Staton M. Childers, a shareholder at Hays, McConn, Rice and Pickering, is known among his colleagues for his quick wit and his sarcasm. Only in the courtroom and when discussing his pet cause— Bo’s Place—does his serious side emerge.

Described on its Web site as “Houston’s oldest and only ongoing, free-of-charge grief support center for children,” Bo’s Place (www.bosplace.org) provides grief support for children dealing with the death of a parent or sibling. The programs offered by Bo’s Place include family grief support groups, community education and training services and a grief support information and referral line.

“They help kids deal with something that at some level is incomprehensible to them,” Staton said.

Staton is in his second year of service as a member of the Bo’s Place board of directors. The board, he says, is a working board, rather than an honorary board; that is, the board of directors meets monthly, oversees operations and is active in the facility’s fundraising and long-term planning.

Staton said he became involved with Bo’s Place when he was training for his first marathon, the 2006 Houston Marathon. When he learned that runners could designate a charity for which to run, Staton thought of Bo’s Place, an organization for which his in-laws had helped raise funds. After his successful fundraising effort, Childers was asked to join the board.

Since joining the board, Staton has headed the Bo’s Place team in the Houston Marathon. In the 2008 marathon, the Bo’s Place team comprised 37 runners and raised $26,000. Staton also participates in other Bo’s Place fundraising efforts, such as its annual Hearts of Hope Luncheon.

A diehard Aggie, Staton also is a member of two Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo committees. He and his wife Kathryn, also an attorney, have two young sons; Staton is coach of his older son’s little league team.

Ruth Piller and David V. Wilson practice with Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering, P.C. Wilson is editor in chief of The Houston Laywer and Piller is a former editor in chief.

Leslie Hillendahl
Leader of the Pack

By Stephan D. Selinidis

When she is not practicing commercial litigation with Zimmerman, Axelrad, Meyer, Stern & Wise, Leslie Hillendahl’s life is for the dogs—literally. Leslie and her husband have four dogs, not counting the ones she is fostering. All of her dogs are rescued. According to Leslie, rescued animals are the best kind of pets “because it is as if they know you have given them a second chance on life.” Leslie spends much of her free time helping to rescue animals through Scout’s Honor Rescue and Southern States Rescued Rottweilers.

Leslie has been involved with Scout’s Honor Rescue since its inception. The program is local to Houston and is an all-breed, no-kill, animal rescue organization committed to improving the lives of stray and abandoned animals. Many of the animals rescued by Scout’s Honor have been abused or pulled from “kill shelters” where animals are euthanized if not claimed within a certain period of time. Through Scouts Honor, Leslie helps place those animals in foster homes until they can be adopted. For example, in April 2007, Scout’s Honor rescued a female Rottweiler, now named Lola, from an abandoned machine shop that was about to be torn down. Lola was tied to a concrete slab with no food or water and left to die. Through Scout’s Honor, Leslie volunteered to foster Lola. Lola was terrified at first, but once she met Leslie’s other dogs, her attitude changed. Lola began playing with her new toys and friends and had a whole new outlook on life. Although not her usual practice while fostering a pet, Leslie eventually decided to adopt Lola.

Scout’s Honor conducts “meet and greets” the first Saturday of every month from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Cooper Animal Clinic in the Heights (1136 Heights Blvd). Each meet and greet is themed and has dogs and cats available for adoption. Prizes are raffled off to raise money so Scout’s Honor can continue to help abandoned and abused animals in the Houston area. More information on Scout’s Honor is available at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/scoutshonor.html.

Unlike Scout’s Honor, Southern States Rescued Rottweilers (“SSRR”) is breed specific and spans multiple states, as the name implies. All dogs rescued by SSRR are kept in foster homes until they are adopted. In addition to saving rottweilers, SSRR tries to educate the public about the breed and how its bad reputation is most often caused by irresponsible pet owners. Leslie is currently the transport coordinator for SSRR, which means she is responsible for transporting rescued dogs to and from foster and adopted homes. Transporting these rescued dogs typically involves multiple legs across various states and volunteers from SSRR and other rescue groups. Stringent guidelines during transport must be met for the dogs’ safety, and Leslie monitors each leg of the transport, sending out status reports to all volunteers so that everything runs smoothly. More information on Southern States Rescued Rottweilers is available at www.ssrr.org.

While time-consuming, Leslie finds her work with Scout’s Honor and SSRR “incredibly rewarding.” Her volunteer work has improved the lives of hundreds of dogs, and she will continue to work to improve the lives of hundreds more.

Stephan D. Selinidis is an associate with Harrison, Bettis, Staff, McFarland & Weems and a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.

Warren Huang
Taking the AABA to a Higher Level of Service

By Linhuyen Pham

Warren Huang is an appellate litigation partner at Fulbright and Jaworski L.L.P. When he is not putting in long hours at the office representing clients at every stage of an appeal or handling pro bono criminal appeals for indigent clients, Warren coordinates community service projects for the Asian American Bar Association (AABA) of Houston. Founded in 1984, the AABA is a volunteer organization of lawyers of Asian heritage or who have Asian-American interests, dedicated to promoting diversity within the legal profession and Houston community. The AABA provides pro bono legal services and educational programs that serve the community at large, especially Asian residents with limited English proficiency or a low income.

As its president-elect, Warren is on a mission to make the AABA the premier resource organization for serving the legal needs of Asian Americans in Houston. In 2006, Warren pushed for revision of the AABA by-laws to create an officer-level position and a committee dedicated to community service. The following year, he served as the AABA’s first vice-president of community relations and chaired the Community Service and Pro Bono Committee. He spent countless hours planning and coordinating activities with volunteer lawyers and local organizations to sponsor free legal clinics and pro bono programs.  

In addition to taking part in programs such as the U.S. Citizen Workshop, the AABA participated in two legal clinics in Port Arthur, Texas, in April and December 2007 to provide free legal services and general advice to Vietnamese-American residents of East Texas recovering from Hurricane Rita. AABA attorneys worked alongside attorneys and volunteers from Boat People SOS, OCA-Greater Houston, the Asian American Legal Center of Texas, and Lone Star Legal Aid to provide legal guidance on hurricane-related matters, such as home grant appeals and FEMA appeals, as well as landlord-tenant, immigration, bankruptcy, insurance, and trust and estate issues. The AABA’s dedicated corps of volunteer attorneys also has worked with Catholic Charities to represent unaccompanied minor immigrants seeking asylum in the United States.

In October 2007, the AABA partnered with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and Boat People SOS to hold an inaugural Law Day program at the MetroBank Community Center in Dynasty Plaza. AABA members and other local Asian-American attorneys taught free classes to community members in Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese on immigration law, small business law, family law and estate planning.  The event attracted over 80 attendees who came to learn more about their legal rights and to ask questions in their native languages regarding common myths and misconceptions about the law.

Warren also attended the Asian Pro Bono Summit in Houston, organized by AABA board member Daniel Hu, an assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas and chair of Lone Star Legal Aid, to discuss and formulate plans to meet the legal needs of Asian-American Houstonians.  Warren says one recurring theme was the overwhelming demand for bilingual Asian-American attorneys, to help people with a variety of legal problems. Warren believes the AABA membership is uniquely qualified and the best potential resource to fill that need in Houston.

“One way we can help is by volunteering to take cases involving Asian American clients through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, which has agreed to help match our attorneys with Asian American clients,” he points out. Warren encourages other attorneys to get involved and notes that those who are not fluent in a second language can still volunteer because translation services are available.

“I believe we have taken an excellent first step toward becoming a resource for serving the legal needs of the Asian American community. But that is not enough,” says Warren. “I am deeply committed to making the AABA not just the preeminent professional organization for Asian American attorneys, but the go-to organization for the provision of pro bono legal services and educational programs for the Asian community in Houston.”

Linhuyen Pham practices with the firm of Heard & Medack, P.C. She is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.

Joe Jaworski
Helping Kids Be Kids

By Pamela Ferguson

Joe Jaworski considers giving a thrill in and of itself. He believes that the greatest gift we can give young people is a sense of security so that they are free to be children. According to Joe, something diminishes in society if kids can’t be kids. He illustrates this belief through his active service to The Children’s Center, and in particular to Juan Perez, an undocumented Guatemalan youth.

The Children’s Center (www.thechildrenscenterinc.org) is a child-welfare organization dedicated to meeting the ongoing and future needs of Galveston-area youth and their families. It assists children who have been abused and neglected by, among other things, providing transitional housing for children who have no other safe place to stay. It is one of the oldest non-profits in Galveston, its programs having served the Houston-Galveston area since 1878.

Joe began his involvement with The Children’s Center in 2005 when the Center honored his work as Mayor Pro Tem at a local fundraiser. Shortly thereafter, Joe joined the Center’s board of directors. At the Children’s Center, Joe has been involved in its committee for policies and procedures and in fundraising.  

On Thanksgiving 2007, Joe received a phone call from Terry Keel, president of The Children’s Center, asking him to apply to be permanent guardian of Juan Perez. Juan is an undocumented Guatemalan youth with schizophrenia whose father was murdered when Juan was seven. Juan’s mother died of cancer in 2006. This past April, Joe’s application to serve as Juan’s permanent guardian was granted. The granting of Joe’s application was historic because it was the first time a probate court granted an undocumented youth a permanent guardianship under these circumstances. Joe’s appointment as his permanent guardian enabled Juan to avoid a government reevaluation of his immigration status (with deportation as the likely outcome). Now Juan is in the process of obtaining his green card. Joe says he loves having the opportunity to be involved in Juan’s life, and in so doing, to be more deeply involved in the mission of The Children’s Center.    

What motivates Joe to be involved in the lives of children like Juan? The roots of Joe’s story combine a celebrated family tradition of public service with a deep faith in the power of individuals to make a positive difference in their communities. He says his inspiration comes largely from his family. Joe professes deep admiration for his grandfather, Leon Jaworski, the Watergate special prosecutor, for his willingness to go against what’s popular. In 1962, on behalf of the Kennedy administration, Leon Jaworski was involved in prosecuting the governor of Mississippi for failure to comply with school desegregation orders.

Joe recalls that as a child, his family emphasized volunteerism. His mother frequently volunteered at Hermann Hospital. His father, also Joe Jaworski, left a successful law practice in 1980 to found the American Leadership Forum, a non-government agency responsible for developing collaborative leadership to deal with urban and regional problems in the United States. Joe says he admires the volunteerism exemplified in his family and through the lives of the many Americans that give back to their communities.      

After graduating from Davidson College, Joe spent four years in an 80s pop band before beginning law school at the University of Texas. During the first week of law school, Joe met Rebecca, whom he would marry. He served as law clerk to the Honorable Justice John Brown of the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and has practiced maritime law on behalf of numerous shipping and energy companies. Joe has worked to defend individuals’ rights against special interests throughout his career. He is a partner in The Jaworski Law Firm and specializes in representing maritime clients in state and federal courts around the country. Rebecca and Joe live in Galveston with their two children.

Pamela Ferguson practices with the firm of Greenberg Traurig LLP.

Alene Levy
A Voice for Children

By James Paulsen

In the spring of 2008, reports of widespread child abuse at a West Texas polygamist settlement commanded national and worldwide attention. Media coverage often was coupled with cautionary tales about inadequacies in the Texas foster care and child welfare system, sometimes ranked the worst in the nation. The Texas bar’s astounding response was a welcome bright spot in an otherwise dismal picture. Hundreds of Texas lawyers, including many family law specialists from the Houston area, put routine practice aside and volunteered on a scale reminiscent of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

It is far too early to tell any Eldorado stories, some of which will no doubt grace future issues of The Houston Lawyer. However, lawyers who are newly sensitized to child welfare issues, but might hesitate to get involved because their professional backgrounds do
not seem like the right “fit,” might do well to consider the story of attorney Alene Levy.

