Volunteer of the Month – December 2022 Joanna L. Grossman is the Ellen K. Solender Endowed Chair in Women and the Law at the SMU Dedman School of Law. How did you first get involved in pro bono? I have been a law professor for 24 years and always written a lot of pro bono amicus briefs in areas related to my research and teaching. It wasn’t until I moved to Dallas in 2016 that I started to get involved in … [Read more...]
Joanna Grossman
Kristian McCray
Volunteer of the Month – November 2022 Kristian McCray is a sole practitioner. How did you first get involved in pro bono? After relocating to Texas, I desired to find a way to give back and serve the community. I found out about DVAP and the program provided all the opportunities needed for me to do just that. Describe your most compelling pro bono case. The most compelling case to date … [Read more...]
Charles Truslow
Volunteer of the Month – October 2022 Charles Truslow is an associate with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. Which clinics have you assisted with? I have mostly accepted cases that come through DVAP’s Eviction Defense Clinic. Describe your most compelling pro bono case. Many of the eviction cases I see through the Eviction Defense Clinic are compelling, but most recently I was able to represent … [Read more...]
Melissa Thrailkill
Volunteer of the Month – September 2022 Melissa Thrailkill is an associate at the Law Office of Brandy Wingate Voss, PLLC. How did you first get involved in pro bono? I began my legal career working with a legal aid organization and that passion for serving those who need legal help but cannot afford it has followed me into private practice. Describe your most compelling pro bono … [Read more...]
Christina Jenkins
Volunteer of the Month – August 2022 Christina Jenkins is a sole practitioner. How did you first get involved in pro bono? In 2007, the housing market crashed. Our mortgage banking clients were disappearing overnight and our firm had a massive layoff. At times, there was no work to do. I had already attended some DVAP CLEs, so I asked my managing partner if, during down time, I could work on DVAP cases. He … [Read more...]
Jake Torres
Volunteer of the Month – July 2022 Jake Torres is an associate at Vinson & Elkins LLP. What types of cases have you accepted? Early on I mostly worked on asylum and guardianship cases. Recently, I’ve spent a lot of time defending tenants in eviction hearings. Which clinics have you assisted with? I’ve volunteered at DVAP’s Eviction Clinic as well as the West Dallas Clinic. … [Read more...]
Barry Hocking
Volunteer of the Month – June 2022 Barry Hocking is a sole practitioner. How did you first get involved in pro bono? Even before I moved to Texas in 2020, I knew that volunteering for pro bono cases would be a key activity for me in this next career phase, so not long after arriving here, I started searching the internet for volunteer attorney organizations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. DVAP turned out to be … [Read more...]
