HBA
recognized with Stars of Texas Bars Awards
Communities in Schools Partnership, HBA
publications cited
The Houston Bar Association (HBA) received the Stars
of Texas Bars Partnership Award during the State Bar of Texas Annual
Meeting held in mid-June in Fort Worth. The HBA’s magazine, The
Houston Lawyer, also earned recognition.
The Partnership Award honored the HBA for its
collaboration with Communities in Schools (CIS) Houston on the Summer
Legal Internship Program, an initiative of 2009-2010 HBA President
Barrett Reasoner of Gibbs Bruns LLP. CIS students are high achievers who
have completed their junior or senior year of high school, but who come
from school or family situations that place them in an at-risk
environment. The HBA/CIS Summer Legal Internship Program gives them the
opportunity for a paid, eight-week internship in a professional
environment, as well as enrichment programs and mentoring opportunities.
The HBA recruited law firms, corporate legal departments, courts and
legal agencies to participate. In its initial year the program placed 48
students; this summer 60 students are working through the HBA/CIS
partnership.
The HBA’s bimonthly magazine, The Houston Lawyer,
was named best publication, and two articles received special
recognition. The Best Feature Story Award went to “The Lobbyist,” a
firsthand account of what they actually do by attorneys Jim Grace and
Luke Ledbetter of Baker Botts L.L.P. The Best Human Interest Story Award
went to Keri D. Brown of Baker Botts L.L.P. for her column, “Racing a
LeMon,” which profiled a Houston attorney who competes in a circuit
where the cars cannot cost more than $500.
The 11,600-member Houston Bar Association won the
awards in the category of bar associations with more than 5,000 members.
The Houston Bar Association is an 11,600-member
nonprofit professional organization for attorneys. The HBA provides
professional development, education, and service programs for the legal
profession and the community.
