Women in Law

San Antonio

Legal Services Association

By Blithe Wiley Photography Sarah Dingivan by David Teran

Today, approximately one-fifth of San Antonians live in poverty. For all too many of these individuals, affording civil legal representation is completely beyond reach in times of need, such as a divorce, a child custody case, or settling an estate.

The San Antonio Legal Services Association (SALSA) was created to help low-income and disadvantaged individuals and families secure the legal services they need. It was established in 2019 as the new incarnation of the Community Justice Program (CJP), which served underrepresented populations for nearly 20 years. Each year, approximately 350 local attorneys from across the legal spectrum volunteer their time to work with SALSA’s community partners to transform the lives of those in need.

Sarah Dingivan joined the CJP in 2017 as managing attorney. When SALSA was established in 2019, she was named CEO. Today she leads SALSA in working to prevent homelessness, protect individual rights and advocate for vulnerable populations.

“The work we do in our community is so rewarding,” Dingivan said. “We identify the legal needs in our community and work to create solutions that are holistic and not just a band-aid.”

Among the legal services provided by SALSA are several legal clinics, including the Wills Clinic and Veterans Legal Advice Clinic. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit San Antonio, the need for legal services multiplied overnight.

“COVID’s impact on our community resulted in so many people being unable to pay their rent. We created a Tenants’ Rights Program to assist residents on the brink of homelessness,” explained Dingivan. “We also set up the Small Estate Clinic when the death toll from COVID was super high, and the Probate Courts were becoming inundated with requests for assistance from pro se applicants. This was created to help shepherd families through their options.”

SALSA also launched the Wills for Healthcare Workers Program for healthcare workers when COVID-19 tore through the community. “In 2020, I received a call from one of SALSA’s Board members asking for attorney volunteers for the Wills for Healthcare Workers Program,” said Laura O’Donnell, partner at Haynes and Boone LLP. “It broke my heart to think about these health care heroes in this time of need, and I, along with many other attorneys at my firm, volunteered to serve in this clinic. Helping these individuals was so rewarding for me.”

Alicia Grant Laura O’Donnell

Tanya Feinleib, an estate planning attorney with Langley & Banack, has volunteered with SALSA and CJP for more than a decade. She now serves as a mentor for other attorneys in the Wills Clinic. “With these clinics, we provide needed legal services for low-income residents,” said Feinleib. “My role as mentor is to train lawyer volunteers who may not specialize in estate planning. It’s such a great feeling to spend a few hours with these low-income clients and have them walk away with a complete set of estate planning documents that are signed and notarized.”

Dykema Senior Attorney Danielle Rushing began volunteering with CJP while still a law student at St. Mary’s University and continues to volunteer with SALSA in the Wills Clinic, Veterans Legal Advice Clinic, and Alternatives to Guardianship Clinic for disabled adults. “Helping others and being able to make a difference through my volunteer work with SALSA is a humbling and rewarding experience,” Rushing said. “I’ll never forget a couple’s tears of joy after I helped with their wills. Securing their future, and the magnitude of what that meant to them was an insurmountable feeling.”

Alicia Grant, Senior Associate at Norton Rose Fulbright US, serves on SALSA’s Board of Directors and frequently provides pro bono legal services for the organization. She has worked with the Wills Clinic, Family Law Clinic, and Cyberbullying Clinic called the DBM (Don’t Bully Me) Clinic that SALSA developed in partnership with David’s Legacy Foundation. “I started volunteering with CJP as a law student at St. Mary’s,” Grant said. “These volunteer opportunities enabled me to be a much better attorney and helped me connect with mentors. As an attorney, it’s so rewarding to provide pro bono help to people who can’t afford much-needed legal services.” Dingivan noted that SALSA’s legal services outreach continues to expand to reach additional areas of need in San Antonio and surrounding communities. “Today, we have an office at Haven for Hope to provide legal services, and we have a Veterans Legal Services operation next to St. Philip’s College. Also, we will be working with the Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan’s Wonderland, where we will be doing clinics benefitting disabled community members and their caretakers.”

In the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, SALSA has mounted a Disaster Response Effort for the families affected by this tragedy. The organization is recruiting Texas attorneys to provide extended representation services to impacted families. “We are partnering with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) to triage the cases in Uvalde, as TRLA has a huge pool of inhouse experts in many different legal areas.”

