In this week’s P.S. column, we highlight upcoming events such as Texas Appleseed’s annual Good Apple Dinner and the Institute for Energy Law’s Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award reception. The Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas School of Law has a new executive director. Haynes Boone gives the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program $25,500. And the Texas Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates honor Fort Worth trial lawyer Steve Laird with its first-ever Ethics and Civility Award.
Plus, The Texas Lawbook seeks your contributions or efforts in helping those in need for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Haynes Boone Recognized for Giving to Equal Access to Justice
The Dallas Bar Association has recognized Haynes Boone for donating $25,500 to its annual Equal Access to Justice Campaign, which raises money for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. The DBA reports that Haynes Boone has given $239,000 to EAJ initiatives since 1997.
Banda to Helm Center for Women in Law
The Center for Women in Law in Austin is getting a new executive director — Jennifer Banda, who has been the senior vice president for advocacy and public policy at the Texas Hospital Association for the past 22 years.
Banda is a sixth-generation Texan who graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in Austin in 1998.
“We’re thrilled to have Jennifer lead the Center as we continue to build opportunities for lawyers to connect, engage, and grow in the legal profession,” Cisselon Nichols Hurd, who is president of the center’s executive committee, said in a statement. “Jennifer’s extensive track record of empowering women throughout her legal career and deep roots in policy and advocacy on key issues impacting women will keep the Center on track for advancing its strategic objectives and continued success.”
The Center for Women in Law is based at the UT Law School and is viewed as a premier educational institution devoted to the success of the entire spectrum of women in law.
“As an advocate and mentor for women in law, I know the center’s work can play an important part in the success of all women in the legal profession,” Banda said. “It’s a privilege to have the opportunity to build on CWIL’s track record of success.”
Banda officially starts her new position Nov. 11.
“Jennifer’s leadership and commitment to Texas Law make her an excellent choice to advance the Center’s mission,” UT Law Dean Bobby Chesney said in a statement. “With her deep knowledge and experience in public policy and advocacy and mentorship, she is the ideal person to take on this important role. I’m looking forward to working with her.”
Very Good Texas Apples
Texas Appleseed is hosting its 22nd annual Good Apple Dinner on Nov. 7 and is honoring Lael and Peter Brodsky and lawyers at Latham & Watkins and Sidley Austin.
As a former Texas Appleseed board member, I can swear under oath that the organization does some amazing good in our communities. As a nonpartisan nonprofit, Appleseed employs data-driven policy analysis and solutions to help improve the lives of Texans through law and policy change.
This year, Texas Appleseed is presenting its 2024 J. Chrys Dougherty Good Apple Award to the Brodskys.
They are “receiving Texas Appleseed’s highest honor for their extensive philanthropic work, deep involvement in their community, and commitment to achieving justice for vulnerable Texans,” the organization announced.
Lael chairs the Innocence Project of Texas and is on the board of North Texas Public Broadcasting. She has also supported numerous organizations serving women and girls, including serving on the board of the North Texas Association for the Reduction of Pregnancy in Teens and Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas. She has also been significantly involved with the Texas Women’s Foundation and, in memory of their son, Jacob, she is focused on the issue of fentanyl’s proliferation in our community.
Peter, a Dallas business executive and investor, “has worked for the last two decades to expand economic opportunity and improve community safety for families in North Texas,” according to the Appleseed announcement. He served as the chair of Housing Forward and the city of Dallas’ Animal Advisory Commission. He also served on the boards of KIPP Texas, North Texas Public Broadcasting, AT&T Performing Arts Center, Vogel Alcove and Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, the Brodskys purchased the former Red Bird Mall in Dallas, now called The Shops at RedBird, with the goal of creating a mixed-use development to revitalize the area. The project has resulted in more than 1,500 new jobs and brought a resurgence of investment, including health care, retail and housing.
Texas Appleseed will also present its 2024 Pro Bono Leadership Awards to Latham & Watkins and Sidley Austin.
“Latham has conducted research projects in every one of Texas Appleseed’s project areas, as well as cross-programmatic efforts, including a project focused on the impact of school and housing segregation on families in our state. Since 2023, Latham & Watkins has contributed an astounding 1,700 pro bono hours to Texas Appleseed projects. The volume, range, and proactive nature of their support enables Texas Appleseed to approach systemic racial, economic, and social justice issues from multiple angles to create significant and enduring change,” Appleseed states in its announcement.
The organization is also honoring Sidley Austin, which Appleseed states is “a critical partner in Texas Appleseed’s newest effort to support survivors of domestic abuse, the Coerced Debt Relief pilot program, which connects attorneys with victims of coerced debt to help them attain financial relief. Sidley currently represents a significant majority of the program’s active volunteer pool. Not only are they supporting survivors in their time of need, but their participation, trust, and enthusiasm have also enabled Texas Appleseed to grow and expand in new ways.”
Further details about the event can be found on the Good Apple Dinner event page.
Chevron Honored for DEI
The Institute for Energy Law — part of the Center for American and International Law — is honoring energy giant Chevron Corporation with its Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award at a Dec. 3 reception in Houston.
“Chevron has a long history of striving to promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” according to the IEL announcement. “In 1962, Chevron implemented non-discrimination policies to protect its employees. By 1991, diversity and inclusion was regarded as a business imperative, and Chevron became the first oil and gas company to extend same sex partner benefits in 1998. In 2005, the Office of Global Diversity was created. In 2018, Chevron became the first oil major to publish its US workforce diversity across all levels of the company in its annual Corporate Sustainability Report.”
IEL points to Chevron’s support for diversity and inclusion through its 11 employee networks, all of which have a senior leader serving as an executive sponsor. In addition, Chevron’s chief diversity and inclusion officer meets regularly with senior leaders, including the company’s chairman and CEO and its chief human resources officer, to discuss issues and initiatives as part of the company’s commitment to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
“Chevron has also significantly added to its race equity strategy with the Business Roundtable (BRT) and has representation on the Multiple Pathways Project to advance skill-based hiring practices which removes degree requirement for certain roles,” IEL reports. “Chevron supports BRT to explore how skills-based talent strategies are key to expanding jobs and economic opportunity to more Americans, including by increasing diversity and equity in employment, and demonstrates Chevron’s commitment to equity in hiring practices.”
IEL is also honoring Baton Rouge corporate M&A lawyer Linda Perez Clark, who is managing partner of Kean Miller. She was listed on the Lawyers of Color’s Power List 2020.
“As a minority female managing partner, Linda is regularly asked to speak on DE&I issues in the legal practice around the country,” IEL reports. “She was integral to Kean Miller becoming the first Louisiana law firm to obtain Mansfield Certification. In October 2023, the firm achieved Mansfield 6.0.”
TEX-ABOTA Honors Steve Laird
Fort Worth trial lawyer Steve Laird “has consistently raised the bar for ethics and professionalism in the Texas legal community,” according to the Texas Chapters of the American Board of Trial Advocates, which have honored Laird with its first-ever Ethics and Civility Award.
“Laird has a long-standing reputation for striving for the highest ethical principles, having been appointed to the Texas Supreme Court’s Professional Ethics Committee and its Task Force Committee on Advertising and Referral Fees in the past,” according to TEX-ABOTA.
Thanksgiving Charities
Is your law firm or specific lawyers doing something special in our communities for families in need during the upcoming Thanksgiving season? Please let me know by emailing me at mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net.