enerouslyco- sponsoredbyth e CHAMPIONS of JUSTICE GALA BENEFITING VETERANS 2 0 2 3
G
THE TEXAS ACCESS TO JUSTICE COMMISSION
For over two decades, the Texas Access to Justice Commission has worked to ensure that as many low-income Texans as possible have access to adequate civil legal representation. Working with the Supreme Court of Texas, the Texas Legislature, the State Bar of Texas, legal aid organizations, and volunteer attorneys, the Commission has expanded the ways in which low-income Texans are able to access the justice system and helped fund legal aid organizations across the state. Since 2010, the Commission, with the generous support of the State Bar of Texas, has hosted the annual Champions of Justice Gala, and proceeds go directly to support civil legal services for low-income Texas veterans.
Each year, approximately 200,000 individuals leave military service and transition to civilian life, with over 25,000 of those making Texas their new home. A veteran population that large demands more civil legal resources to meet its needs. Roughly 36% of veteran households require legal assistance for consumer and finance matters upon discharge. When nearly 40,000 of them nationwide are without shelter on a given night, veterans need help overcoming legal barriers to employment, housing, family, and public health issues. Many veterans live with mental or behavioral health challenges, including traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, anxiety, and other similar conditions, which, when left undiagnosed or untreated, lead to greater risk of death by suicide. Providing veterans with access to competent legal support and advocacy to ensure access to housing, employment, and health resources plays a critical role in saving veterans’ lives.
In a 2017 Legal Services Corporation study of the Justice Gap, 88% of veteran households reported that they had received inadequate or no legal assistance to resolve their challenges. This is where the Texas Access to Justice Commission and the Champions of Justice Gala play a vital role for Texas veterans--it works to coordinate, fund, and train legal aid organizations and helps reduce barriers and burdens veterans face when seeking assistance. In conjunction with legal aid organizations, organizations with poverty expertise, social services, and other veteran support organizations, the Commission seeks to ensure low-income veterans have access to a full array of services when they need them most.
CHAMPIONS of JUSTICE
CO-CHAIRS
Jerry K. Clements, Locke Lord LLP
Elizabeth Gibson, Toyota
Monica Karuturi, CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
David R. McAtee II, AT&T
Richard Warren Mithoff, Mithoff Law
Ross R. Moody, The Moody Foundation
Stephen C. Mount, H-E-B
Marie R. Yeates, Vinson & Elkins LLP
Carlos M. Zaffirini, Jr., Audrey & Carlos Zaffirini, Jr. Family Foundation
Harry M. Reasoner
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Gala Chair
Texas Access to Justice Commission
Laura Gibson President
State Bar of Texas
GALA 2 0 2 3
Mike Absmeier
Dean Robert B. Ahdieh
Kurt Arnold
Dean Michael F. Barry
Bev Baughman
Dean Leonard M. Baynes
Alex Bistline
Hon. Jane & Doug Bland
Elizabeth "Heidi" G. Bloch
Frank L. Branson
Emma Cano
Ricardo G. Cedillo
Jeffery Chapman
Kelly Chen
Dawn Pittman Collins
Todd Croftchik
Braden Darville
Sherri Eastley
Randall M. Ebner
Jeff Edwards
Amy C. Farish
Ellen Farrell
John Gersch
Robin C. Gibbs
HOST COMMITTEE
(As of April 6, 2023)
Andrew Gould
Darrell Guy
Kendyl T. Hanks
Luz E. Herrera
Jason Itkin
Benedict James
David James
Hon. Wallace B. Jefferson
Roland K. Johnson
John R. Jones
Anna Kuhn
David Lawson
Lora J. Livingston & Eric Kennedy
Michael D. Marin
Stacey Maris
Stephen E. McConnico
Richard K. McGee
Dean Jason P. Nance
Dean Jack Nowlin
Laura O'Rourke
Chris Price
Barrett Reasoner
Dean Patricia E. Roberts
Sandra Rodriguez
Sandra Phillips Rogers
William Ryan
Paul Samuel
Esteban Sandoval
Allison Shue
Humma Siddiqi
Christopher D. Sileo
Mike Singley
Lisa Snead
Macey Reasoner Stokes
Neal & Beth Sutton
Maria Thomas-Jones
Dean Brad Toben
Joseph Tocco
Hon. Dale Wainwright
