Next week, in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is hosting a screening of “An Army of Women” — a 2024 film about rape survivors who brought a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Austin and Travis County. Proceeds from the screening will benefit TRLA, which provides free legal services to low-income Texans, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The lawsuit was handled pro bono by Thompson Coburn.
In this edition of P.S., we also bring you a story about one Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton partner who found a way to honor his grandfathers who died of cancer by drawing on his industry connections to help families preserve time together.
How an Empty Seat Can Save a Life
David Mayer was just reaching the age when children grow curious about their family’s history when he lost both of his grandfathers to cancer.
“I was pretty young at the time, which is why I feel like I missed out … I didn’t get to ask what kinds of trouble my mother and father got themselves into,” Mayer said lightheartedly to The Texas Lawbook.
Now a Dallas-based partner in the global aviation group at Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, Mayer is drawing on his industry connections to help cancer patients access treatment.
Mayer recently began serving as an ambassador for the Corporate Angel Network, a charity that arranges free flights for cancer patients by connecting them with corporate aircraft owners and individual flyers who have empty seats.
“It’s a simple yet crucial act of philanthropy to provide cancer patients with an empty seat on regular corporate or individual flights, enabling them to travel with you at no cost to specialized cancer care facilities,” Mayer said in an email to industry colleagues this month.
Although he had previously handled occasional pro bono family law matters, Mayer said he had been looking for a way to become more deeply involved in charitable work. The opportunity clicked when he met CAN Chairman John Rosanvallon at a 2024 National Business Aviation Association convention.
“The proverbial light came on for me — that I could honor my grandfathers and offer my time within the industry in which I have long practiced law,” Mayer said.
He is now encouraging colleagues to speak with their customers and clients about coordinating flights that could accommodate patients.
“For example, if someone’s going up to Rochester, Minnesota, for a business meeting, say, at the Mayo Clinic, that’s a perfect candidate to take a patient — and probably a caregiver — to Mayo for cancer treatment,” Mayer explained.
Ultimately, Mayer said his goal is to help families preserve time together – the kind he wishes he’d had with his grandfathers, Ralph Gross, who died of lung cancer, and Max Mayer, who died of prostate cancer, more than 50 years ago in Ohio.
“I want people to concentrate on the good that this philanthropy accomplishes, not to let kids miss out or families miss out on time that’s available and, probably most importantly, pay attention to the health of friends and families and loved ones, so they get treatment that is available today that my grandfathers could not receive,” Mayer said.
Film Chronicling Austin Sexual Assault Lawsuit to Screen at TRLA Benefit Event
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid is hosting a screening on April 21 of “An Army of Women” — a 2024 film about rape survivors who brought a federal class action lawsuit against the City of Austin and Travis County.
Proceeds from the screening will benefit TRLA, which provides free legal services to low-income Texans, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.
The event begins at 5:45 p.m. at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Village. Visit this link for more information and to purchase tickets.
The 2018 lawsuit alleged police and prosecutors failed to adequately investigate and pursue sexual assault cases. The city and county later reached a settlement that included a formal apology and commitments to significant reforms, including expanded training, staffing, funding for investigations and victim services, and updated policies and protocols.
The plaintiffs were represented by Thompson Coburn partner Elizabeth Myers and Jenny Ecklund, a former firm partner who is now vice president of litigation at HaloMD.
The Texas Lawbook previously profiled the attorneys’ pro bono work on the case.
Related Coverage
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Raised in a Miami immigrant neighborhood by Cuban parents who fled in the 1960s, Yvette Ostolaza worked from a young age and defied family skepticism to become the first in her family to attend college. Four decades later, she is the first Latina and first Dallas lawyer to lead a global corporate law firm as chair of Sidley Austin, and she has been named the inaugural recipient of the Texas Lawbook Law Firm Leadership Award.
How You Can Help
Krista Torralva is The Lawbook‘s full-time pro bono, public service and diversity reporter. Her position is funded by the Texas Lawbook Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3). Your support is essential in helping us sustain this position, ensuring we can continue to provide in-depth reporting that matters to the Texas legal community. To learn more about the Foundation and how you can contribute to its mission, click here.
The Lawbook also seeks examples of pro bono projects and cases and public service efforts. Please contact krista.torralva@texaslawbook.net.