Alene is not involved with the Eldorado situation. Alene is the quintessential “big case” civil appellate lawyer. An honors graduate of the University of Texas and South Texas College of Law, Alene served as a staff attorney for both the First and Fourteenth Courts of Appeals. Now a partner at Haynes and Boone, LLP, she has established a formidable reputation as a board-certified appellate lawyer, a reputation partly reflected in repeated Texas Lawyer “Appellate Super Lawyer” rankings, service as chair of the HBA’s Appellate Section, and designation as Inside Houston’s “Best Appellate Lawyer” for 2003.

Alene’s appellate practice, however, has a less visible but equally important side. She began writing amicus curiae briefs on child abuse issues in 1998, and since 2002 has served as chair of Justice for Children’s Amicus Briefing Committee. Justice for Children (www.justiceforchildren.org), a national advocacy group for abused children and children’s rights issues, describes Alene as the “heart and soul” of that organization’s amicus curiae efforts. Through “friend of the court” filings in carefully selected cases around the nation, Alene and others — including a good number of Haynes and Boone lawyers, paralegals and support staff she helped recruit — leverage their volunteer efforts. As Justice for Children puts it, “By giving a voice to one child, Allie helps to give all children a voice, raising awareness while advocating in individual cases.”

Alene’s advocacy for children extends even beyond countless hours of appellate briefing. She has served on the Law Advisory Board for Children at Risk. This Houston nonprofit, while maintaining an interest in anything that affects the well being of Houston’s children, defined broadly, devotes significant attention to the development and implementation of legislative initiatives.

Alene does not dwell on her own work or that of other lawyer volunteers. Rather, she points to children “trapped in a nightmare” of abuse and neglect. “It takes a huge amount of effort for a child to disclose abuse,” she says. “When the courts disregard the child, that child needs a voice.”

Alene’s work is a useful reminder to any lawyer called to help abused and neglected children: While family courts desperately need volunteer lawyers, important battles in the war on child abuse are also being fought in appellate courts and in legislative chambers.

James Paulson is a professor at South Texas College of Law and a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.

 

Chris Lopez
Paying It Forward

By Steven Gyeszly

In addition to his thriving practice in the business, finance and restructuring department at Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Chris Lopez serves as a role model to other young attorneys through his wide-ranging community service activities. Through these projects, Chris also pays tribute to those who inspired him to begin his community service efforts.

Since graduating with honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 2003, Chris has served both the Houston and Texas communities in a variety of ways. He currently serves as chair of the Gulf Coast Community Services Association (GCCSA), the organization designated by the Harris County Commissioners Court to administer various educational and social services to income-eligible families and individuals. As part of his leadership position in the GCCSA (www.gccsa.org ), Chris oversees a multi-million dollar budget and helps coordinate the services administered by GCCSA, including the Head Start Program for almost 2,000 children and families, as well as other important programs like job training, housing counseling, and senior services. In addition to his GCCSA leadership role, Chris has also served on the board of the Banneker-McNair Math/Science Academy, a Houston Independent School District (HISD) Charter School, and he participates in HISD’s SuccessExpress, a mobile college-counseling center that provides information and assistance to students who may not have considered college a possibility.

While Chris’s devotion to community service is evident in the formal roles and official responsibilities he has assumed, his extensive informal efforts are also significant. Chris is an active mentor to several promising high school, college, and law students who may not otherwise have exposure to an experienced attorney who can provide candid, practical advice about academics and careers. In this informal capacity, Chris makes time to review resumes, coordinate college and law school visits, and discuss the intricacies of everything from financial aid to how to study for law school exams. Chris also serves as a church elder, and he frequently volunteers to speak at local schools about the importance of education.

Chris’s myriad community service activities have a common goal: assisting others in order to repay the efforts of those who helped him in his academic life and career. Chris explained that throughout his life, he has learned from several important mentors who took an interest in him and continue to make time for him. When Chris asked how he could repay their efforts, his mentors merely requested that Chris continue to assist and mentor others.

Chris proudly relates that several of the students he has mentored now have successful academic or professional careers of their own and have in turn become mentors to others, thus compounding the initial efforts of his mentors. Chris’s volunteer work serves as a tribute to those who guided him, and illustrates the impact that one individual can have on the community.

