE, we are not just advocating for the representation, we are building a support system that empowers women at every stage of their career, ensuring they have the opportunities, resources and environments to flourish.”
— On March 2, the Houston’s Evelyn Rubenstein JCC honored V&E pro bono counsel Ellyn Josef at its 2024 Children’s Scholarship Ball for her pro bono work helping children and single moms. Josef leads V&E’s pro bono program, coordinating and managing V&E’s pro bono initiatives firmwide. She joined the firm in 2008 as its first pro bono counsel.
Proceeds from the ball benefited the Irvin Kaplan Children’s Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to children of all religious and ethnic backgrounds to cover costs associated with the JCC’s infant care, preschool, summer camp and special needs programs. The proceeds support 100 children each year.