Celebrating a Year of Good Work

Last month, before a capacity crowd of lawyers, judges, and other dignitaries, I passed the HBA president’s gavel to Diana Gomez, who has now begun her term as our 153rd President. It was a wonderful evening. In addition to celebrating Diana becoming our first Latina President, we honored several members who exemplify our mission, including Judge Lee Rosenthal and Reagan Simpson, who received the Justice Eugene A. Cook Professionalism Award for their remarkable careers and consistent dedication to the values of our profession. Locke Lord’s Ann Ryan received the Justice Ruby Kless Sondock Award in recognition of her work as a trailblazing woman in international arbitration. We cannot possibly take inventory of all the good we did last year in 700 words. Every day, our organization, through its 33 committees, 26 sections, and dedicated staff, touches so many corners of the Houston area. After 12 years of board service, it took me serving as president to fully appreciate the impact our organization makes on our community. So in highlighting a few of the year’s achievements, in this column, I do so with a nod to the mountain of good that our members did, and with a focus on just a few of the new initiatives that made an impact his year.

First, we set out to offer a platform for elevating civil discourse over the biggest legal issues of the day. We did that through our President’s Speaker Series, which brought panels of experts together to discuss sensitive legal issues in an objective, substantive way that respects all viewpoints. We hosted panels on amateurism in collegiate sports, voting rights, gun rights, abortion, and free speech over tech platforms. We did it professionally and with reverence for the rule of law. No shouting. No leveling of accusations. No attacking the motives of people with opposing viewpoints. Instead, we offered thoughtful, informative discussions on the current state of the law around these headline-grabbing topics. Our members should be proud of the contrast between how those discussions were presented through the HBA and how they are presented in mainstream media. It is, unfortunately, rare to find such platforms for informative, civil discourse on controversial topics. The State Bar of Texas recognized this exceptional program with a Stars of Texas Bars Award for Star of Achievement.

Second, we set out to shine a light on our ancillary organizations and to enhance their effectiveness in providing access to justice. Those organizations answered the call. The Houston Volunteer Lawyers placed over 800 cases for extended representation with pro bono attorneys and provided nearly 4,500 cases of pro se assistance and short turnaround advice. There are many ways to measure the value of that service, but when quantified in terms of billable hours, our members donated $12.6 million in legal services to the people who cannot afford a lawyer. That’s almost a 50% increase over the prior year, about three times the average contribution over the prior five years. Additionally, members of the Houston Lawyer Referral Service consulted with over 2,000 Houstonians facing legal problems and took on over 1,000 cases. That organization did so well financially that it was able to make a sizable donation of its referral fees back to support pro bono legal services. And through the Dispute Resolution Center, volunteers offered up over 5,100 hours of volunteer service, which equated to approximately 2,000 mediations—helping thousands of Houstonians resolve their dispute outside of the courthouse.

Finally, we set out to move the needle on wellness issues affecting our profession, and I am proud of the changes we made on that front. We offered wellness-focused CLE programming and revamped the HBA’s webpage on wellness resources. We hosted a managing partners forum on wellness issues and benefits at our law firms. We hosted, as we have for many years, a fun run, golf tournament, and several new physical wellness events. The winter issue of this magazine and The Houston Lawyer podcast were dedicated to wellness issues and to the promotion of wellness resources like TLAP. And we tried, through some incremental behavior changes, to make HBA events healthier environments, including offering nonalcoholic cocktails at all HBA events.

I am proud of these accomplishments, and you should be, too. This is difference-making volunteerism. It is the product of your time and treasure at work, it enhances the quality of life in this city, and it is delivering on the promise of the organization. Cheers to you all on a job well done.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Christopher V. Popov

President-elect

Diana Gomez first vice President

Greg Ulmer second vice President

Greg Moore secretary Daniella Landers treasurer

David Harrell immediate Past President

Jennifer A. Hasley

DIRECTORS (2021-2023)

Collin Cox Jeff Oldham

Carter Dugan Colin Pogge

DIRECTORS (2022-2024)

Keri Brown Kaylan Dunn Robert Painter Samantha Torres

EDITORIAl STAFF editor in Chief

Brooksie Bonvillain Boutet associate editors

Anna Archer Ryan Kent

Elizabeth Furlow Malpass Carly Milner

Nikki Morris Andrew Pearce editorial Board

Anietie Akpan Jaclyn Barbosa

Natasha Breaux Dasha K. Hodge

Sydney Huber Lee LaFleur

Kristen Lee David T. Lopez

Kylie Loya Maggie Lu

Tim McInturf Lane Morrison

Avi Moshenberg Sara Prasatik

Braden Riley Bryce Romero

Jennifer Smith Kyle Steingreaber

Rachael Thompson Lauren Veillon

Mark Yablon

Managing editor Maggie Martin

HBA OFFICE STAFF executive Director Mindy G. Davidson receptionist and Membership assistant Fabiola Garcia

Controller Sarah Kole

Director, Marketing and Communications Maggie Martin

Communications specialist Briana Ramirez

Director, education and sections liaison Ashley G. Steininger education assistant Alli Hessel

Director, Projects and events Bonnie Simmons

Projects and events assistant Reagan Crittenden

Director, Membership and technology services Ron Riojas

Membership assistant Rick Castillo

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