Charles Skip Watson
Jane Webre
Lysha Weston
Diane Williamson
Travis Wimberly
Kennon Wooten
Paul Yetter
THE EVENING
Welcome Remarks
Harry M. Reasoner, Gala Chair
Color Guard Presentation – National Anthem – Pledge of Allegiance
Presentation of Colors by the Marines of Inspector Instructor Staff, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion 23rd Marine Regiment, Austin National Anthem performed by Talin Nalbandian, Doctorate of Musical Arts Student, University of Texas at Austin
Recognition of Special Guests
Justice Brett Busby, Supreme Court of Texas
Harry M. Reasoner, Gala Chair
Introduction of Keynote Speaker
Harry M. Reasoner, Gala Chair
Keynote Presentation
Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, Supreme Court of Texas
Award Presentations
Justice Brett Busby, Supreme Court of Texas
James B. Sales Boots on the Ground Award
Victor L. Hunt
Maureen O’Connell
Harry M. Reasoner Justice for All Award
Thomas S. Leatherbury
Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award
Betty Balli Torres
Closing Remarks
Harriet E. Miers, Texas Access to Justice Commission Chair
CHIEF JUSTICE N KEYNOTE
Chief Justice Nathan L. Hecht, the 27th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, has served as a member since 1988, first as a Justice, then as Chief Justice in 2014. He won reelection in 2020 to a term that ends December 31, 2026. He is the longestserving member of that court and the longest-tenured Texas judge in active service. Throughout his service on the Court, he has overseen revisions to the rules of administration, practice, and procedure in Texas courts. He was appointed by the Chief Justice of the United States to the Federal Advisory Committee on Civil Rules.
Before taking the bench, he was a partner in the Locke firm in Dallas. He holds a B.A. degree with honors in philosophy from Yale University and a J.D. degree cum laude from the SMU School of Law. While a student there, he was a Hatton W. Sumners Scholar. The Chief Justice also clerked for Judge Roger Robb on the U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S.
ATHAN L. HECHT SPEAKER
Navy Reserve Judge Advocate General Corps. In 1982, he was appointed to the district court and then, in 1986, he was elected to the court of appeals.
Chief Justice Hecht is also very active on the Supreme Court of Texas’s efforts to assure that Texans living below the poverty level or with limited means have access to basic civil legal services. As a nationally recognized expert on access to justice issues, Chief Justice Hecht speaks on the subject with authority attained from experience, knowledge honed from study, and compassion cultivated by understanding.
JAMES B . SALES BOOTS
The James B. Sales Boots on the Ground Award recognizes a legal services program attorney or a pro bono attorney who is an exemplary advocate and who gives selflessly of their time and talent to provide legal help to those who have no voice.
Past Award Recipients
2022 Veronica F. Jacobs
2021 Beth Mitchell
Allison Eichenfeld Neal
2020 Brandon Crisp Keri Ward
2019 Garth Corbett William Eugene Rollins
2018 Israel M. Reyna
2017 Efrén C. Olivares
2016 Bronwyn Blake
2015 Peter Hofer
2014 Christine Larson
2013 Jim Harrington
2012 Bruce P. Bower
Charles Kimbrough
Terry O. Tottenham
2011 Sharon Reynerson
Col. Bryan Spencer
ON THE GROUND AWARD
Victor L. Hunt
Victor Hunt is the epitome of a “boots on the ground” legal warrior. A dedicated public servant for four decades, Mr. Hunt’s impressive career has always involved providing direct legal representation to low-income clients. His work in Oklahoma helped the mentally disabled integrate into society instead of being institutionalized, and his work with homeless communities helped individuals overcome barriers that historically reinforce homelessness. As head of LANWT’s Bankruptcy Practice, he developed and provided training that ensured LANWT’s ability to provide bankruptcy representation to clients in all 114 counties it serves. His boots on the ground have worn an impressive path for those he trained to follow, and he is recognized for his leadership.