Dingivan noted that SALSA works with numerous organizations throughout the community to provide a wide range of legal services. “We have wonderful community partners that help us make a positive impact on the lives of so many people.”

All of these legal services require funding to operate successfully. Dingivan noted that SALSA relies heavily on both individual and corporate giving to make these services possible. “Individuals and corporations that make a gift to SALSA have a direct impact on our work to change lives in our communities,” she said. “We are always incredibly appreciative of support from those in our community.”

Danielle Rusing Tanya Feinleib

Donations can be made at www.sa-lsa.org/donate.

Calli Chinen

TransPecos Banks

By Antonio Gutierrez | Photography by David Teran

In her new role at TransPecos Banks, Calli Chinen enjoys the best of both worlds by putting her law degree and MBA to good use as senior vice president, compliance, and BSA officer.

“It’s exciting,” she said, adding that since she joined TransPecos Banks in March, she’s been busy drafting new policies and guidelines, among other duties, based on rules the bank is required to follow. “I always enjoy learning new things and applying the knowledge and skills I’ve gained from one job to another. I now make sure the guardrails are in operation at TransPecos Banks and that we are compliant as required by federal and state laws and regulations.”

Banking is big business, as we know. But many people don’t often think about the compliance aspect and how important it is for financial institutions to make sure they are operating in accordance with rules and regulations.

“Banks are subject to various federal and state laws. In my role, I make sure the right programs are in place to mitigate any risks to our organization and impacts to customers,” Chinen explained. “We are frequently examined by regulators and auditors to ensure we have appropriate controls in place.”

Although she now calls the Lone Star State her home, Chinen’s family has deep roots in Hawaii, where she was born. Her great-grandparents came from Japan and Okinawa to the islands and worked on a sugar cane plantation field. “I grew up in a small town, Wahiawa, where the Dole pineapple industry started,” she said. (As a side note, she shares that her great-grandmother lived to be 106 years old.)

After graduating from high school, Chinen decided to leave the sunny beaches and tropical environment of her home for the mainland to further her education. She spent her freshman year at New York University and then transferred to the University of San Francisco, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2007.

While working in commercial property management in San Francisco, she decided to go to law school in Hawaii and returned home in 2011.

“I wanted to be involved with what I was doing at a higher level,” Chinen said. “I was the building services coordinator dealing with tenant requests. Sometimes I’d have to look at tenant leases. I thought it would be great to learn to write contracts to include provisions that would be helpful when we needed to enforce them.”

Chinen wasn’t sure, however, that she wanted to practice law exclusively, so she enrolled in a joint degree program at the University of Hawaii and pursued her MBA and JD at the same time.

During graduate school, Chinen worked in various positions, including as a summer law clerk for a firm focused on real estate, as a legislative intern for a United States senator in Washington D.C., as an intern for the commercial real estate department at Central Pacific Bank, and then ultimately an intern in their compliance department where she found it to be the perfect merger of business and law.

“This started my career in bank compliance. Each position I’ve had has enabled me to continuously learn and understand how the changing regulatory environment affects the operations of financial institutions,” she said.

Chinen worked for the Bank of Hawaii before applying for a job with a Texas bank. “They brought me to Austin in 2019,” she said. “They were launching a new product and digital brand. They liked the experience I had and that I had a legal background.”

Now at TransPecos Banks, Chinen is ready for a new challenge, considering that the banking industry is always evolving. “There are so many different areas to learn and grow,” she said. “I look forward to expanding my banking experience while continuing to use the skills I’ve honed from law school.”

Although she frequented the beaches and enjoyed the waters of Hawaii, don’t expect to find her on a surfboard. She prefers paddleboarding as she does at LBJ Lake in Austin, where she lives but travels to San Antonio often for work. While in the Alamo City, she is having fun finding new restaurants to savor.

“While my roots will always be in Hawaii, I love exploring new cities,” Chinen said.

112 E. Pecan Street, Suite 800 San Antonio, Texas, 78205 | Transpecosbanks.com

Robbie L. Ward

Lawyer

Robbie L. Ward, Attorney at Law

530 Lexington Ave San Antonio, TX 78215 O (210) 758-2200 | C (210) 758-8500 robbie@robbiewardlaw.com | RobbieWardLaw.com Originally from West Texas, San Antonio is now Robbie’s home. She graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law in 2001 and immediately began working at the District Attorney’s office. Although she knew she wanted to be a criminal defense attorney, she had been told by mentors that the best defense attorneys were prosecutors first.

