Throughout the world of corporate law, there have been attacks on diversity and inclusion. The biggest and most powerful companies in America have bowed to pressure to back off their public commitment to DEI. Many law firms have scrubbed their websites of signs of support for minority scholarships. Some legal organizations have quietly erased awards that recognize diversity and inclusion.
At the same time, many political leaders and media commentators have openly shamed lawyers for tackling unpopular defendants or policies, including migrants seeking asylum, the death penalty and even freedom of speech and religion.
The Texas Lawbook will not be one of those.
In fact, The Lawbook is doubling down on our commitment to pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession.
And just to be clear, some of the biggest supporters of our efforts are staunch political conservatives and diehard liberals who happened to be great friends who strongly believe that the Texas legal community needs to be more diverse and more charitable.
Today, we officially announce the hiring of Krista Torralva as a new pro bono and diversity beat reporter for The Lawbook. Krista is a former Dallas Morning News courts reporter who has covered litigation for The Lawbook for more than a year.
And we are equally pleased to have Elle Grinnell, a senior at the University of Texas, join The Lawbook team for the next few months — and hopefully, for much longer than that.
Krista and Elle are working with me on projects that highlight the successful pro bono work of lawyers in Texas, the unmet legal needs of Texans who cannot afford an attorney and to examine the state of diversity and inclusion in the Texas legal profession and showcase the lawyers, firms and corporate legal departments that are finding the solutions.
For example, Elle is conducting research to identify scholarships for low-income and disadvantaged individuals interested in a future in the law. The scholarships will, of course, include those for law school and college, but The Lawbook intends to look deeper into the pipeline to find financial support for low-income high school students — be they from the inner city or rural areas — who need help with SAT prep courses and summer internships.
The Lawbook plans to have a special section on the Texas Lawbook Foundation website for anyone to access the scholarship information without charge.
Now, let me reintroduce you to my colleague Krista Torralva, who will be co-authoring this column with me. Her first feature on the new beat can be found here.
Texas Lawbook: Are you involved in any charities or public service work that is dear to your heart?
Krista Torralva: Championing diversity in the journalism industry has long been a passion project of mine. I’m a longtime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and I’ve been plugged into the local Hispanic press organizations in all the cities where I’ve worked as a journalist. My involvement peaked in 2019-2021 when I served on the board of the San Antonio Association of Hispanic Journalists. In my roles, I clinched a four-year commitment from New York Times best-selling author Shea Serrano to provide scholarships to Latino students and I was instrumental in creating the organization’s first-ever audit of local TV news stations’ diversity of anchors. Outside of this work, my husband and I prioritize donating to charitable organizations that provide aid to Palestinian people in Gaza, where my in-laws are from.
Lawbook: What kinds of stories on pro bono or public service do you hope to cover on this beat?
Torralva: I love to write about people who are saving the world. Whatever work lawyers and law firms are doing to make the world a better place, I want to write about. The bulk of my journalism career has been spent covering criminal courts, where I have been drawn to stories of lawyers who worked on a pro bono basis to represent people who were wrongfully convicted of crimes. San Antonio lawyer Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr of Goldstein & Orr was the subject of my first in-depth article about a lawyer who did pro bono work. “This place did innocence work before innocence work was cool,” Orr said in our interview of the mostly white-collar firm. Orr and her firm have literally and figuratively saved lives, and those are the kinds of stories I want to tell: How are lawyers using their talents and resources to help others? You don’t have to get someone off death row to make a meaningful impact in someone’s life, and for me to want to write about you.
Lawbook: Can you give us a little background about yourself as to why you think this beat covering diversity, public service and pro bono is personal to you?
Torralva: I think the culmination of my personal and professional experiences has prepared me for this beat. As a child, I learned to appreciate diverse perspectives. My father, whose grandparents immigrated to Texas from Mexico, is a retired U.S. Navy Chaplain and his career took us all over the United States and parts of Europe. My own heritage is very diverse. My mother is from a small island in eastern Canada. As a journalist, I have reported on people impacted by socioeconomic disparities, such as children who lived in internet deserts and could not access remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, and I’ve interviewed people who would not have quality legal representation but for lawyers who do pro bono work. So, I have a deep understanding and appreciation for the public service and pro bono work that lawyers do.
Lawbook: How do you like to be contacted regarding story tips?
Torralva: There is no wrong way to contact me. If you see me at the courthouse or an event, please come up and say “Hi.” Don’t hesitate to call or text if you have my number. Otherwise, please email me (krista.torralva@texaslawbook.net) and we can set something up!
Lawbook: What are one or two things that our readers need to know about you?
Torralva: I love getting to know people and why they do the things they’re passionate about. The more details you share with me, the better the story will be. I also want readers to know that I truly appreciate them taking the time out of their days to read my work. I don’t take it for granted that of all the content they could spend their time consuming, they chose to read my article.