Maureen O’Connell
Throughout her 45-year career, Maureen O'Connell has tirelessly represented the rights of disabled persons. She helped found, and later served as director of, the Southern Disability Law Center, an organization whose work benefited individuals in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. She won ground-breaking cases, helping to set legal precedents that will benefit the community of differently-abled individuals well into the future. With tact and nuance, she has materially altered the perspectives of those she encounters while preserving relationships, enlightening opposing parties, and ensuring fundamental changes that benefit the wider community. Her successes have made it possible for many individuals to access services even without having to involve the legal system.
HARRY M . REASONER JU
The Harry M. Reasoner Justice for All award is named after Texas legal icon and Texas Access to Justice Commission Chair Emeritus, Harry M. Reasoner. This award recognizes an outstanding attorney who demonstrates dedication and commitment to providing pro bono legal services and promoting a culture of pro bono within the Bar.
Past Award Recipients
2022 Priya Aiyar
2021 Paul Yetter
USTICE FOR ALL AWARD
Thomas S. Leatherbury
Thomas S. Leatherbury, while attending Yale Law School, spent four semesters representing clients from Connecticut Valley Hospital. In those four semesters, he assisted individuals with civil commitment hearings, families that sought appropriate educational placement for their children, and argued his first appeal on behalf of a young boy whose mental health had suffered when his desperate need for orthodontia treatment had been denied. This work would set the precedent for a forty-plus year career securing the constitutional rights of his fellow Texans and dedicated to educating and developing future lawyers.
Mr. Leatherbury would eventually rise to be senior partner in Vinson & Elkins's Appellate Practice Group. This work, frequently performed pro bono, has impacted immigration, voting rights, defamation, and First Amendment issues, to name a few. Much of his work helped expand access to justice in Texas by setting valuable precedents that helped increase pro se litigants' access to courts, eliminate some of the fees that low-income Texans would face in accessing the courts, and expanding the ways in which legal services organizations can garner donations.
Having served for years as Vinson & Elkins's Chair of talent management, Mr. Leatherbury oversaw their DEI, pro bono, training, and evaluations programs, which allowed him to help guide the careers of many of the younger lawyers at the firm. Because of this, it was not surprising when SMU Dedman School of Law asked him to serve as their First Amendment Clinic's founding director. With full enrollment every semester and a waiting list each year, the clinic is allowing him to combine everything that was a hallmark of his career: working to secure the Constitutional rights of his fellow Texans while shaping the next generation of Texas lawyers to carry on that tradition.
EMILY C . JONES LIFETIM
The Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award reflects the highest honor given for a career dedicated to supporting legal aid for low-income Texans. This award, named for the first Executive Director of the Commission, recognizes an outstanding individual whose extraordinary spirit and demonstrated commitment to legal aid has improved our society and inspired others.
Past Award Recipients
2022 Bruce P. Bower
2021 Fred Fuchs
2018 David Hall
2015 Hon. Wallace B. Jefferson
2015 James B. Sales
2013 Stewart Gagnon
2011 Randall Chapman
2010 Charles W. Matthews
2010 Hon. Harriet O'Neill
2009 Emily C. Jones
ME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Betty Balli Torres
A dedication to improving the delivery of legal services to vulnerable Texans has been the foundation of Betty Balli Torres’s career. She has served as an advocate for civil legal services for the poor in her various public interest law positions, including as Executive Director of Laredo Legal Aide Society, Inc.; Legal Director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas; Managing Attorney of Legal Aid of Central Texas; and as a staff attorney at Advocacy, Inc. She is also the longstanding director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF).
Ms. Torres has worked tirelessly to expand access to justice both within Texas and on the national level. In particular, she has been extraordinarily effective in addressing the perpetual funding shortfall legal aid faces, and much of the funding currently available is the result of her advocacy. As an example, under Ms. Torres’s leadership, TAJF created the Prime Partner program in which financial institutions pay higher levels of interest on lawyer trust accounts –this brings millions of dollars of increased funding to legal aid each year.
Her ability to source funding was showcased during the pandemic – under her guidance, TAJF and the Supreme Court of Texas established an eviction defense program and, through a partnership with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, secured over $40 million in grants to prevent unnecessary evictions of people affected by the crisis. This is on top of the over $50 million the Foundation grants annually to legal aid organizations statewide.
