The Texas Lawbook will announce next week the finalists for the 2025 DFW Corporate Counsel Awards, including Achievement in Pro Bono and Public Service and Achievement in Diversity and Inclusion. In addition, the Texas Lawbook Foundation is seeking interests for its board of directors. More details below, but first, we have two firms — Vinson & Elkins and the Witherite Law Group — that are spreading the holiday spirit early, and TODAY ONLY we have an extraordinary opportunity to help Texas Appleseed achieve some of its amazing public service work.
Michael Hurst’ Great Turkey Drop
Dallas lawyer Michael Hurst is no Les Nesmann of WKRP in Cincinnati, but he knows how to do a great Thanksgiving turkey drop.
Hurst and a group of nearly three-dozen volunteers provided Thanksgiving dinners to 20 Dallas-area families in need who are clients of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, a pro bono joint venture between the Dallas Bar Association and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas.
This was the 22nd year for Hurst, a partner at Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann, to spearhead the turkey deliveries. Hurst started the effort in 2003 “to set a good example of gratitude and public service for his children.”
This was the 16th year for a network of volunteers, which often includes past DBA presidents and other officers, to join in on the meal delivery. In addition to Hurst, other figures of the Dallas Bar involved in this year’s volunteer efforts include Vicki Blanton of AT&T, Aaron Tobin of Condon Tobin, Jonathan Childers of Lynn Pinker, Cheryl Murray of Jackson Walker, and Bill Mateja of Sheppard Mullin. Instrumental to the organizational efforts were Hurst’s legal assistant Gina Flores and DVAP’s Whitney Breheny.
Texas Appleseed
From their amazing work on the pipeline from schools to prison project to their help with victims of the deadly Central Texas flooding, Texas Appleseed is one of the true nonprofit justice-focused organizations in Texas that is scoring extraordinary successes.
One of its board members has agreed to double any donations to Texas Appleseed made today.
“There’s still time to support Texas Appleseed and triple your impact,” Appleseed Executive Director Deborah Fowler wrote in a letter to supporters this morning. “That means your donation today provides three times the research, three times the advocacy, three times the policy wins that make life better for Texans.”
The Texas Lawbook is a financial supporter of Texas Appleseed. To learn more, click here.
V&E’s GivingTuesday
The lawyers at Vinson & Elkins recognized GivingTuesday with a $50,000 donation to food banks in the nine U.S. cities where the firm has offices. The firm’s executive committee, led chair Keith Fullenweider and vice chairs Hilary Preston, Michael Holmes and Jim Fox, said V&E was “reinforcing its long-term commitment to addressing food insecurity and supporting the communities it serves.”
The specific food banks in Texas that received donations include:
- Houston Food Bank
- City Harvest Rescuing Food for NYC
- North Texas Food Bank
- Capital Area Food Bank
- Central Texas Food Bank
“We are grateful for the opportunity to support organizations making a meaningful difference for individuals and families who lack consistent access to food,” Fullenweider wrote in a statement.
Witherite’s Coats for Kids
As the temperatures have dipped in the 30s and 40s this week, the plaintiff’s firm the Witherite Law Group — partnering with Fort Worth ISD and radio station K104-FM — is giving away 450 winter coats to Tarrant County students.
The event is this Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Fort Worth Family Action Center (5500 Norris St., Fort Worth, TX 76119).
Local vendors will supply food, holiday music, photos with Santa and family-friendly activities. A total of 450 coats will be distributed to youth and young adults in grades pre-K through 12.
Amy Witherite, founder of Witherite Law Group and owner of 1-800TruckWreck, pointed out that Fort Worth’s poverty rate remains higher than the national average, “leaving many families without the financial flexibility to purchase essential winter clothing.”
“No child should have to face that cold without a warm coat,” Witherite said in a statement. “With the rising cost of everyday essentials, many families are forced to make difficult choices, and a warm coat simply isn’t something everyone can afford. Providing coats is one small way we can help bridge that gap, and it’s a responsibility we take to heart. With the continued support of our partners, we’re committed to showing up for this community year after year and making sure children have what they need to stay safe, warm and supported.”
The Witherite firm also provided turkeys and grocery gift cards to thousands of Dallas–Fort Worth residents as part of one of the metroplex’s largest Thanksgiving food giveaways and contributed $40,000 to local food pantries to help families facing rising food costs.
Lawbook Foundation Seeks to Expand Board
Earlier this week, the Texas Lawbook Foundation — the 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports news coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity in the legal profession — announced that Texas legal media executive Mike Androvett had joined the foundation’s board of directors.
The Lawbook Foundation’s primary mission is to provide support and resources for The Lawbook’s full-time coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity.
Torralva’s news coverage of pro bono, public service and diversity focuses on the specific successes that law firms, corporate legal departments and individual lawyers achieve, while also highlighting the challenges and shortcomings.
Lipscombe said the Lawbook Foundation is seeking to add a handful of new members to the nonprofit’s board who can contribute in three specific ways.
“We need new board members who can use social media and other means to promote the great work Krista is doing,” Lipscombe said. “We also need board members who can help with the critical aspect of fundraising. And finally, we need members who can help advise Krista on story ideas and connecting her with key sources.”
“If you have a passion for pro bono, public service and diversity, please step forward,” he said. “We can use your help.”
Please contact Texas Lawbook founder and Lawbook Foundation co-chair Mark Curriden at mark.curriden@texaslawbook.net if you have any questions.