October 23, 2024 by Jessie G. Campbell
Lone Star Legal Aid Honors Pro Bono Volunteers During the American Bar Association’s National Celebration of Pro Bono (2024)
Topic
News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
During this National Celebrate Pro Bono Week, Lone Star Legal Aid thanks all their volunteers who made a vital contribution to our low-income client community. The theme for 2024 is Making Justice a Reality in Our Communities. We are closer to making this a reality due to our volunteers who contributed not only nearly 1800 hours in direct legal representation, but also contributed to outreach assistance, training and mentorship assistance, and other creative pro bono activities.
In recognition of their outstanding pro bono contribution during the 2023-2024 Bar Year, Lone Star Legal Aid honors the following with its Annual Pro Bono Awards:
Pro Bono Awards
Law Firm Awards: This award is in recognition of our firm partners who have made an outstanding contribution and commitment to serve our clients.
Large Law Firm
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP | Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP demonstrated a commitment to serving its pro bono clients through its Will Clinic project. Through multiple unforeseen and unique situations, the attorneys at Gibson Dunn persevered to ensure that all their clients obtained their necessary estate planning documents. And here at LSLA, we wish to acknowledge their long-term commitment.
Large Law Firm
Latham & Watkins, LLP | Latham & Watkins continues to be an outstanding firm partner of Lone Star Legal Aid’s pro bono program. The firm continues to contribute hundreds of hours through its Wills Clinic and support of other LSLA pro bono programs. They continue to lead in meeting our shared clients’ needs, ensuring that individuals living with disabilities are able to access care through communication assistance and transportation assistance, as well as taking on additional tasks to finalize the case with administrative tasks to take the case to its final conclusion.
Small Law Firm
Tran Singh LLP | Since accepting their first case at a Bankruptcy Clinic hosted by the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Texas, Tran Singh, LLP has been a constant partner with LSLA in accepting bankruptcy matters. This bar year was no exception.
Outstanding Volunteer Award: This award is in recognition of our volunteers who provided outstanding service to our clients.
Abril Davila | LSLA wishes to recognize the pro bono work of Ms. Davila. Ms. Davila assisted a client who simply wished to settle her eviction matter through a payment plan with the goal of protecting her credit as much as possible so that she will be able to live her dream of owning a home one day. Ms. Davila made Herculean efforts to work with the landlord to accomplish our client’s goal; however, the landlord remained unmoved to settle the case. Taking the case to trial, Ms. Davila obtained a take nothing judgment in our client’s favor. And all these efforts were made in less than a week after her accepting the case.
Kirby Swartz and Carlyle Reid | Ms. Swartz and Ms. Reid are a dynamic duo. For multiple years, they were co-pro bono coordinators with Latham & Watkin. Through their joint efforts, Ms. Swartz and Ms. Reid ensured that not only did Latham & Watkin’s pro bono project with LSLA continue, but they expanded the work both in numbers and in level of service provided. In addition to their pro bono coordinators’ work, they each also served as the primary attorney on multiple cases.
Jim Cross | Mr. Cross was a volunteer at a standard veterans will-a-thon clinic at Michael D. DeBakey Medical Center, hosted by LSLA’s Military/Veterans Unit. However, Mr. Cross did not experience a standard day. Mr. Cross went the extra mile to draft and execute necessary estate planning documents for a client with a difficult diagnosis facing a complicated surgery the following day. The extraordinary relief and peace of mind Mr. Cross gave to our client cannot be expressed, and Mr. Cross demonstrated how spending a few hours with a person can have a significant impact.