Ms. Torres's commitment to providing access to justice is as undeniable as the impact she has had on Texas, and legal aid and access to justice in the state would be greatly diminished were it not for her passionate efforts advocating for both.
CHAMPIONS OF J
GUARDIANS, 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3
David J. Bertoch
David Anthony Bloomer
Travis Allan Bryan I
Despo Dorsaneo
Sara E. Dysart
John C. Fleming
Michael W. Hilliard
Christopher Hollins
James Holmes
Roland K. Johnson
Alexander Knapp
Dwaine M. Massey
Peggy Montgomery
Harry M. Reasoner
Corrie Thomas Reese
Terry H. Sears
J. Michael Solar
Terry O. Tottenham
Hon. Evan Young
Carlos M. Zaffirini, Jr.
JUSTICE SOCIETY
HEROES, 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3
John Bennett Abramowitz
Paul E. Anderson, Jr.
Timothy Azevedo
Charles Lynde Babcock IV
Carol M. Barger
Sharon Beausoleil
David Beck
Ron Dale Betz
Hugh T. Blevins, Jr.
Eric Boettcher
T. David Bond
Ronnie Earl Bounds, Jr.
Marian Lyia Brancaccio
Wendy Castellana
Sabrina DiMichele
Samuel Elkins
Robert Gage
Pete Gallego
Roland Garcia
Peter Hansen
Fatima Hassan
Dee Dee D. Hoxie
Thomas Craig Kildebeck
Ronald Kirk
Carol Chapman Kondos
Melissa Leigh Markey
Hon. Michael C. Massengale
David R. McAtee II
Harriet E. Miers
Meredith Morrill
Robert T. Mowrey
Wendy Marie Parker
Alexander Piala
Robert D. Probasco
Paul E. Pryzant
Ann Kaylene Ray
S. Theodore Reiner
Hon. Jan Soifer
Matthew R. Stammel
Joel Jay Steed
William Sutton
David Richard Tippetts
Cynthia Hoff Trochu
William Louis Wallander
Allen Eugene White
Theodora McShan Anastaplo
Elizabeth Anne Apperley
Kevin Todd Barnes
Leo L. Barnes
Rebecca D. Bishop
Ronnie Bounds
Eugene A. Brooker, Jr.
Brian G. Broussard
Hon. Brett Busby
Bruce Molloy Cameron, Jr.
Christie L. Cardon
Michael Caywood
Kevin Michael Clark
Nancy M. Conaway
Richard Alfred Cort
Karen Sue Crawford
CHAMPIONS OF J
Katrina Crenshaw
Tom Alan Cunningham
Thomas Joseph Daniel
Riddhi Dasgupta
Mario Davila
Carol E. Dinkins
James A. Drummond
James Robert Evans, Jr.
Quinton Alan Farley
Hon. Roy B. Ferguson
Matthew L. Florez
John Thomas Floyd III
Julia Patterson Forrester
Neill Fuquay
Hon. William R. Furgeson
Cintia Galvan
Kevin Bernard Gerrity
Michael Louis Goldstone
Damian F. Gomez
P. Rowland Greenwade
Stanley N. Griffith
Jose R. Guerrero
Holly Ryan Haseloff
Mark Edward Heidenheimer
Daniel K. Hennessy
Hon. Federico G. Hinojosa, Jr.
Jeanine C. Hudson
Carmen Irene Huerta-Perez
William Zachary Hughes
Megan Alyce Johnson
Georgia Arrie Jolink
William M. Katz, Jr.
The Commission established the Champion of Justice Society in 2012 for individuals who wanted to show their strong support of access to justice in Texas.
