Lawyers, corporate general counsel and leaders of the Texas legal profession — 467 of them to be exact — received an email letter Thursday from AT&T General Counsel David McAtee and Halliburton Chief Legal Officer Van Beckwith announcing the annual Champions of Justice Gala that raises funds for Texas Access to Justice and military veterans.
McAtee, a long-time advocate for legal aid in Texas, recruited Beckwith in a strategic move to encourage — with some possible arm-twisting — more corporate GCs in Texas to support Texas Access to Justice efforts and the Gala specifically.
In an interview, McAtee said it is critical for the chief legal officers of the largest and most influential companies in Texas to “publicly support and advocate for legal aid to those who cannot afford but critically need legal services.”
“To me, the Champions of Justice Gala has always been special,” McAtee said. “Working with Van to extend its reach and legacy is a real thrill. The funds we raise are dedicated to the many legal needs of our veterans. Last year, we set a fundraising record. We hope to shatter that record this year.”
The 2025 Gala — to be held on April 30 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin — will feature Equal Justice Initiative Executive Director Bryan Stevenson, author of New York Times bestseller Just Mercy, which was made into a major motion picture of the same name.
“I had the good fortune to meet Bryan in 2019, and since then dozens of lawyers from the AT&T Legal Department and our law firms have worked closely with Bryan and his team at the Equal Justice Initiative representing clients who cannot afford counsel of their own,” McAtee said.
The efforts of McAtee and Beckwith are already producing fruit, as the duo has convinced CenterPoint Energy GC Monica Karuturi, H-E-B Vice President of Corporate Law Stephen Mount, Toyota North America Chief Legal Officer Sandra Phillips, National Western Life CEO and Moody Foundation trustee Ross Moody, ConocoPhillips GC Kelly Rose, Chevron GC Hew Pate, Oracle CLO Stuart Levey and Atmos Energy GC Jessica Pulliam to serve as co-chairs of the Gala.
Beckwith said his message to his fellow corporate GCs regarding their support for Access to Justice is simple: “We have a critical voice. We represent the largest group of employees in Texas. This is a Texas issue that deserves your voice and advocacy.”
“I personally believe — and this can be an unpopular opinion — but the Rule of Law actually depends on highly qualified, highly skilled lawyers taking unpopular positions on both sides of the ‘v.’ And it does our system of justice no good to have an important civil or social issue that is not fully, fairly and finally litigated through the courts,” Beckwith told The Texas Lawbook. “I really worry at times when I see an issue that lawyers find ‘unpopular’ being left aside from effective pro bono.”
“Chief legal officers are called to do so much today. CLO’s are senior C-suite executives, and many take on conjoint legal and business roles,” said Beckwith, who also oversees Houston-based Halliburton’s global communications and marketing, government affairs and trade compliance. “But GC’s and CLOs cannot be removed from the local and state bar association influence over the important issues of justice for all Texans and making sure our courthouses are open to all Texans. CLOs have major voices and must participate with and be heard on issues of Texas-wide importance, like this example of justice for Texans.”
Texas Access to Justice Commission Executive Director April Faith-Slaker said last year’s gala raised $565,850 and it generated $485,000 in funds in 2023.
“All of the funds raised go directly to legal services for low-income Texas veterans,” she said.
Faith-Slaker said the “justice gap is significant” in Texas.
“More than 4 million people qualify for legal aid in Texas, and meanwhile there is less than one civil legal aid lawyer for every 10,000 low-income Texans who qualify for civil legal aid,” she said. “Some estimates indicate that Americans do not get any or enough legal help for 92 percent of their civil legal problems.”
Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby agreed.
“Legal, business and community leaders across our state understand that the average Texan has been priced out of the market for many legal services,” Justice Busby said. “The court appreciates their bold action to ensure that our veterans — who have given so much for us — can access the legal help they need.”
For McAtee and Beckwith, the devotion to pro bono and legal services for the poor has been at the root of their love for the legal profession.
“When I was a young lawyer in the Dallas bar, my mentors stressed the importance of pro bono service,” McAtee said. “It began when I clerked for U.S. District Judge Jerry Buchmeyer, then chief judge of the Northern District, and it continued throughout my years in private practice. Because of people I admired, I’ve grown up believing that pro bono service is a critical part of being a complete lawyer.”
“Long before my arrival, the AT&T Legal Department has been committed to pro bono service,” he said. “Today, I believe we have more lawyers and legal professionals involved in pro bono service than ever.”
Beckwith said Halliburton has had a long partnership with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers group.
“Recently that includes pro bono will clinics because we know much of the challenge of America’s urban core includes widely distributed property ownership for the same property because of a missing simple will,” he said. “Often those family’s only major asset is their home — no matter how lavish or modest and certainly their ‘castle’ — but a grandparent dying without a will who has no immediate generation below and who leaves 16 grandkids creates both chaos and an enormous loss of value for that major asset. I personally am a big believer in will clinics for that reason and personally take clients who I can assist.”
Beckwith has done pro bono and community service work throughout his 25-year career, including during his two decades at Baker Botts.
“That has included cases from divorce, to religious and first amendment liberties, to simple wills,” he said, pointing to his work with Advocates for Community Transformation and with the International Justice Commission. “The work with ACT taught me that the court is not open to all without good lawyers willing to take their time to stand in the gap and show up. The same is obviously true for IJM. As I learned with ACT — and [in cases I] personally handled — neighbors who live in areas where people choose to run drugs or prostitution rings in the neighborhood require effective counsel to clean up the community and allow children to enjoy a bike ride in the community without fear. The courthouse must open to those public nuisance cases.”
So far, nine law firms — Paul Hastings, Baker Botts, BakerHostetler, Gibson Dunn, Greenberg Traurig, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Troutman Pepper Locke and Vinson & Elkins — have stepped forward as top sponsors.
The specific legal aid organizations that will benefit from the funds to serve veterans include:
- Texas Legal Services Center
- Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
- Lone Star Legal Aid
- Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
- Austin Bar Foundation Pro Bono Veterans Initiative
- Baylor University School of Law Veterans Legal Clinic
- Beacon Law
- Houston Volunteer Lawyers
- Jefferson County Bar Foundation Pro Bono Veterans Initiative
- San Antonio Legal Services Association
- South Texas College of Law Veterans Legal Clinic
- Tarrant County Bar Foundation Pro Bono Veterans Legal Clinic
Read the full letter:
