HBA Sections Serve Community

By Paul Heyburn

Though the HBA’s 27 sections were primarily created to provide education and networking opportunities for their members, the sections contribute to the community in many different ways. In 2005, the sections collectively contributed more than $30,000 to charitable causes. Section members also participated in HBA, local and national charitable projects, donating money and labor to construct homes for Houston Habitat for Humanity, participating in the AIDS Outreach Program, and cleaning the city’s parks, among others. A number of sections donated money to the HBA’s Harvest Party, which benefits the Houston Bar Foundation. HBA sections sponsored civic educational programs such as Do the Write Thing, a project of County Judge Robert Eckels that encourages students to express themselves about family and social problems; the People’s Law School, which provides free classes for the public on legal issues; and they provided free legal advice through the HBA Speakers Bureau and the twice-monthly LegalLine program.
In the wake of the recent hurricanes, the Family Law section has been one of the most active. Janice Pardue, the chair of the Family Law section, explains that her section’s members are uniquely situated because they often see people at both their worst and their best. As a result, the Family Law section members have witnessed tremendous need and have responded. The Family Law Section’s donation to the HBA Hurricane Relief Fund was its largest financial donation in the section’s history. A large majority of its members also donated time and expertise in providing family law advice and representation to evacuee families, donated clothing, toys, food and household goods to collections around town, and also donated their personal funds to the cause as well. Sallee Smyth, the incoming chair of the Section, takes pride in the fact that the Family Law Section operates like one large family unit. “When someone we know, or who becomes known to us, is in need, we know we can count on our Section members to respond!”
 The Family Law Section is just one example of how section members of the Houston Bar Association recognize that a license to practice law in Texas obligates an attorney to provide more that just legal advice.
The following sections contributed in dollars and service to charitable causes in 2005:

• The ADR Section contributed $1,500 to Habitat for Humanity and $2,500 to the Harvest Party;
• The Antitrust Section contributed $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity;
• The Appellate Practice Section contributed $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity and $1,000 to the Harvest Party;
• The Commercial and Consumer Law Section gave $1,500 to People’s Law School and participated in LegalLines;
• The Construction Law Section contributed $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity, $237 to the Houston Food Bank and participated in LegalLine;
• The Corporate Counsel Section contributed $1,500 to Habitat for Humanity and $1,000 to the Harvest Party;
• The Criminal Law and Procedure Section gave $2,000 to Do the Write Thing, $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity in memory of one of their members, will volunteer for the construction phase of the seventh Habitat home, and staffed LegalLine;
• The Environmental Law Section contributed $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity and has participated in the Lawyers Against Waste Trash Bash;
• The Family Law Section gave $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity and provided construction volunteers. They also contributed to the Harvest Party and participated in HBA’s Clothing Drive, HBA’s Trash Bash, Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, AIDS Outreach Program, Legal Handbooks, LegalLine, and Do the Write Thing;
• The Federal Practice Section contributed $2,500 to Habitat for Humanity;
• The Litigation Section contributed $1,000 to Habitat for Humanity;
• The Oil, Gas & Mineral Law Section contributed $500 to Habitat for Humanity;
• The Real Estate Law Section contributed $2,000 to Habitat for Humanity, $3,000 to law school scholarships, $1,000 to the Harvest Party and $1,000 to Texas Community Building with Attorney Resources (Texas C-Bar), in addition to participating in LegalLine; and
• The Taxation Section gave $2,250 to law school scholarships.

Paul Heyburn practices with the firm of MehaffyWeber, P.C. He is a member of the editorial board of The Houston Lawyer.

Text is punctuated without italics.

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