(July 31) – The State Bar of Texas announced on Tuesday the bar associations that received the 2018 Deborah G. Hankinson Awards at the State Bar of Texas Bar Leaders Conference this month.
The Hankinson Award honors bar associations and young lawyer affiliates that demonstrate a commitment to access to justice by creating initiatives that increase access to legal aid services, increase awareness of access to justice issues, or raise funds for legal aid providers on a local and statewide basis.
The Houston Bar Association won the award for bar associations with membership between 901 and 5,000. The HBA was recognized for its justice efforts over the past year including Houston Volunteer Lawyers legal clinics for low-income residents, providing legal services during and following Hurricane Harvey and raising more than $735,000 for pro bono efforts through its 68th Harvest Celebration.
The Smith County Bar Association received the Hankinson Award for a bar association with 501 to 900 members. The Smith County Bar offers a bi-annual Settlement Week, where members volunteer to help litigants settle their cases by serving as mediators. Approximately 85 percent of the cases presented during each event are resolved, according to the State Bar’s press release.
The L. Clifford Davis Legal Association was honored with the Hankinson Award in the category for bar groups with fewer than 500 members. It hosts bi-annual Expunction & Non-Disclosure clinics and an annual fundraising dinner that has raised tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships for minority law students in Fort Worth. The clinics have helped hundreds of low-income Tarrant County residents with criminal records obtain employment, better housing, and educational opportunities.