Steven Gyeszly practices with Jones Day. He is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.

 

Latasha McDade
Making the Most of Opportunities to Help

By Tara Shockley

Latasha McDade’s parents taught her that giving back to the community is important for many reasons. They told her, “If you are in a position to help someone else, you should always take the opportunity to do so.”

Latasha has taken that creed to heart, reinforced by her experience as a 1L law student in the Summer Clerkship Program sponsored by the HBA’s Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee. Through that program, Latasha earned a summer clerkship with Exxon Mobil Corporation’s (ExxonMobil) Law Department, and then was invited back as a second year law student. After graduating from South Texas College of Law in 2004, ExxonMobil offered her a job, and she now handles oil and gas commercial litigation for the company.

Although she has only been in practice for four years, Latasha’s volunteer resume reads like a much more seasoned lawyer. She joined the HBA’s Minority Opportunities in the Legal Profession Committee because she felt compelled to give back to the program that helped her get her start with ExxonMobil. Then she became involved with the HBA’s Campaign for the Homeless Committee, and this year she is serving as one of the co-chairs.

“In college, I volunteered at the Salvation Army. It was a small job, sorting clothes and things of that nature, but through that experience I learned first-hand how that particular sector of our community needed help,” Latasha says. This is one of the reasons she wanted to get involved with the Campaign for the Homeless Committee. Through the Coat and Warm Clothing Drive in the fall and the Children’s Clothing and Diaper Drive in the spring, residents of shelters, missions and other agencies get the basic items they desperately need. Latasha’s role involves recruiting donors, picking up clothing, and sorting into age-appropriate boxes for pickup by the organizations.

“Every day as I drive home from work, I see the need. It is important to steer people to resources to meet their needs,” says Latasha. “They may not know where they can go to receive a warm coat or a meal. It’s something you see every day in Houston.”

Latasha also volunteered at the Toyota Center during Hurricane Katrina when the Campaign for the Homeless Committee quickly went into action and moved up its fall clothing drive to assist storm victims. “When the hurricane hit, people wanted to give. We needed to provide an avenue for giving,” she says. “The legal community in Houston and the surrounding areas really stepped up to the plate.”

Latasha also serves on the board of the Houston Young Lawyers Association and is co-chair of HYLA’s Barbara Jordan Project, an essay and speech competition for middle school students that teaches self-confidence and creative thinking. In the essay competition, students submit an essay on a quote or statement of Barbara Jordan, explaining what it means to them, and how it applies in today’s world. In the speech competition, they choose their own topic to present a five minute speech, which Latasha says can range anywhere from nuclear weapons to AIDS in Africa to littering in Texas.

“Middle school students are at an age where their lives are shaped by the situations they encounter,” she says. “Public speaking is good for their confidence. I believe it helps steer them away from situations that are bad for them and other negative influences.”

Her volunteer activities include working for the ExxonMobil Law Department United Way Campaign, and she has been a speaker for the HBA’s program that teaches high school students the importance of jury service. Latasha also serves on ExxonMobil’s Pro Bono Committee and has handled several cases through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, including wills, a divorce, and an adoption. She was part of ExxonMobil’s volunteer team for the Houston Bar Foundation’s Day of Giving legal clinics in January.

“A young lady came in for help from the clinic. After she received help, she asked if we needed translators, and she stayed to volunteer,” recalls Latasha. “Once you do something for someone, you can inspire them to help someone else. As you can see, one great thing about volunteering is that it is contagious!”

Tara Shockley is the communications director for the Houston Bar Association and managing editor of The Houston Lawyer.

Brian J. Tagtmeier
Mediating Family Law

By Ruth Piller

At least one day a week, Houston attorney/mediator/arbitrator Brian J. Tagtmeier performs pro bono mediations. Among his pro bono cases are family law matters, during which soon-to-be ex-spouses face off in an attempt to resolve matters as important as child custody, child support and property issues.

Brian said that parties to family law litigation are the people who most often need a mediator, but often cannot afford one. “I have a lot of cases where paying the minimum guidelines required for child support will be a financial hardship. Paying for their lawyers is almost impossible. Therefore, paying for a mediator is simply not an option,” said Brian, whose ADR training includes a 36-hour family law mediation course and a 40-hour general mediation training course. One of the organizations he volunteers through is the HBA’s Harris County Dispute Resolution Center.

Brian said that divorcing spouses benefit from mediation because it allows them to vent, an opportunity they would not necessarily get in the courtroom. “They need to be heard,” he said. “They need to ask questions that their ex-or-soon-to-be ex-spouse has ignored. I provide the sympathetic ear, give reassurance and support.”

Mediation is also valuable to family law litigants because it helps them to understand the other side’s position, he said. “What they know to be the absolute truth is subject to scrutiny and may not be what the judge or jury find credible.”

Brian said he emphasizes during his family law mediations that the parties’ children come first. “I tell the parties that I am a neutral party with one major exception -- the physical and mental well-being of their children is paramount. While they may hate each other and never be friends, they will always be ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ No court order can change that fact. If they don’t learn how to handle things civilly, it’s the children that suffer.”

Finally, he said, he tries to impart to the parties in his pro bono family law mediations that settlement is always in everyone’s best interest. “Letting a man or woman in a black robe or 12 strangers decide where your child is going to live is an unacceptable choice. Airing all of the dirty laundry of your ex and letting him do the same to you doesn’t solve any problems. Keeping your children in a state of turmoil and conflict because you can’t agree to Thursday overnight visits is foolish and short-sighted.”

A graduate of Rice University and the University of Texas School of Law, Brian has tried more than 40 case to verdict in Texas state and federal courts. In 2007, he was named by H Magazine as one of Houston’s top four construction lawerys. He and his wife Ellen, also an attorney, have two young children.

Ruth Piller is a shareholder at Hays, McConn, Rice & Pickering, P.C. She is a longtime editorial board member and former editor in chief of The Houston Lawyer.

Valerie Turner
A Founder of Houston PetSet

By Don Rogers

Valerie Turner is an assistant district attorney with the Harris County District Attorney’s office. A native Houstonian, she graduated with honors from Bellaire High School in 1989, received her B.A. degree with great honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 1993, and received her J.D. degree from the University of Houston Law Center in 1997. She started working for the Harris County District Attorney’s office in 1997, and has been assigned to the Consumer Fraud Division for nearly five years. Valerie’s work with the Consumer Fraud Division requires her to handle a variety of fraud-related cases, including cases involving large thefts, securities fraud, investment fraud, construction fraud, mortgage fraud, real estate fraud, and pyramid schemes. 

Valerie has a passion for the welfare of animals. In 2002, she was one of ten founding members of Houston PetSet, a non-profit organization comprised of individuals devoted to making a difference in the lives of abused, abandoned, and unwanted animals in the Houston area. She has continuously served on its board in a volunteer capacity since then. The organization regularly sponsors animal-friendly events and seeks donations to realize its primary goal of raising money to (1) promote public awareness and interest in animal welfare, (2) promote commitment and respect for all animals, and (3) protect animals from suffering and abuse.

In addition to serving on the Houston PetSet board, Valerie regularly sells tickets to the organization’s events, including its main fundraiser, the annual PetSet Soiree, and solicits donations of merchandise or services from local businesses for the soiree’s silent auction. “I’ve always been a huge animal lover and I decided it was time to raise money for those who can’t do it themselves,” she said of her volunteer work. “PetSet is such a wonderful organization because we give to all the animal welfare organizations, large and small, in the greater Houston area.”

Houston PetSet (www.houstonpetset.org) distributes the money it raises each year in the form of annual grants to assorted non-profit animal-welfare organizations that serve the community in various ways by reducing the number of stray animals without euthanization, finding homes for unwanted or stray animals, and otherwise protecting animals. Some of the organizations that have recently received grants from Houston PetSet include (1) the Spay and Neuter Assistance Program, which operates stationary and mobile clinics that provide free spay and neuter surgeries for animals owned by low-income families in the Houston area; (2) Friends of BARC, a volunteer group that assists the City of Houston’s Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control (“BARC”) in various ways, such as staffing animal adoption programs at PetSmart stores on weekends, and providing food, spay and neuter services, and veterinary supplies for animals in the city’s adoption program, among other things; (3) Citizens for Animal Protection; (4) the Homeless Pet Placement League; (5) the Houston Humane Society; and (6) Special Pals.

