Corporate law firms flooded LinkedIn this week with announcements that their attorneys were among the hundreds who were named Texas Super Lawyers. Several years ago, I was notified that I had been named a Texas Super Lawyer. I informed the editors that I don’t actually practice law.
The scores of promotional social media posts unfortunately crowded out some of the amazingly good things lawyers did this week for the legal profession and the community.
For example, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas benefited from the annual North Texas Giving Day. Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the State Bar of Texas’s Hispanic Issues Section announced it is hosting its fifth annual virtual game night to raise funds next week. The nonpartisan citizens advocacy group Texas Watch honored Fort Worth trial lawyer Steve Laird with its Champion of Justice Award. And Sheppard Mullin kicked off the Dallas Bar Association’s Equal Access to Justice Campaign, which is being co-chaired by Oncor GC Matt Henry, with a five-figure donation.
LAWtería is Back
Attention lawyers-turned-gamers: LAWtería is back.
The Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation are hosting their fifth annual virtual game night featuring a modified version of Lotería (LAWtería).
The money raised benefits legal aid organizations across Texas. Since its inception, the bar groups have raised about $250,000.
State Bar Past President Sylvia Borunda Firth is hosting the event, which is expected to include Texas State Senator Judith Zaffirini, Justice Robbie Partida-Kipness, Justice Gisela D. Triana and Justice Lori I. Valenzuela.
LAWtería is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. For more details, click here.
Texas Watch Honors Steve Laird
Texas Watch, a non-profit and non-partisan citizens advocacy organization, has recognized Fort Worth trial lawyer Steve Laird of Laird & McCloskey with its Champion of Justice Award.
A 1980 graduate of the South Texas College of Law, Laird has dedicated his four-decade long career to representing victims in consumer protection and wrongful death cases. He is past president of the American Board of Trial Advocates’ Texas Chapter.
Past recipients of Texas Watch’s Champion of Justice Award include Dallas trial lawyer Charla Aldous and renowned Dallas jury expert and lawyer Lisa Blue.
In addition, Laird, Blue and Houston trial lawyer John Eddie Williams were recently honored by the American Association for Justice. Blue and Williams received AAJ’s lifetime achievement award.
Ascend Dallas Elects Mary Goodrich Nix to Board
Lynn Pinker Hurst Schwegmann partner Mary Goodrich Nix has been elected to the board of directors of Ascend Dallas, a not-for-profit organization focused on empowering women and fighting poverty. Formerly known as WiNGS, Ascend Dallas is a 116-year-old group that is a community of women helping women overcome poverty through mentoring and advocacy. Other Ascend Dallas board members include Jervonne Newsome of Winston & Strawn.
Dallas Bar Kicks of EAJ Fundraiser with $25K from Sheppard Mullin
Sheppard Mullin, the firm of current Dallas Bar President Bill Mateja, announced that it is making a $25,000 donation to the DBA’s annual Equal Access to Justice Campaign. Last year, the law firm contributed more than $15,000 to the fundraiser.
In all, the EAJ campaign, which was chaired by NexStar general counsel Rachel Morgan (profiled here), raised $1.4 million last year. The funds support the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, which is a joint pro bono effort of Legal Aid of North Texas and the DBA.
This year’s EAJ campaign is being co-chaired by Oncor General Counsel Matt Henry, Haynes Boone partner Tim Newman and Dallas County District Attorney’s office deputy administrator Lauren Black. The honorary co-chair is Texas Capital Chief Legal Officer Anna Alvarado.
For more information, please visit the DVAP website here.
North Texas Giving Day
Seventy-nine people contributed to Legal Aid of North Texas this week for North Texas Giving Day. The total amount raised was $20,496.