This week’s edition of P.S. features details on a recent scholarship awards luncheon in Houston benefitting Hispanic law students and recognizing several public service pioneers, an upcoming online program hosted by the Dallas Bar Association that will educate the public on the fentanyl crisis at a local level, and September dates for the DBA’s DVAP pro bono legal clinics.
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— On Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 12 p.m., the Dallas Bar Association is hosting a free public forum titled “The Fentanyl Crisis: A Conversation from the Frontlines.” The event, planned by the DBA public forum committee, won’t count for CLE credit, but it will provide a peek into the catalyst of the nation’s most lethal public health crisis in recent history from the perspective of the people dealing with it firsthand in Dallas. Panelists include Dr. Philip Huang, director of Dallas Health and Human Services; Wade Sparks, assistant special agent in charge at the Drug Enforcement Administration; and Dallas City Council member Paula Blackmon, who is spearheading the city’s fentanyl strike force. The moderator of the panel is Fox 4 News reporter Peyton Yager.
Lawyers on the DBA public forum committee include Andy Jones of Sawicki Law, Ty Sheaks of the McCathern firm and Alison Ashmore of Dykema.
Visit here for information on how to register for the forum, which will take place on Zoom.
— This week, the Mexican-American Bar Association of Texas Foundation held its 18th annual scholarship luncheon benefitting Hispanic law students attending the three Houston-area law schools: University of Houston Law Center, South Texas College of Law Houston and Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
The luncheon, held at the C. Baldwin Curio Collection by Hilton in downtown Houston, also honored several individuals considered pioneers in the community who exemplify the foundation’s ideals: Harris County District Judge Ravi K. Sandill (for outstanding service in the community as a member of the judiciary), restaurateur Benjamin Berg of Berg Hospitality Group (for outstanding service in the community as a business executive), Telemundo news anchor Chrystal Ayala (for outstanding service in the community as a pioneer in the media industry) and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo (for outstanding service in the community as a public servant). A special award went to Chamberlain Hrdlicka shareholder Diana Gomez, who is the first Latina president of the Houston Bar Association.
The MABATx Foundation is a nonprofit founded in 2006 by Benny Agosto, Jr., a partner at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto & Aziz and a former president of MABATx, to encourage justice and leadership in the Hispanic community. So far, the foundation has raised more than $400,000 to benefit law students and further the organization’s purpose.
“It is important that we encourage a new generation of lawyers to not only be great lawyers but also to give back to the legal community,” Agosto said.
— The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program will hold 10 pro bono legal clinics throughout the month of September — five virtual and five in-person. DVAP is a joint initiative of the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. Dates and sponsor information below.
Low-income Dallas County residents who wish to receive free legal assistance provided at the virtual clinics can apply by filling out a form here.
Virtual Clinics (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
Sept. 7: DVAP and the DBA’s Solo Volunteer group
Sept. 8 (Veterans Clinic): DVAP and Bradley Arant Boult Cummings
Sept. 14: DVAP and DLA Piper
Sept. 21: DVAP, Haynes Boone and St. Mary’s University School of Law
Sept. 28: DVAP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges
In-person Clinics
Veterans Clinic: Sept. 8 at 1:30 p.m. at the VA Medical Center (4500 S. Lancaster Rd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Prudential
South Dallas Clinic: Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (2922 Martin Luther King Blvd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Solo Volunteers
East Dallas Clinic: Sept. 21 at 5 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church (4105 Junius at Haskell, Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Solo Volunteers
West Dallas Clinic: Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. at the West Dallas Multipurpose Center (2828 Fish Trap Rd., Dallas). Sponsored by DVAP and Solo Volunteers