Dallas Bar Association
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Focus | Energy Law/Environmental Law
April 2022 Volume 47 Number 4
Bank of America Supports DVAP’s Eviction Prevention Work
Dallas Mavs CEO Cynt Marshall Speaks on Anniversary of Title IX STAFF REPORT
BY MICHELLE ALDEN
As part of its commitment to strengthening communities by addressing critical needs that help advance racial equality and economic opportunity, Bank of America invested more than $6.7 million in local nonprofits across DFW in 2021. With a particular focus on closing the equity and wealth gaps in communities of color and other disadvantaged populations disproportionately impacted by the prolonged pandemic, the Bank’s local giving was directed to alleviate challenges related to homelessness, food insecurity, access to healthcare, small business, jobs training, and education. In addition to philanthropic capital, which is nearly double the bank’s giving in 2020, the company also provided thousands of PPE supplies, and Bank of America employees across the metroplex contributed more than 95,000 volunteer hours in 2021. The Bank’s giving in Dallas included a generous contribution of $26,000 to this year’s Equal Access to Justice Campaign. The EAJ Campaign is the annual fundraising campaign that supports the activities of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP). The Bank dedicated both financial resources and pro bono support specifically targeted to address the needs of the underserved during the rental crisis. The Bank’s contribution to the EAJ Campaign supports DVAP’s rental response and eviction prevention work, including its weekly eviction clinics in East Dallas. “Supporting efforts to alleviate homelessness and housing insecurity across DFW is a priority for Bank of America, and we understand that stable housing is a fundamental piece of advancing economic mobility,” said Jennifer Chandler, President, Bank of America Dallas. “We recognize the impact of the work DVAP is doing to reach vulnerable residents in our community and providing otherwise inaccessible services to those in urgent need of legal guidance and resources. This support for DVAP comes at a time when the bank is doubling down on our efforts to address housing challenges, making this partnership a natural fit.” The Bank of America Legal Department’s formal pro bono program was started more than 20 years ago. Sarah Kaseforth and Stacey Haggard are the Regional Co-Chairs for Texas of Bank of America’s Legal Department’s Global Pro Bono Program. Consistent with the Bank’s tradition of community support and the ethical obligations of the legal profession, the attorneys and legal professionals of the Legal Department are encouraged to volunteer with or otherwise support organizations that provide legal services to those in need. Pro bono service builds and strengthens the Bank’s, and most importantly its associates’, ties with the local community. By partnering with DVAP, Bank of America is able to provide vital legal services to under-served, vulnerable populations. The Dallas/Plano Legal Department has supported DVAP and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas through active participation in legal clinics. The Bank has sponsored DVAP’s Veterans Clinic annually since 2016 and a Legal Aid clinic in Plano in 2018. In 2019 and 2020, the Legal Department sponsored DVAP Wills Clinics for the clients of The Senior Source. In addition, the Bank was recognized for its pro bono work with DVAP as the 2019 Outstanding Corporate Legal Department. The Bank
Jennifer Chandler
has continued its support of DVAP’s pro bono efforts through virtual clinics during the pandemic. “Working with DVAP’s clients gives me the opportunity to use my time and legal skills to help those with the greatest need, who are also the most underserved in a very challenging time when many are losing their homes. The training and support that DVAP provides for each clinic or pro bono case gives me the confidence to effectively address the needs of the clients. I look forward to continuing to work with DVAP in meeting the needs of our community,” said Lori Campbell, Associate General Counsel and CoChair of Bank of America’s Legal Department Global Pro Bono Program. The problem of access to justice in Dallas County is one that DVAP works to correct every day. In a country based on justice for all and access to our court system, over 25 percent of Dallas County residents live near the poverty level, and 42 percent have a slim hope of affording an attorney. With annual poverty incomes of $34,687 for a family of four, justice is a luxury for low and moderate income families. The commitment of Dallas attorneys and the DBA to the Equal Access to Justice Campaign is impressive. Since 1997, the DBA and Legal Aid have joined forces to raise money for the program, with Dallas lawyers donating over $18 million. DVAP is a joint pro bono program of the DBA and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. The program is the only one of its kind in Texas and brings together the volunteer resources of a major metropolitan bar association with the legal aid expertise of the largest and oldest civil legal aid program in North Texas. For more information, or to donate, visit www.dallasvolunteer attorneyprogram.org. HN Michelle Alden is the Director of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. She can be reached at aldenm@lanwt.org.
Inside 8
Get Your Head Out of the Sand! Conduct an Environmental Audit
12 A Review of the Texas “Prompt Payment” Statute 16 Can You Dig It? Resolving Groundwater Contamination 23 You Want to Build Here? Oh Well…
Law Day is held annually on May 1st to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession. The Dallas Bar Association Law Day Luncheon is Friday, April 29, Noon, inperson at the Arts District Mansion. This year’s Law Day program will focus on the anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which marks its 50th anniversary in June of this year. Title IX is arguably one of the most significant pieces of civil rights legislation in America’s history. Patterned after Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the portion of the landmark law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin in federally funded programs, Title IX is a comprehensive law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in all programs or activities in all federally funded educational institutions including high schools and middle schools. Since the enactment of Title IX, there has been a dramatic increase in interscholastic and intercollegiate athletic opportunities for girls and women. Few laws have influenced high school sports more than Title IX. A few important tenets about the law: • Title IX is the first comprehensive federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance. • Title IX does not only protect females; it protects all students, boys and girls, faculty, and staff. This year’s keynote speaker who will be addressing this important topic is Cynthia “Cynt” Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks. Mrs. Marshall has been a dynamic force for inclusion and diversity within the Mavericks organization, and over a 36-year career at AT&T, where she served as SVPHuman Resources & Chief Diversity Officer. When she was hired as the new CEO of the Mavs in March 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation. Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion and diversity, and brought transparency, trust, and her values-based leadership style that evolved the company culture in her first 100 days. During her tenure at AT&T she led the team that created a world class Diversity and Inclusion culture, landing AT&T in the top 3 on Diversity Inc’s 2017 Top 50 list of companies.
Cynt Marshall
She also spearheaded the work, that for the first-time, placed AT&T on Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2017, one of only two Fortune 50 companies. Widely recognized for her visionary leadership and ability to get things done Mrs. Marshall is the recipient of several honors and awards. In March 2021, Forbes named her one of 15 of the world’s most inspiring female leaders. She received the 2020 Girl Scouts of America Lifetime Achievement award and was touted as one of Adweek’s 30 Most Powerful Women in Sports. In 2019, she was honored with the Women of Power Legacy Award by Black Enterprise and was the recipient of the National ATHENA® Leadership Program Award. In March 2020 and several times prior, Mrs. Marshall was selected as one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine and named to Ebony magazine’s 2016 “Power 100” list. Mrs. Marshall graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management and holds four honorary Doctorate degrees. She has chaired a variety of non-profit boards and is currently on the board of Dallas CASA, Dallas Regional Chamber, Texas Women’s Foundation, Texas 2036, T.D. Jakes Foundation, and a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). She is also on the Board of Directors of BGSF Staffing, JELD-WEN, and Blinkcns, Inc. The fourth of six children, Mrs. Marshall grew up in Richmond, California, and lives in the Dallas area. She and her husband, Kenneth Marshall, have four adult children. Please join us in person at the DBA Law Day Luncheon on Friday, April 29, at noon. Register at www.dallasbar. org. For more information, contact Liz Hayden at lhayden@dallasbar.org. HN
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