Lauren Brogdon is adept at putting out fires. At her day job in Haynes and Boone’s Houston office, Brogdon specializes in energy litigation and serves as chair of Haynes and Boone’s crisis management practice group. In her free time, she helps put out other fires ignited by the wrath of domestic violence. She works with domestic violence victims through her pro bono work with Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the Houston Area Women’s Center and AVDA.

But something many billable and pro bono clients alike may not know about Brogdon is that she is a domestic violence survivor herself. Natalie Posgate recently talked with Brogdon about her pro bono work, her own experience and how it shaped her into the lawyer she is today.

Legal guardianships in Texas pose high stakes for the families seeking them. If not obtained, parents may lose their ability to make important medical decisions and obtain critical care for their disabled children after they turn 18. One Houston lawyer, Audrey Momanaee, has devoted eight years and hundreds of pro bono hours to this work. Natalie Posgate recently talked with Momanaee, one of her clients and another expert in the field who makes the case for why more attorneys are needed to step up.

In this week’s edition of P.S., one Houston firm prepares for a fourth-annual dinner that celebrates Muslim culture and, this year, raises funds for earthquake victims in the Middle East. Plus, details on multiple legal clinics conducted by Dallas lawyers throughout the month of April. Natalie Posgate reports.

This edition of P.S. highlights three upcoming fundraising events, one award, an opportunity to learn from in-house lawyers focused on pro bono and a thank you to a major Texas Lawbook Foundation donor.

Jonathan Blum has a multitude of skills as a corporate lawyer, but he's one of the few who represents nonprofits instead of for-profits. The Lawbook recently spoke with Blum about his career path to practicing nonprofit law, trends in the charity and nonprofit world and why he recently moved his practice to Holland & Knight.

This week’s edition of P.S. spotlights multiple legal clinics — one recently launched by Squire Patton Boggs that assists startups owned by women of color and nearly two-dozen clinics taking place throughout Dallas in March that are sponsored by Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program and various law firms and corporations. Other firms mentioned in this week’s P.S. include Polsinelli, Hunton Andrews Kurth and DLA Piper.

As Black History Month comes to a close and Women’s History Month approaches, The Texas Lawbook found it appropriate to shine a spotlight on Stewart Law Group, which fits the bill as both a Black- and woman-owned commercial defense firm. In a Q&A, firm founder Amy Stewart discusses how she began her firm, the firm’s greatest successes and obstacles, and how racial bias still shows up in the modern practice of law.

Frost Brown Todd has renamed its diversity scholarship after Zenobia Bivens, the late managing partner of the firm’s Houston office who unexpectedly passed away last year at the age of 40. The scholarship aims to support law students who are excelling academically and demonstrating a commitment to diversity and serving the community.

In this week’s edition of P.S., we have information on the speaker, honoree and sponsors of the upcoming biennial award luncheon for the Center for Women in Law, an organization affiliated with the University of Texas School of Law and background on Gibson Dunn’s prestigious Frank Wheat Memorial Awards, which recognizes lawyers within the firm for their pro bono work each year. Other firms mentioned this week include Baker Botts, Haynes and Boone, Katten, Norton Rose Fulbright, Kean Miller and many more. Corporations mentioned include AT&T, Jacobs, Toyota and FTI Consulting.

For this week’s edition of P.S., Natalie Posgate talked with Genesis Women’s Shelter to discuss the nonprofit’s upcoming annual luncheon featuring Nicole Kidman, the expanded legal services available to domestic violence victims in Genesis’ brand new facility and how lawyers can help the organization carry out its mission to empower women and children affected by domestic abuse. Firms mentioned include Munck Wilson Mandala, Stinson and Cowles & Thompson.