DEFENDE
JUSTICE SOCIETY
RS,
Eileen M. Keiffer
Robert D. Klausner
Stephanie Lynn Koury
Robert Bruce Laboon
Nathaniel Lounsbury
Michael Jude Lowenberg
Thomas C. Lowry
Keith Lutsch
Elizabeth E. Mack
Luke Madole
Nick Maram
E. Pierce Marshall, Jr.
David George Matthews
Trish McAllister
Susham M. Modi
Kate Sullivan Morgan
Michele Morrison
Stephen S. Mosher
Kelly M. Murray
Toni Melinda Murray
Karen Sue Neeley
Frank H. Newton
Dean W. Frank Newton
Retha Elizabeth Niedecken
Wayne K. Olson
Joseph Stuart Pevsner
Howard K. Prol
Aleed Janet Rivera
Penny R. Robe
Richard Christopher Rosalez
Edward B. Rust, Jr.
Stacey Beth Saunders
Stacy Rogers Sharp
Daniel J. Sheehan, Jr.
James Skipton IV
Brenda K. Smith
Stuart Charles Smith
Charles E. Sykes
Paul R. Tobias
Gregory S. Torrance
Ben Vaughan III
Luke Abraham Weedon
T. B. Wright
Contributions received from Society members are part of the annual Justice for All Campaign which raised over $1.5 million last year to support civil legal aid for low-income Texans.
Lori Wrotenbery 2 0 2 2-2 0 2 3
We are pleased to have the very g (As of Apr
CO-SPONSOR
CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE
ADVOCATES OF JUSTICE
generous support of our sponsors.
ril 6, 2023)
BENEFACTORS OF JUSTICE
Arnold & Itkin LLP
Baker Botts L.L.P.
Perkins Coie LLP
Patricia Villareal, Thomas Leatherbury, & The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation
PATRONS OF JUSTICE
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP
Baylor Law School
Beck Redden LLP
Hon. Jane & Doug Bland
Blank Rome LLP
The Law Offices of Frank L. Branson
Davis, Cedillo & Mendoza, Inc.
Edwards Law
Gibbs & Bruns LLP
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Johnston Tobey Baruch, PC
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
King & Spalding LLP
The Krist Foundation in honor & memory of James B. Sales
David R. McAtee II
Harriet E. Miers
Norton Rose Fulbright
Phillips 66
Sandoval & James, PLLC
SBOT Corporate Counsel Section
Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP
SMU Dedman School of Law
Richard L. "Dick" Tate
Texas Law School Deans
Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual
Property American Inn of Court
Yetter Coleman LLP
OTHER CONTRIBUTORS ($ 1 ,000 OR MORE)
Randall M. Ebner
Roland K. Johnson
Lora J. Livingston & Eric Kennedy
Pirkey Barber PLLC
Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.
Porter Hedges
Neal & Beth Sutton
Maria Thomas-Jones
We also extend our appreciation to the Marines of Inspector Instructor Staff, Weapons Company, 1st Battalion 23rd Marine Regiment for the Presentation of the Colors and to Talin Nalbandian, Doctorate of Musical Arts student, University of Texas at Austin, for the performance of the National Anthem.
CHAIR
Harriet E. Miers
Dallas
COMMISSIONERS
Chad Baruch
Dallas
Hon. Nicholas Chu
Austin
Alistair B. Dawson
Houston
Joe Escobedo, Jr.
Edinburg
Hon. Roy B. Ferguson
Alpine
Katie Fillmore
Austin
Gabby Garcia
Austin
Luz E. Herrera
Fort Worth
Lisa Hobbs
Austin
Roland K. Johnson
Fort Worth
Thomas S. Leatherbury
Dallas
William Marple
Dallas
Hon. Michael Massengale
Houston
David R. McAtee II
Dallas
Karen Nicholson
Midland
Hon. Latosha Lewis Payne
Houston
Terry O. Tottenham
Austin
Maj. Gen. Alfred Valenzuela
San Antonio
Kennon L. Wooten
Austin
SUPREME COURT LIAISON
Hon. Brett Busby
Austin
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
For the Governor
James P. Sullivan
Austin
For the Lieutenant Governor
Hon. Judith Zaffirini
Laredo
For the Speaker of the House
Hon. Gene Wu
Houston
CHAIR EMERITUS
Harry M. Reasoner
Houston
INTERIM DIRECTOR
Lora J. Livingston
The State Bar of Texas, our co-sponsor, generously helps underwrite the 2023 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans so that the proceeds directly support civil legal aid to low-income Texas Veterans.