Outstanding Support of Pro Bono Services
LSLA wishes to acknowledge the extraordinary commitment by the Honorable Eduardo V. Rodriguez, Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge, Southern District of Texas. Judge Rodriguez has maintained a long-term commitment to pro bono, from his time as a member of the private bar throughout his appointment to the court. Judge Rodriguez along with the Bankruptcy Section of the State Bar of Texas developed the Bankruptcy-in-a-Box on-demand CLE to encourage volunteerism in bankruptcy matters for not only LSLA, but our peer organizations, Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and Legal Aid of Northwest Texas. In support of pro bono services, Judge Rodriguez always encourages bankruptcy attorneys at an annual Bankruptcy Section CLE. Through his efforts, it is not unusual for LSLA to place every bankruptcy case waiting for a volunteer at the CLE. We cannot overstate how much LSLA appreciates the efforts of Judge Rodriguez, and we are honored to present him with the Outstanding Support of Pro Bono Services Award.
Outstanding Community Partner: No organization succeeds on its own. It takes a village of community partners to provide resources to our shared client communities. LSLA recognizes the following Community Partners for their services in support and in encouragement of pro bono services:
- Chevron Phillips Chemical Company
- City of Houston Department of Neighborhoods
- Dispute Resolution Center of Montgomery County
- Domestic Violence Prevention, Inc.
- Mayra Hypolite
- Jefferson County Bar Association
- Mundy Legal Services, PLLC
- Neighborhood Recovery Community Development Corporation
- Women’s Center of East Texas
Commitment to Pro Bono Award: Representation in matters involving litigation or other complex client needs remain an on-going need, and at times can be more difficult to find a volunteer to handle. This award is in recognition of our volunteers who handled complex legal matters or have otherwise demonstrated a strong commitment to pro bono:
- Madison Bennett
- Sonya Butts
- Brittany Cope
- Tess Dennis
- Caitlin Gernert
- Londria Gilmore
- Rebeca Guzman
- Mary Lindley-Wiley
- Braedon Morrow
- Jess Nation
- Cameron Rivers
- Melissa Botting
- Brooke Sizer
- Dale Smith
- Ashley Soppet
- Maddie Tansey
- Betsy Thomas
- Karen Villanueva
- Carlos Villego Calderon
- Kevin Wyld
Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer Award: LSLA serves 72 counties in Texas plus four (4) counties in Arkansas. Within Texas, there are 29 counties that are legal deserts, defined as fewer than one (1) attorney for every 1,000 residents, within an additional five (5) counties that are at one (1) attorney for every 1,000 residents. With scarcer pro bono resources available, LSLA is grateful to the recipients of our Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer Awards who specifically provide services to our communities outside of Harris County:
- Edward Adelman
- Daryl R. Atkinson
- Juan Jose Amell
- Rachael Aminu
- Lilian Audu
- Reese W. Baker
- Steven Beauchamp
- Elaine Berkeley
- Michael L. Bernoudy, Jr.
- Kristy Brown
- Patrick Thomas Conroy, Jr.
- John Delk
- Pamela Fisk
- Elizabeth A. Fulton
- Tiffany Guerra
- Jessica Guobadia
- Maria Yolanda Gutierrez
- Eloise A. Guzman
- David R. Hagan
- Christina G. Hollwarth
- Nichole C. Howard
- Kristen J. Ishihara
- Bernitha Faye Jones
- Claudia Jovel-Martinez
- Denise M. Lagway
- Nikita Lamar
- LaKisha Ledbetter-Anderson
- Aaron Lozano
- Jibin Luke
- Jeremy M. Masten
- Lori A. Matthews
- Rogers S. McCabe
- Maria McGowan
- Alison Mundy
- Joe W. Newsom, Jr.
- Dawn Norman
- Juan M. Pequeno Jr.
- Brandon Rinker
- Amanda Salter
- Marcio Soares
- Frank L. Supercinski
- Leslie Turnage
- Brandon T. Winn
- Cheryl A. Wulf
- Mark Yablon
The week of October 20-27 has been designed the “National Celebrate Pro Bono” Week by the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. The goal is to showcase the remarkable difference that pro bono lawyers make to our nation, our system of justice, our communities, and most of all, the clients they serve. For more information, visit www.celebrateprobono.org.
If you are interested in volunteering to provide legal services to financially eligible clients, complete our Volunteer Interest Form and visit Pro Bono Opportunities for Lone Star Legal Aid’s current opportunities.
Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
Jessie G. Campbell
