Each year, the Poverty Law Section presents its Noble Award and Impact Awards. The Noble Award honors a Texas attorney for a lifetime of public service in promoting poverty law as a noble profession and significant lifetime professional accomplishments in expanding the provision of high-quality legal services to people of modest means or protecting clients’ legal rights. The Impact Award honors a Texas attorney or poverty law professional for a recent, significant poverty law case, including an appellate decision, court order, or agency decision; policy change; or other legal relief that had a broad impact on people of modest means in Texas or made a significant impact on the lives of indigent individuals in Texas by protecting, promoting, expanding, or vindicating their legal rights. Nominations are accepted in the early Spring each year for these awards, and the Awards Committee of the Section reviews those nominations and presents its recommendation for award recipients to the Section’s council which votes on approval of recipients. The recipients of these awards are announced and presented with their award at the Section’s annual meeting, held each year at the Poverty Law Conference in Austin.
Past Award Recipients:
2016:
NOBLE AWARD:
Jaime Sanchez, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
IMPACT AWARDS:
Erin Gaines, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Kelly L. Haragan, University of Texas School of Law
2015:
NOBLE AWARD:
Fred Fuchs, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
IMPACT AWARDS:
Gene Rollins, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Veronica Carbajal, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
2014:
NOBLE AWARD:
Rebecca G. Flanigan, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
IMPACT AWARDS:
John J. Grieger, Jr., Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Andrea Marsh, Texas Fair Defense Project
Christina E. Trejo, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Michael E. Urena, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
2013:
NOBLE AWARD:
Bruce Bower, Texas Legal Services Center
IMPACT AWARDS:
Abby Frank, Texas Civil Rights Project
Christopher McGreal, Disability Rights Texas
Sharon Reynerson, Lone Star Legal Aid
2012:
NOBLE AWARD:
Roger Gette, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
IMPACT AWARDS:
Beth Mitchell, Disability Rights Texas
Karen Miller, Texas Legal Services Center
Julie Balovich, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
2011:
NOBLE AWARD:
Brenda Willett, Lone Star Legal Aid
IMPACT AWARDS:
Madison Sloan, Texas Appleseed
John Henneberger, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service
Karen Paup, Texas Low Income Housing Information Service
John P. Salmon, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Robert Doggett, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
2010:
NOBLE AWARD:
James Harrington, Texas Civil Rights Project
IMPACT AWARDS:
Pamela M. Brown, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Martha M. Beard-Duncan, Texas Advocacy Project
Annette M. Lamoreaux, Aid to Victims of Domestic Abuse
Angela L. Lee, Texas Advocacy Project
2009:
NOBLE AWARD:
Randall D. Chapman, Texas Legal Services Center
IMPACT AWARDS:
Kevin Paul Dietz, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Susanne C. Seré, Lone Star Legal Aid
Hon. Elliott Naishtat, Texas House of Representatives
John W. Kennedy, Legal Aid of Northwest Texas
2008:
NOBLE AWARD:
David Hall, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
IMPACT AWARDS:
Jerry Wesevich, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid
Salvador Gonzales, Lone Star Legal Aid
Martha Orozco, Lone Star Legal Aid