CHAMPIONS of
JUSTICE GALA BENEFITING VETERANS
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For nearly two decades, the Texas Access to Justice Commission has worked to expand access to justice for Texans struggling to make ends meet. Working in partnership with the Supreme Court of Texas, the Texas Legislature, the State Bar of Texas, legal aid organizations, and volunteer attorneys, the Commission continuously strives to reduce barriers to our justice system for those in desperate need of civil legal help. There are approximately 5.6 million people in Texas who currently qualify for civil legal aid. Sadly, due to a lack of resources, only about 10 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income Texans are being met. This justice deficit leaves millions of our most vulnerable neighbors without the legal assistance they need to navigate complex problems like wrongful foreclosure, domestic violence, discrimination, and many other critical legal issues. Your sponsorships, donations, and contributions of time and talents make it possible for legal aid organizations to help thousands of Texas veterans confront and overcome their legal problems. Because of your unwavering and generous support, the Commission and its partners are able to honor and serve the brave men and women who have made tremendous sacrifices for each and every one of us.
CHAMPIONS of JUSTICE GAL A 2020
CO-CHAIRS Jerry K. Clements Locke Lord LLP Randall M. Ebner Exxon Mobil Corporation Thomas S. Leatherbury Vinson & Elkins LLP David R. McAtee II AT&T Inc. Richard W. Mithoff Mithoff Law Firm Stephen C. Mount H-E-B Carlos M. Zaffirini, Jr. AHCV Harry M. Reasoner Vinson & Elkins LLP Chair, Texas Access to Justice Commission
Randall O. Sorrels Abraham Watkins Law Firm President, State Bar of Texas
HOST COMMITTEE Frank L. Branson
Monica Karaturi
M. Sean Royall
Emma Cano
Peter D. Keisler
Travis J. Sales
Mark Clements
Lynne Liberato
Kay Sim
Nina Cortell
Elizabeth E. Mack
Steven E. Stein
Alistair B. Dawson
Michael D. Marin
Neal and Beth Sutton
Ricki Ebner
Robert E. Meadows
Dean Brad Toben
C. Timothy Fenn
Harriet E. Miers
Mark Trachtenberg
Becky Baskin Ferguson
Gina Byrne Miller
Patricia Villareal
Lourdes Flores
David Moyer
Robb Voyles
Robin C. Gibbs
Nick Nichols
Hon. Dale Wainwright
Dean Harvey
Hon. Harriet O'Neill
Thomas J. Williams
Luz Herrera
Yvette Ostolaza
Kennon L. Wooten
Lamont A. Jefferson
R. Hewitt Pate
Paul Yetter
Hon. Wallace B. Jefferson Hon. Thomas R. Phillips Anne M. Johnson
Barrett Reasoner
Roland K. Johnson
Regina Rogers
Angela Zambrano
THE EVENING The History of Access to Justice in Texas Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Supreme Court of Texas The Role of the Texas Access to Justice Commission Justice Brett Busby, Supreme Court of Texas Dedication of Servicemen and Servicewomen and the Importance of Legal Aid General Raymond A. Thomas III, 11th Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command 10th Anniversary of Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans Mr. Terry Tottenham, Past-President of the State Bar of Texas
GUEST SPEAKER
Our guest speaker will be General Raymond A. Thomas III. General Thomas, a highly-decorated officer, formerly served as the 11th Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base. Before serving as the Commander of USSOCOM and Commander of Joint Special Operations Command, the General occupied many key roles such as the Associate Director for Military Affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency and the Commanding General of NATO Special Operations Component Command-Afghanistan. General Thomas is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and the Naval Command and Staff College in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a native of Philadelphia and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point where he was commissioned as an Infantry Second Lieutenant upon graduation in 1980. The General retired from active duty in May of 2019 and resides with his wife in the Tampa Bay area. General Thomas is currently serving as the Chairman of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation as well as on boards and advisory positions in the venture capital and Artificial Intelligence fields.
We are pleased to have the very generous support of our sponsors. (as of April 27, 2020)
CHAMPIONS O F J U S T I C E
A D V O C AT E S O F J U S T I C E
BENEFAC TORS OF JU S TIC E Baker Botts L.L.P. CenterPoint Energy Chevron Corporation King & Spalding Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Perkins Coie LLP Sidley Austin LLP Patricia Villareal & Thomas Leatherbury/The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation
PATRONS OF JU STIC E Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP Baylor Law School Law Offices of Frank L. Branson Corporate Counsel Section, SBOT Randall M. and Ricki Ebner Gibbs & Bruns LLP Halliburton Haynes and Boone, LLP
Jefferson Cano David R. McAtee II Harriet E. Miers National Western Life Insurance Company Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP Kay Sim Yetter Coleman LLP
C O N T R I B U T I O N S O F $1,000 O R M O R E Jerry and Mark Clements Latham & Watkins LLP
Neal and Beth Sutton Regina Rogers
C H AIR Harry M. Reasoner Houston
CO M M ISS IO N E R S Alistair Dawson Houston Lourdes Flores Austin Luz Herrera Fort Worth Lisa Hobbs Austin Roland K. Johnson Fort Worth Monica Karuturi Houston Richard LaVallo Austin Hon. Joe Lopez Laredo Bill Marple Fort Worth Hon. Michael Massengale Houston David R. McAtee II Dallas Harriet E. Miers Dallas
MariBen Ramsey Austin Jeannie Rollo Goldthwaite Jenny Lee Smith Lubbock Nicole Voyles Houston Hon. Ken P. Wise Houston
SUPREME COURT LIAISONS Hon. Eva Guzman Houston Hon. Brett Busby Austin
E X- O FF I CI O MEMBER S For the Governor Jeffrey L. Oldham Austin For the Lieutenant Governor Hon. Judith Zaffirini Laredo For the Speaker of the House Hon. Gene Wu Houston
C HA I R E M ER ITU S James B. Sales Houston
E X E C U T I VE DIR EC TOR Patricia E. McAllister The State Bar of Texas, our co-sponsor, generously helps underwrite the Virtual 2020 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans so that the proceeds directly support civil legal aid to low-income Texas Veterans.