In Texas, the air is getting crisper and the days are getting shorter — that too, applies to the remaining window to participate in 2023 charitable giving.
But this narrowing window seems to always be the most saturated time of the year for pro bono and public service in the Texas legal community. Fall galas are in full swing to garner end-of-year fundraising and a series of holidays typically prompt a boost in giving.
Next week, the American Bar Association kicks it off with its 2023 National Celebration of Pro Bono from Oct. 22 to Oct. 28. The ABA launched the weeklong, nationwide holiday in 2009 in response to the growing need for pro bono services during the Great Recession and unprecedented response of attorneys to meet the demand. Every October since, legal organizations across the country take part in the pro bono celebration week to draw attention to the need for pro bono participation and recognize those who give their time and expertise year-round to those in need.
The theme for this year’s pro bono celebration is “Voices of Democracy: Ensuring Justice for All.” More information is below on how the legal community can support this initiative of the ABA, as well as many others.
If your firm or corporate legal department is celebrating next week, I’d love to know how. And while you’re at it, let me know about any pro bono work you are doing for veterans. Nov. 10 will be this year’s observed Veterans Day in the U.S., and I’ll be looking to highlight lawyers stepping up to support U.S. veterans or Texas lawyers who are also veterans and are giving back.
As always, please drop me a line if you have any public service news you’d like considered for this column, including any special work regarding the above topics.
Other items in this week’s edition of P.S. include the unveiling of three displays at the University of Houston Law Center honoring notable Hispanic and African American alums and faculty, a group of lawyers recognized by the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association’s annual gala, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas’ honoring of standout volunteer lawyers in the Austin area and a six-figure grant gifted from one Dallas-area nonprofit to another.
The Latest
— Four Dallas-area Latina lawyers — Elizabeth A. Spencer Berthiaume, Laura Baez Torres, Stephanie Zapata Moore and Bridget Moreno Lopez — were honored with awards at the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association’s Noche de Luz gala on Oct. 14 at the Statler Hotel. The awards honor individuals who are lighting the path to the legal profession for Latinas and Latinos in Dallas.
Berthiaume, an associate at Squire Patton Boggs, received the Estrella Award. Torres, founding and managing attorney of Laura Baez Torres Law, received the Volunteer of the Year Award. Moore, executive vice president and general counsel of Vistra Corp., received the Corporate Counsel Diversity Award. Lopez, managing partner of Linebarger Noggin Blair & Simpson, received the La Luz Award. There was also a Law Firm Excellence Award, which went to Greenberg Traurig.
Haynes Boone served as the gala’s platinum sponsor, and other major sponsors included Linebarger, Stinson, Vistra and Tokyo Electron. Haynes Boone also had lawyers involved with heavy speaking and leadership roles at the event; partner and Texas Rep. Rafael Anchia was the keynote speaker and DHBA president and Haynes Boone associate Carla Green was among the board members who planned the gala. A full list of corporate sponsors can be found here.
— Earlier this month, during Hispanic Heritage Month, the University of Houston Law Center commemorated the achievements of standout Hispanic and African-American law graduates and faculty by unveiling three new displays to honor the contributions of the individuals who have broken barriers and enriched the legal community.
The Michael A. Olivas and Augustine H. Reyes portrait honors the talents the couple used serve to the university as well as the local, regional and national communities of scholars, academics and lawyers. The late Olivas was UH Law Center William B. Bates chair emeritus and a professor, and Dr. Reyes is professor emerita at the UH College of Education. The portrait is on the fifth floor of the law building in the Olivas-Reyes Reading Room.
The Royce and Carol West African American Law Heritage Wall of Honor was dedicated by state Sen. West and his wife, Carol, to recognize the achievements and contributions of UH Law’s African American alums and faculty. The wall is on the second floor of the law building. Sen. West serves Texas’ 23rd district, which covers Dallas and suburbs to the south. Carol West is a retired CPA.
The Ezequiel Reyna Jr. and Livia Reyna Hispanic Law Heritage Wall of Honor, also on the second floor was dedicated by the couple to commemorate achievements and contributions of Hispanic UH alumni and faculty. Mr. Reyna, a personal injury lawyer in the greater McAllen area, is a 1980 UH Law graduate. Mrs. Reyna received her master’s degree from UH’s College of Education in 1979.
— Oct. 26 is ABA Giving Day, which falls during the ABA’s larger weeklong National Celebration of Pro Bono recognizing the pro bono work by lawyers, paralegals and law students across the country. Between now and next Thursday, members of the legal community (and public) are encouraged to give to the ABA Fund for Justice and Education, the charitable arm of the ABA that supports its public service, policy and education initiatives.
Those who wish to donate can visit givingday.americanbar.org and browse specific programs and projects that donors can choose where their money will go. Specific initiatives donors can contribute to include the ABA’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship for underrepresented law students, the ABA Task Force for American Democracy, the Center for Human Rights, and many more.
— On Oct. 12, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas honored Austin attorney Kara O’Shaughnessy of Gray Becker, Buda mediator Tony Blazi and The Law Office of Jason Wright with awards for their pro bono services to the organization. VLS is an Austin-based nonprofit that provides pro bono civil legal services to low-income residents in the Central Texas area through a network of volunteer attorneys. Baker Botts’ Austin office hosted the event.
O’Shaughnessy, a civil litigation, estate planning and probate lawyer, was the recipient of the Susan P. Burton Award, which recognizes a volunteer attorney licensed for five years or less for exemplary pro bono service. Blazi was honored with the J. Chrys Dougherty Award, which recognizes a volunteer attorney for exemplary dedication and commitment to the principle of access to justice for all. The Law Office of Jason Wright, a divorce, family law and school law firm in Austin, received the Joseph H. Hart Award, which recognizes a firm that demonstrates the integrity and commitment to providing pro bono legal service akin to that of Judge Joe Hart, the namesake of the award.
— Earlier this week, the Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center received a $750,000 grant from fellow Dallas-area nonprofit, the Childhood Poverty Action Lab. DEAC provides pro bono legal representation to Dallas County tenants facing eviction. CPAL aims to eliminate childhood poverty in Dallas, thus it has a shared interest in protecting families facing potentially unlawful eviction. The two nonprofits often collaborate through CPAL’s North Texas Eviction Project, which tracks evictions in North Texas and provides real-time data by geographic area.
The same day DEAC received the grant, the tenants rights’ organization hired its 16th team member: attorney Sarah Abdel-Motaleb, a 2022 graduate of Texas A&M University School of Law who just finished a clerkship in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. DEAC founder Mark Melton recently told The Lawbook that he aims to grow his staff of lawyers so that the DEAC in-house team can be in all of Dallas County’s 10 justice of the peace courts (where evictions proceedings are held) every day.
“Our goal is to grow to the point that we can represent every single tenant in Dallas County that is facing eviction, and this grant will help enormously to achieve that goal,” DEAC founder and Holland & Knight partner Melton, a partner at Holland & Knight, said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday. “While $750,000 sounds like a lot, it’s only about 25 percent of what we need each year to operate at scale. If you’d like to help us create accountability in the eviction process, please donate today to dallasdeac.org.”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated to add information about the keynote speaker and planner of the Noche de Luz gala.