After working at the Bexar County District Attorney’s office, she became an Assistant United States Attorney, which helped increase her knowledge of evaluating and trying cases effectively.

Robbie left the U.S. Attorney’s office to become a criminal defense attorney and has been highly successful in her representation of clients. She has tried many state and federal cases as a prosecutor and a defense attorney. As a defense attorney, her efforts and wins for her clients have earned her the nickname “The Beast” among many of her clients. It’s a nickname she laughs off but has said it does make her feel proud that her clients know she will always fight hard, and they appreciate the efforts she puts into each case.

Robbie has successfully defended doctors, lawyers, other professionals, and people from all walks of life in both State and Federal courts. Most recently, she tried a murder case in April of this year and won a not guilty verdict for her client.

Being able to do what you love and have a real passion for is vital to her success. Robbie said although the work is hard and can require lots of long hours, the ability to help people in their most trying times is worth it.

As a single mom running her practice, Robbie said it makes her proud that her daughter knows that what she is doing makes a real difference in people’s lives, and her daughter is learning the same values Robbie was taught by her parents: to be anything great, you have to work hard.

Robbie is a Board member of the San Antonio Criminal Lawyers Association, a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and is on the Board of her HOA.

Erica Maloney

Owner of Maloney Law Group, PLLC

Maloney Law Group, PLLC

1007 South Alamo Street San Antonio, Texas 78210 O (210) 361 2997 | maloneylawgroup.com Upon graduating from the University of California, Irvine Law School in 2012 – a school which, the year of her application, accepted only 4 percent of its applicants, the lowest acceptance rate of any law school in the country – Erica moved home to San Antonio to practice law. After spending a couple of valuable years practicing with her mother, Marynell Maloney, a renowned trial lawyer, Erica decided to branch out and build her law firm, Maloney Law Group, PLLC, a boutique plaintiff in personal injury and medical malpractice firm.

At Maloney Law Group, PLLC, Erica passionately advocates for the victims of medical malpractice. As the mother of three children, Erica has focused particular attention on advocating for infants who have suffered catastrophic birth injuries. She has handled multiple cases involving infants who have suffered hypoxia ischemic encephalopathy due to negligence during the labor and delivery process.

While negligence in hospital emergency departments in Texas is notoriously difficult to pursue as emergency department cases require a higher burden of proof than other medical malpractice cases, Erica has successfully resolved several high damage emergency department cases.

Erica is on the Board of Directors of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association and a member of the San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association and the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court. She was selected as a Texas Super Lawyers rising star in 2021 and 2022 and was named a top personal injury lawyer by Scene in San Antonio in 2021 and 2022. Erica is also a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Jennifer Ann Zarka

Attorney and Counselor at Law

Zarka Law Firm

620 N Flores Street San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 468-0400 zarkalawfirm.com | jenny@zarkalawfirm.com Jenny Zarka is a criminal defense attorney. She started her own law firm immediately upon graduating law school and passing the bar exam in 2013. Jenny has 2 attorneys and 3 support staff working full time in her firm with her to support the needs of her clients. They work their cases from every possible angle- motions, hearings, and trials to protect the rights of people accused of crimes.

Jenny went to St. Mary’s University School of Law thinking she would become a civil lawyer. However, she participated in the criminal defense clinic while in her third year of law school and fell in love with criminal defense.

Jenny fiercely believes in the constitutional mandate that supports her job as a criminal defense lawyer. Every citizen accused is entitled to a zealous advocate on his/her side throughout a criminal prosecution.

Although only in practice for a little more than 8 years now, Jenny has tried more than 40 cases. Jenny has secured Not Guilty verdicts in several serious felony cases. She has also received acquittals in many misdemeanor cases. Jenny has also procured dismissals in nine cases for violation of speedy trial rights. Jenny and her team will do whatever it takes to achieve the best possible outcome for each of her clients.

Jenny serves as Executive Director for the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyers Association and is on the Board of Directors for TCDLA.