Valerie is married and has two young children, Hannah and Benjamin. She enjoys outdoor activities such as jogging and playing soccer, and spending time with her family.

Don Rogers is an appellate prosecutor with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. He is a member of The Houston Lawyer editorial board.

 

Lauren Waddell
Sharing Through SIRE

By Fred Simpson

Among her many volunteer activities, family law attorney Lauren Waddell works with SIRE, Houston’s Therapeutic Equestrian Centers. SIRE, which stands for “Self Improvement through Riding Education,” benefits children and adults with various physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. Certified instructors at SIRE serve clients weekly through programs that include therapeutic riding, carriage driving, vaulting, and hippotherapy.1

SIRE (www.sire-htec.org) has three therapeutic riding centers in the Houston area: one in Hockley, one in Spring, and another in Missouri City. Lauren volunteers at the SIRE arena in Missouri City as a “sidewalker.” The team for each therapeutic riding lesson comprises an instructor, the horse, the leader for the horse, and two sidewalkers who are trained by SIRE to assist riders in mounting, riding and dismounting. The sidewalkers walk and run on each side of the horse while the client rides. Sidewalkers hold the client in position as needed and assist the instructor in executing the lesson plan.

“The SIRE Program is the perfect volunteer opportunity for me because I grew up around horses—a passion that has continued throughout my life,” Lauren said. “SIRE offers me the opportunity to share my passion for horses with children with special needs. These children have so many obstacles to overcome every day and their weekly riding lessons at SIRE allow them to have a ‘fun activity’ that benefits them in many ways.”

SIRE’s clients physically benefit from the program, which often leaves them with improved muscle tone, balance, posture, coordination, and motor skills. SIRE’s clients also derive emotional and social benefits from the program, which builds their self-esteem, teaches them to be part of a team, helps develop self-reliance, self-control, and the sense of accomplishment by learning to ride horses. Clients also realize educational benefits, such as an increased ability to listen and follow directions, improved memory utilization and the development of sequencing abilities. Volunteers help these riders leave their limitations on the ground as they experience freedom from their disabilities.

“When I see the pure joy in the children’s eyes when they ride, I know that SIRE has a positive impact on their lives.” Lauren said.

Lauren, who is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Examiners in family law, practices in the law office of Joseph Indelicato, Jr., P.C. SIRE is not her only volunteer activity. She is the representative for the Association of Women Attorneys to the board of directors of Texas Women Lawyers. Also, she was a member of Harris County Families First, a non-profit organization that was created to raise funds for the passage of Proposition 5, the $70 million bond issuance voters recently approved for the construction of a new Harris County family law courthouse. She is co-chair of HYLA’s Car Seat Safety Campaign Committee. And she is a member of team no. 1 of the Burta Rhoads Raborn Family Law, Inn of Court. Lauren’s team has put on CLE presentations and worked together in service projects unrelated to family law, such as the BEARing Gifts program that coordinates giving Christmas presents to foster children.

“I enjoy working with children, which is one of the primary reasons I was drawn to the practice of family law,” she said.  “Whether in my work or in a volunteer setting, I know that I am impacting young lives and that is very rewarding.”

 Lauren concedes that it is difficult at times to find a balance between her professional and personal life. “Participation in service projects that I am passionate about help me achieve that balance. Our lives, as lawyers, need to be made up of more than our billable hours and professional achievements. Volunteering keeps demanding legal careers in perspective.”

Fred Simpson is a partner in the  litigation section of Jackson Walker LLP. He is an associate editor of The Houston Lawyer.

 

Endnote

1. According to the SIRE website, hippotherapy is a “specialized form of medical treatment when a trained
 therapist develops a care plan for their client using the horse as their primary method of treatment.”