In this edition of P.S., Kirkland & Ellis partner Michael Considine is calling on the legal community to give blood at the second annual Knock Out the Need Blood Drive taking place June 15-16. Blood donations are typically strained during the summer months, and this year blood centers nationally are preparing for additional demand associated with large crowds and travel expected during the FIFA World Cup tournament in host cities across the country.
As the Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas nears its annual Women’s Advocacy Awards on June 17, it is just shy of reaching its $175,000 fundraising goal. LAWNT depends on donor support “now more than ever,” the nonprofit law firm has said. Last year, LAWNT eliminated 50 positions through layoffs and attrition in response to a series of funding cuts to legal aid.
Dallas attorney Randy Johnston recently awarded scholarships to two students at Palo Duro High School in honor of the late Frontz M. Myatt, a longtime teacher and coach whose influence had a profound impact on Johnston’s life.
Finally, we feature Efrain Vera, who recently jumped from the global commercial disputes group at Reed Smith to assume the role of director of the Brewer Storefront, the pro bono affiliate of Brewer Attorneys & Counselors.
Dallas Law and Finance Leaders Organize Blood Drive to Address Summer Shortages
The second annual Knock Out the Need Blood Drive, a friendly competition among Dallas-area law and financial firms, is scheduled for June 15-16 as organizers work to boost blood donations during a season when supplies are often strained.
The initiative was launched last year by Kirkland & Ellis partner Michael Considine and AlixPartners partner Ted Stafford in response to recurring summer blood shortages. This year’s drive comes as North Texas prepares to host several matches during the FIFA World Cup tournament. Blood centers nationally are preparing for additional demand amid increased travel and large gatherings during the tournament.
The firm that collects the most donations will have its name engraved on a championship belt and receive a trophy to display in its office. AlixPartners, which won the inaugural competition, enters this year’s event as the defending champion and host.
Participants are encouraged to schedule appointments in advance through the American Red Cross website using the code AlixPartners.
Blood Drive details:
- Dates: Monday, June 15 – Tuesday, June 16
- Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. each day
- Location: AlixPartners, Rosewood Court, 10th Floor, 2101 Cedar Springs, Dallas, TX 75201
Complimentary garage parking validation will be provided by Rosewood Court. Donors should stop by suite #190 to have their parking ticket validated before leaving the building.
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas to Honor Six Leaders at Women’s Advocacy Awards
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas is hosting its annual Women’s Advocacy Awards on June 17 and is just shy of reaching its fundraising goal.
This year marks the 26th anniversary of the Women’s Advocacy Awards and the organization’s 75th year of advancing justice across North and West Texas. Since its founding, LANWT has provided free civil legal aid to more than 1 million women and low-income families. Much of that work supports survivors of domestic violence and their children.
LANWT serves 114 counties throughout North and West Texas.
With about two weeks remaining before the event, LANWT has raised $168,847 toward its $175,000 fundraising goal.
This year’s honorees are:
- Krisi Kastl, CEO and founder, Kastl Law, P.C. — Louise Raggio Women’s Legal Advocate Award
- Matthew C. Henry, senior vice president and general counsel, Oncor Electric Delivery — Business Leadership Award
- Ann Marie Painter, partner, Haynes and Boone LLP — Civic Leadership Award
- Bria Riley, senior vice president and senior lead counsel, Citibank N.A. — Advocate on the Rise Award
- Michelle Simpson Tuegel, founding partner, The Simpson Tuegel Law Firm — Champion of Justice Award
- David R. McAtee II, senior executive vice president and general counsel, AT&T — 75th Anniversary Pillar of Justice Award
The event will be held June 17 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Arts District Mansion, 2101 Ross Avenue in Dallas. To purchase tickets, make a donation or sponsor the event, visit the organization’s website.
LAWNT depends on donor support “now more than ever,” the nonprofit law firm has said.
Last year, LAWNT eliminated 50 positions through layoffs and attrition in response to a series of funding cuts to legal aid.
Related Coverage: https://texaslawbook.net/legal-aid-feels-death-by-a-thousand-cuts-after-latest-funding-loss/
Dallas Attorney Awards Scholarships in Late Coach’s Honor
Dallas attorney Randy Johnston recently awarded scholarships to two students at Palo Duro High School in honor of the late Frontz M. Myatt, a longtime teacher and coach whose influence had a profound impact on Johnston’s life.
Johnston, a name partner of Johnston Tobey Baruch, funded the scholarships to recognize Myatt’s legacy and support graduating students at the Amarillo school where the track and tennis coach spent 27 years.
“I moved around a lot as a kid, and Palo Duro was the only high school where I spent the entire school year in one school. I didn’t even graduate from there, but Coach Myatt made a lasting impression on me during a time in life when that really mattered,” Johnston said. “He believed in kids, and he treated people in a way that made them believe they could do more with their lives. I’ve carried those lessons into my career as a lawyer. These scholarships are about honoring that kind of influence and hopefully helping students who just need someone to believe in them, too.”
Former Reed Smith Counsel Efrain Vera Named Director of Brewer Storefront
As a child, Efrain Vera helped his grandmother run the family business, a mail delivery service that connected Hispanic communities in Mexico and the U.S.
He recalls riding with his grandmother, Maria Guadalupe Hernandez, on weekend delivery routes from their Dallas home to Fort Worth and the suburbs in between when he was as young as 10.
The business dissolved after his grandmother died in 2021. Vera, then a commercial litigation attorney, wished there had been a legal framework in place that would have allowed it to continue.
That desire, in part, inspired him to teach classes in Spanish and English through the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on the legal issues involved in starting and growing a business. The classes provide guidance to aspiring entrepreneurs who otherwise could not afford legal services from attorneys at firms like his.
It was the kind of work Vera realized he wanted to keep doing.
On Monday, Vera, most recently senior counsel in the global commercial disputes group at Reed Smith, began his new role as director of the Brewer Storefront, the pro bono affiliate of Brewer Attorneys & Counselors.
“With the Storefront, I’m in the community where my family is, helping people similar to my grandma achieve their goals,” Vera said.
The move marks something of a homecoming.
As a student at the Judge Barefoot Sanders Law Magnet at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, Vera interned for Bill Brewer, who became a mentor.
Vera continued working for the firm while attending New York University and later returned as a summer associate while attending Albany Law School. After graduation, he joined Brewer Attorneys & Counselors as a complex commercial litigation attorney.
A first-generation college graduate, Vera credits Brewer and the Brewer Foundation, the firm’s nonprofit arm, with changing the trajectory of his life.
He left the firm in 2021 to become a financial services litigation attorney at McGuireWoods and later joined Reed Smith.
A few months ago, Vera told Brewer about his work with the Hispanic Chamber and his desire to devote more of his time to helping minority business owners in Dallas.
“Ever since I can remember, Bill has always said that the bar card allows us to make a difference,” Vera said.
So when the opportunity to lead the Storefront arose, accepting it was a “no-brainer,” Vera said.
“Often, the key to protecting our freedoms is ensuring that those freedoms are protected for everyone — especially those who may be marginalized by political power. In a part of the world governed by the rule of law, a key to protecting freedom is often a bar card. That is why we created the Brewer Storefront for people who understand this dynamic — and who have the skill sets, resources and desire to answer the call to serve,” Brewer said.
“And so, we are thrilled that Efrain is returning to the Firm. Efrain was with us as a teenager in our Future Leaders Program, as a young man pursuing his advanced education, and as an associate in our firm,” Brewer continued. “Now he’s back — in the Storefront — and at the forefront of the fight for freedom.”