This week’s edition of P.S. features the opening of an art exhibition at a Houston law firm that celebrates diversity, a movie screening hosted for neglected and abused children, a gift drive benefiting foster care children, a top scorer of LGBTQ+-focused Corporate Equality Index, and the honorees of Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas’ recent Builders of Justice Awards.
The Latest
— On Wednesday evening, Womble Bond Dickinson hosted the opening of a special exhibit of local artwork that will be displayed on the walls of the firm’s Houston office through June 6, 2024. This installation of the rotating exhibit, titled “Nos Populi: We the People,” features the works of four Houston artists and is part of the firm’s Art & Diversity initiative, which aims to engage with local diverse artists and create visibility for them.
“Art is a powerful tool for promoting understanding and inclusion,” said Kevin Hall, chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. “Through creative expression from different traditions, art gives voice to the many varied experiences of our community. We look forward to celebrating the diverse cultures, perspective and identities of our great city and to sharing the works of these talented artists with friends and clients … and the community at large.”
Other Womble lawyers heavily involved in the effort include Houston managing partner Jeffrey Whittle and patent agent (and primary exhibit organizer) Azie Aziz.
The four artists currently featured on the walls of Womble’s Houston office are:
- Nel Gaskin, an award-winning African-American visual artist who paints her pieces from pure imagination and is committed to using her work to create a more just and equitable world;
- Luisa Duarte, a Venezuelan-American multidisciplinary artist with a background in architecture whose distinctive style is known for its sharp-edged shapes ranging from composed monotypes to vibrant paintings;
- Farima Fooladi, an Iranian painter interested in collective trauma caused by invasion, migration and displacement who combines existing and imagined personal memories with artistic and literary references in her work to create blurred lines between fantasy and fact; and
- John Bernhard, a Swiss-American artist, photographer and writer who uses photography to explore the everyday world from new perspectives, breaking away into different pathways of artistic expression.
To learn more about the artists and see pictures of their work currently living at Womble, visit here.
— On Nov. 17, nearly a dozen lawyers from Gray Reed’s Houston office partnered with local sneaker boutique Premium Goods to host a movie screening for eight children from the Fred and Mabel R. Parks Youth Ranch, a nonprofit that provides emergency shelter, counseling and support services to children facing abuse, neglect or other trauma. At the event, which took place at Houston’s Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown, participants watched Back to the Future and also enjoyed a photo booth, an airbrush booth and concessions. Each child received a pair of sneakers and a T-shirt personalized by an airbrush artist to remind them of the uplifting event.
The idea for the movie screening stemmed from a “women in business” event in October that Gray Reed’s Houston Women’s Forum held. The Gray Reed Women’s Forum comprises the firm’s female attorneys and focuses on the empowerment as well as personal and professional growth of women. Premium Goods owner Jennifer Ford — the only Black female sneaker boutique owner in the U.S. — was the featured guest at the October event. Partner Mary Mason, who is also a member of the Houston Women’s Forum, serves on the board of the Parks Youth Ranch.
“We were grateful for this opportunity to team up with Premium Goods and the Parks Youth Ranch for an event focused simply on creating relationships and positive memories for the children,” said Gray Reed partner Kristen Kelly, co-chair of the firm’s Houston Women’s Forum. “The evening reminded us all of the power of community to lift up those among us.”
— This week, more than three dozen lawyers and staff of Winston & Strawn’s Houston office organized a gift drive to complete the wish lists of 35 foster children in need based in the area. The effort was part of Child Advocates’ Santa’s Wish List initiative and marked the 23rd holiday season for Winston to partner with the nonprofit organization. Child Advocates recruits, trains and supports volunteers who provide support and advocacy for children in foster care. The organization’s focus is its role as Harris County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program, which aims to help abused and neglected children exit the foster care system into a safe, permanent home as quickly as possible.
After receiving the children’s wishlist from Child Advocates, Winston attorneys and staff shopped for them and returned to the Houston office, where more Winston volunteers helped sort the gifts and wrap them. All 35 children the firm sponsored this year received everything on their wishlists, the firm said.
— Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas recently raised $31,148 at its 11th Annual Builders of Justice Awards, which recognized several judges and organizations for their contributions to equal access to justice. The honorees were:
- Samaritan Inn (civic leader)
- Judge Shelly Dukes, Title IV-D Court No. 5 (legal advocate)
- Bank of America (business leader)
- Judge Jill R. Willis, 429th District Court (champions of justice)
- Judge Lindsey Lynne, 468th District Court (champions of justice)
- Justice Emily Miskel, Fifth Court of Appeals (champions of justice)
- Judge Piper McGraw, 469th District Court (champions of justice)
- Judge Jennifer Edgeworth, 219th District Court (champions of justice)
Gold and silver sponsors included McKinney Mayor George Fuller (who also emceed), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Collin County Bench Bar Foundation and Tyler Technologies. For a full list of sponsors, click here.
— Frost Brown Todd has earned a top score by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the ninth consecutive year for its dedication to creating an environment of LGBTQ+ workplace equality. The CEI uses detailed criteria to determine scores, including nondiscrimination policies, equitable benefits for LGBTQ+ workers and their families, supporting an inclusive culture and corporate social responsibility. Frost Brown Todd is among 545 major U.S. businesses that have earned top marks this year.