P.S. — ‘Our Bar Card Is Not Merely a Ticket to a Better Bank Account,’ Retired Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Kenneth Molberg Says Accepting Dallas Bar Foundation Award

In this edition of P.S., retired Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Kenneth Molberg urged lawyers to defend the rule of law and ensure their efforts extend beyond the privileged to those most in need, while accepting the Dallas Bar Foundation’s 2026 Fellows Justinian Award. 

“Our bar card is not merely a ticket to a better bank account,” Molberg said to a room of about 350 attendees. 

In Austin, Jackson Walker is hosting the 5th Annual Hispanic National Bar Association Region XII Summit at the firm’s office there. 

In Houston, the nonprofit outreach program Girls Inc. of Greater Houston honored Pye Legal Group President Stacy Humphries with its Melanie Gray Vanguard Award for her “unwavering commitment to community leadership and philanthropy” at its 2026 Strong, Smart & Bold Luncheon last week. 

And back in Dallas, the much-anticipated opening of South Dallas’ Halperin Park is set for May 9 with lawyers from Greenberg Traurig, T-Mobile and Cienda Partners among those leading the transformative project.

Also, TODAY is the deadline to nominate an appellate lawyer or judge for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics 18th annual Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. The award will be presented at the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner in September. Find details for how to nominate below.

Retired Justice Kenneth Molberg Accepts Dallas Bar Foundation Award, Urges Lawyers to Defend Rule of Law

Accepting the Dallas Bar Foundation’s 2026 Fellows Justinian Award, retired Fifth District Court of Appeals Justice Kenneth Molberg urged lawyers to defend the rule of law and ensure their efforts extend beyond the privileged to those most in need — a mission he said aligns with the foundation’s work.

“Our bar card is not merely a ticket to a better bank account,” Molberg said to a room of about 350 attendees. “Ultimately, we cannot lose sight of our responsibility to safeguard the rule of law, ensure that our citizens and others among us — the least of us — do not become casualties of callous disregard, deliberate indifference and intentional hatred by the most powerful among us.”

Former 5th Court of Appeals Justice Erin Nowell introduced Molberg, calling him “the epitome of justice.” 

“Ken doesn’t just have a servant’s heart. He has a service mind, heart, body and soul,” said Nowell. “If we had a million Kens in the world we wouldn’t worry about the law, we wouldn’t worry about ethics, we wouldn’t worry about how the law is applied to individuals.”  

Foundation Chair Laura Benitez Geisler announced that its fundraising dinner, An Evening With, will feature prominent criminal defense lawyer Abbe Lowell, who represented Hunter Biden. He will be interviewed by Tom Melsheimer, global head of trial at King & Spalding. Both lawyers previously worked at Winston & Strawn. The event is scheduled for Oct. 8. 

Geisler also highlighted the 40th anniversary of Bar None, the lawyer-cast variety show that raises funds for the Sarah T. Hughes scholarship for local law students. This year, the show will take place June 17-20 at the Greer Garson Theatre at Southern Methodist University. Ticket information and more may be found here.

Since 1981, the foundation has awarded more than $7.6 million in total grants and scholarships, Geisler said. 

Molberg’s full speech, which Sheppard partner Bill Mateja said “stole the show,” is available at the bottom of this column. 

Dallas’ Halperin Park Opens May 9 with Lawyers Helping Lead Transformative Project 

The much-anticipated opening of South Dallas’ Halperin Park is set for May 9. 

The deck park, built over Interstate 35E across from the Dallas Zoo, is designed to reconnect neighborhoods that were divided when the highway cut through the community decades ago. 

The May opening marks the completion of the park’s first phase, while a second phase remains underway. In total, the project is expected to cost about $300 million. 

Community leaders have said the park is poised to help drive economic opportunity in one of Dallas’ historically underserved areas. 

The Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, chaired by Greenberg Traurig shareholder G. Michael Gruber, spearheaded the park’s concept design and fundraised millions of dollars for the project. Attorneys serving on the board include Alan Dorantes, senior corporate counsel at T-Mobile, and Philip Wise, partner at Cienda Partners. 

Gruber said he and his wife lived in southern Dallas for two decades, during which all three of their children attended school in Oak Cliff. Frustrated by the longstanding lack of investment in a community he believed had enormous untapped potential, he said he eagerly accepted the opportunity to lead the project when it was offered a decade ago. 

“Halperin Park is a gift that the community surrounding it deserves, and the city of Dallas needs,” Gruber said. 

Jackson Walker Hosts Hispanic National Bar Association Regional Summit in Austin

This week, Jackson Walker is hosting the 5th Annual Hispanic National Bar Association Region XII Summit at the firm’s Austin office. 

The keynote event features Dallas-based Marissa Solis, senior vice president of global brand and consumer marketing for the National Football League. 

Juan Alcala, who has served as the HNBA regional president since 2022, joined Jackson Walker from Holland & Knight last year. The region includes Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma. 

Houston Nonprofit Honors Stacy Humphries for Advocacy

The nonprofit outreach program Girls Inc. of Greater Houston honored Pye Legal Group President Stacy Humphries with its Melanie Gray Vanguard Award for her “unwavering commitment to community leadership and philanthropy” at its 2026 Strong, Smart & Bold Luncheon last week. 

Humphries is recognized as a longtime advocate for empowering girls and women. She served for 10 years on the Board of Girls Inc. of Greater Houston, including two years as Board Chair. She currently serves as Vice President of the board of Impact100 Houston which funds nonprofits.

Before joining the legal search firm Pye Legal Group, Humphries worked for MS Legal Search, served as vice president of legal affairs for the Houston Rockets, and was an associate at Vinson & Elkins and Alston & Bird. She is a 1996 graduate of Harvard Law School. 

P.S. — TODAY is the deadline to nominate an appellate lawyer or judge for the Texas Center for Legal Ethics’ 18th annual Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award. The Award will be presented at the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner in September. Named for organization co-founder, former Chief Justice Jack Pope, the award recognizes an appellate lawyer or judge who personifies the highest standard of professional and integrity, the center has said. Last year’s honoree was Haynes Boone attorney Mike Hatchell. Details for how to nominate may be found at the Center’s website here.