Dallas Bar Association Wins State Bar Awards

June 25, 2012 - PRLog -- The Dallas Bar Association accepted numerous awards for its programs and services at the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.

This year, the State Bar’s Local Bar Services Committee selected the DBA as the recipient of a Star of Achievement Award for best overall programs. The DBA has numerous programs that benefit the community, including annual supply drives for Dallas ISD and local charities and being the longest-running whole-house sponsor for the Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity.

The DBA’s Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program was selected for the Award of Merit for its Equal Access to Justice Campaign, which raised a record-breaking $800,000 to provide free legal assistance to Dallas-area low-income families with civil legal needs.

Additionally, for the second year in a row, Headnotes, the official newsletter of the DBA, swept the publication awards, receiving the award for Best Overall Newsletter—the highest award in the Publications Category—and several Star of Achievement Awards for outstanding articles published in Headnotes:
•   Best Human Interest Article: Vincent J. Allen, of Carstens & Cahoon, LLP
•   Best News Article and Best Series of General Interest Articles: Alicia Hernandez, DBA Director of Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program & Community Services
•   Best Series of Substantive Legal Articles: Tamera H. Bennett, of Bennett Law Office, P.C.; Sally Helppie, of Vincent Lopez Serafino Jenevein, P.C.; and Danica Mathes, of Bell Nunnally & Martin LLP
•   Best Feature Story: Mary Louise Hopson

The Stars of Texas Bar Awards are presented by the State Bar of Texas to recognize local bar associations for outstanding community involvement, commitment to increasing access to justice and dedication to the profession. While the publication awards honor exceptional reporting, originality and impact on the legal profession.

Various DBA members received individual awards at the annual meeting, including:
•   Mark E. Andrews, of Cox Smith Matthews Inc., received the Robert B. Wilson Distinguished Service Award
•   Kim Askew, of K&L Gates LLP, received the Luther H. Soules Outstanding Service to the Practice of Law Award
•   E. Steve Bolden, of Mahomes Bolden PC, received the Drum Major for Justice Award
•   John G. Browning, of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, received the Outstanding Law Review Article Award
•   Lacy Durham, of Deloitte Tax LLP, received the TYLA Outstanding Director Award
•   John Estes, of the Law Office of John L. Estes, received the Outstanding 50-Year Lawyer Award
•   Rhonda Hunter, of Farrow-Gillespie & Heath LLP, received the Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson Trailblazer Award
•   Judge Martin J. Hoffman, of 68th District Court, received the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) Outstanding Mentor Award
•   William O. Holston, Jr., of Human Rights Initiative of North Texas, Inc., received the Pro Bono Award
•   Kent H. McMahan, of The Blum Firm, P.C., received the Distinguish Texas Probate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award
•   John O’Connor, of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, received the Frank J. Scurlock Award
•   Emily Parker, of Thompson & Knight LLP, received the Outstanding Tax Lawyer Award
•   Phillip D. Weller, of DLA Piper LLP, received the Distinguish Texas Real Estate Attorney Lifetime Achievement Award
•   Beverly Godbey, of Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP; Kenneth C. Raney, Jr., of American Electric Power; and Brian Webb, of Webb Family Law Firm, P.C., received Presidential Citations. Mr. Raney also received a Presidents’ Award.
•   Rebekah Steely Brooker, of Passman & Jones, P.C., and Kenneth C. Riney, of Hermes Sargent Bates, LLP, received the TYLA President’s Award of Merit