Dallas Bar Notes Akin Donation, Quotes Steven Schulman, Michelle Reed on Pro Bono
Contact:
In Headnotes, its monthly newsletter, the Dallas Bar Association featured the firm’s charitable and pro bono work in the Dallas area.
“Akin Kicks Off 2024 EAJ Campaign” spotlighted the firm’s $26,000 donation to the 2023 Equal Access to Justice Campaign, with the donation set to support the work of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP). The firm’s donations in support of DVAP, which now total more than $200,000, help ensure continued legal aid for low-income individuals in Dallas, as well as increased access to the justice system. For more than 40 years, DVAP has been recruiting and training pro bono lawyers to provide free legal assistance to the Dallas community.
Steven Schulman, Akin pro bono partner, said of the firm’s relationship with DVAP, “We at Akin are fortunate to have forged strong relationships with community-based organizations, which are essential to connecting us to clients in need. We are pleased and proud to support DVAP and the invaluable work it does for low-income people in Dallas.”
Akin partner Michelle Reed, who co-heads the firm’s cybersecurity, privacy & data protection practice, has been a volunteer for many years, beyond chairing the Akin Dallas Pro Bono Committee and maintaining, in addition to her fee-paying work, an extensive pro bono practice.
As a co-founder of the Children’s Educational Rights Project (CHERP) with Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, Michelle has worked on special education advocacy for children in need. In conjunction with DVAP, she has handled divorce, benefits, and child support cases for DVAP clients.
She says, “Lawyers are in a unique position to serve our communities by providing meaningful access for justice for people in our communities. DVAP provides an essential link between community members in need and lawyers who have the ability to serve. Some of the most meaningful experiences I have had as a lawyer have been when we have partnered with DVAP to help tenants in housing disputes, families in crisis, and assist those who are sick with estate planning assistance. I will never forget the relieved faces of those who we have helped when they realize that we are their advocates, fighting for them to achieve justice.”