Jenny is married, for 30 years now, to a frequent expert witness- Tony Zarka, who is a pediatric radiologist and child abuse specialist. They have 1 cat and 2 dogs.

Jane H. Macon

PARTNER

Bracewell LLP 300 Convent , STE 2700 San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 299-3517 C (210) 410 -6225 After graduating from University of Texas Law School Jane began her law career in Atlanta at the Office of Economic Opportunity and moved to the San Antonio City Attorney’s Office in 1972. From 1977 to 1983, she served as San Antonio’s first woman City Attorney working on constitutional litigation and numerous downtown economic development projects.

Jane entered private practice in 1983 as partner at Fulbright & Jaworski, and joined Bracewell in 2013, where she continues to focus her practice on Public Law Finance, Litigation, and Economic Development law. Jane is extremely active in professional and civic organizations like The Women’s Forum, at both at the national level and the state level and raises miniature horses in her spare time!

Jane received the Trefoil Award in 2018, the Texas Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020, the San Antonio Bar Association Joe Frazier Brown Jr. Award of Excellence in 2021, and most recently the Baha’l Unity of Humanity Award and the Texas Bar Foundation Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer Award in 2022.

Kelli Cubeta

PARTNER

Cubeta Law Group

322 Martinez Street San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 934-4500

kelli.cubeta@cubetalaw.com www.cubetalaw.com

Kelli Cubeta is a Partner at Cubeta Law Group, a certified woman-owned business based in San Antonio that focuses exclusively on representing businesses in the areas of litigation, employment, and transactional matters. For over 18 years, Kelli has represented businesses of all sizes including serving as General Counsel and head of Human Resources for two publicly traded companies.

Kelli has been recognized nationally by the Association of Corporate Counsel as one of the top 10 business attorneys in the nation and by the San Antonio Business Journal as one of the top business leaders in San Antonio. Kelli is a proud wife and mother of two precious girls and serves on several non-profit Boards.

Paula D. Perez

Managing Attorney of Paula Perez Law

6128 Bandera Road San Antonio, Texas 78238 O (210) 729-2029 F (210) 729-7130

info@paulaperezlaw.com www.paulaperezlaw.com

Paula D. Perez is the Managing Attorney of Paula Perez Law Firm. Her areas of practice are Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Family Law. She has also represented clients in the areas of Probate, Commercial & Business Litigation, Construction Litigation, and Debt Collection. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She attended and obtained her law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law. Her law career began as an Associate Attorney for a large Personal Injury Law Firm, where she represented clients involved in Mass Tort Litigation and Motor Vehicle Accident Litigation. She then served in a Corporate Compliance role for a Fortune 500 Company, managing compliance for all of its South Texas Storefronts before beginning her solo law practice.

Attorney at Law

Law Office of Lora Lozano Lady Law

5804 Babcock Rd., Ste 722 San Antonio, Texas 78240 O (210) 593-5929 F (210) 783-1829 C (210) 445-2322

loralozanoesq@icloud.com Ladylawtx.com

At the age of four, Lora R. Lozano knew that she would be a lawyer one day. That’s when she set out on the path of becoming San Antonio’s “Lady Law.”

In 2019, Lora R. Lozano, “Lady Law”, founded the Law Office of Lora R. Lozano where she specializes in personal injury cases. She knew that in this male dominated field, it was time for a woman’s touch. Lora’s empathy, compassion and her ever present moral compass guides her in representing injured victims. “It’s important for me to be morally and ethically correct and connect with my clients.”

Christine Dauphin Hernández

Founder/Attorney at Law

Dauphin Law, a Professional Corporation

Office (726) 999-0619

www.dauphinlegal.com contact@dauphinlegal.com

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Christine Dauphin Hernández moved to San Antonio, Texas in the Summer of 1987 with her mother and younger brother. As a child, Christine accompanied her mom to work at a local non-profit organization, where she learned the value of community service. Today, Christine volunteers with and supports various non-profits aimed at aiding children and victims of domestic violence. Twelve years with the City of San Antonio Municipal Court as a Judge and Magistrate, Christine was a dedicated and compassionate jurist. In 2020, she was called to serve in another capacity and Christine opened Dauphin Law, a Professional Corporation. Understanding that mistakes do not necessarily define a person, Christine’s law practice is focused on helping people facing criminal charges to re-define their lives.

Laura D. Heard

FOUNDING PARTNER

Laura D. Heard Law Firm Inc.

14607 San Pedro, Ste. 205 San Antonio, Texas 78232 (210) 655-9090

Attorney@LDHeard.com www.LDHeard.com

Laura D. Heard, family law mediator and lawyer, practices all aspects of Family Law, Divorce, Wills, Mediation, and Probate law. Since 1987, Laura’s entire career has been in San Antonio. She has served as Guardian ad litem for hundreds of abused children, Adjunct Professor at Wayland Baptist University, 4th Court of Appeals Briefing attorney, Mediator at the Bexar County Dispute Resolution Center, and owner of a BBB A+ rated law firm. Awards include Best Appellate Attorneys in San Antonio, San Antonio Business Journal Outstanding Lawyer recognition, Top Family Law attorney in San Antonio, Top 10 Family Lawyers in Texas, and exceptional client service by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. Laura recently published a book, “Divorce and Estate Planning in Texas- How to Plan Ahead for the Unexpected and Save your Family’s Future”(2022).

Cynthia Orr

MANAGING PARTNER

Goldstein & Orr Criminal Law & Appeals

310 S. St. Mary’s St. Ste 2900 San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 226-1463 F (210) 226-8367

whitecollarlaw@gmail.com www.goldsteinhilley.com

Cynthia Eva Hujar Orr is the past Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section and in its House of Delegates, on the Texas Board of Law Examiners, is past President of the NACDL and TCDLA. She founded the San Antonio Lawyers Association and the Texas Innocence Network. She is listed in the Best Lawyers in America, is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers and is a Texas Top 100 Trial Lawyer. She is in the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame, she was TCDLA 2015 Pro Bono Lawyer of the year, clerked for federal Judge Emilio Garza and is Board Certified in Criminal Law and Appeals. She is listed in the Best Lawyers in America and is AV Rated by Martindale Hubble.

Rachel Reuter

Attorney at Law Reuter Law Group, PC

112 East Pecan St., Ste 2920 San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 812-4239 C (210) 284-8866

rachel@reuterlaw.com www.reuterlaw.com

Rachel Reuter is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. With over 20 years of experience, she established Reuter Law Group, PC as a boutique family law firm specializing in divorce and child custody disputes. Understanding that each client has different needs, Reuter Law Group was created as a premier family law firm dedicated to providing individualized attention to each client.

With integrity, creativity, diligence and passion, her team at Reuter Law Group will fight for their clients and help them come up with a plan that works best for his or her family.

Amber Lidell Alwais

PARTNER, Board Certified - Family Law Texas Board of Legal Specialization Orsinger, Nelson, Downing & Anderson, LLP

310 S. St. Mary’s, 26th Floor San Antonio, Texas 78205 O (210) 225-5567

www.ondafamilylaw.com

Amber Lidell Alwais is an experienced family law attorney who protects her clients, making them feel safe and secure while fighting for them. She is compassionate and committed to providing legal services in all Family Law matters including traditional and non-traditional divorce, custody issues, property division, child support and adoption matters. Amber has been a source for the San Antonio media to speak on Family Law issues during the COVID-19 crisis. Amber graduated from Sam Houston State University and St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1996. She has been acknowledged for her excellence in family law, being recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer from 2013-2020. Amber also serves as a law instructor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her clients describe her as “a true professional, but not at the expense of being a beautiful human being.”

THE CRAWSHAW LAW FIRM, PLLC.

Individual Consumer Protection Claims & Business Representation 625 N. Alamo Street San Antonio TX 78215 Crawshawlaw.com | (210) 595-1553

Lorena L. Garza

Owner of L. Garza Law, PLLC.

1846 N. Loop 1604 W, Suite 205. San Antonio, Texas 78248

O (210) 847-2548 C (956) 299-0090

Lorena@LgarzalawSA.com LgarzalawSA.com

Lorena Garza is a San Antonio-based attorney and the owner of L. Garza Law, PLLC. Lorena specializes in criminal defense, business consulting, and contract formation, negotiation, and amendments. She graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law with Honors and started her practice immediately after. She is currently a part of the Texas Bar College, the San Antonio Criminal Defense Lawyer Association, and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer Association. She strives to provide each client with the utmost respect and ensures her client’s rights are protected.