Dallas Bar Association
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Focus | Entertainment, Art & Sports Law
March 2019 Volume 44 Number 3
2019 Fellows Justinian Award Winner: Nina Cortell BY ANNE JOHNSON
Debra and E. Leon Carter
Debra and E. Leon Carter Share Their Blessings with DVAP BY MICHELLE ALDEN
Longtime supporters of the Equal Access to Justice Campaign, Debra and E. Leon Carter stepped up this year to lead the list of donors at the $50,000 Champion of Justice Level. E. Leon Carter is a principal at Carter Arnett. The firm serves clients around the world in a full range of litigation matters, including commercial disputes, antitrust, employment, securities, premises liability, product liability, serious personal injury, theft of trade secrets, and more. Carter Arnett offers the highest quality work product on par with the nation’s largest law firms, but with the specialized attention, fee flexibility, and courtroom experience that only a boutique firm can offer. The Carters have been married for over 35 years and have two adult children and twin granddaughters. Their commitment to the EAJ Campaign is truly impressive, as they have contributed a total of $131,050 to legal aid for the poor since 2010, while Carter Arnett has contributed $27,500 since 2012. “Debra and I truly believe that equal justice is not only an ideal worth pursuing, but it is a spiritual mandate imposed on each of us. For that reason, it is paramount that access to justice is available to everyone. Being dispassionate or disinterested in the cause of justice not only has a dramatic effect on certain portions of our population, but our entire community as well. That is why we will continue to support DVAP’s EAJ Campaign,” Leon stated. The Equal Access to Justice Campaign is the annual fundraising campaign which supports the activities of the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP). The Carters’ gift makes it possible for DVAP to continue to provide and enhance legal
aid to the poor in Dallas, keeping the doors to the courthouse and our overall justice system open to many more people in our community. Since 1982, DVAP has provided, recruited, and trained pro bono lawyers to provide free legal aid to the poor in Dallas. Last year, a 16-member staff supported over 3,000 volunteers in their efforts to assist at legal intake clinics and advise and represent clients. The problem of access to justice in Dallas County is one that DVAP works to correct every day. In a country based on justice for all and access to our court system, over 25 percent of Dallas County residents live near the poverty level, and 42 percent have slim hope of being able to afford an attorney. With annual poverty incomes of $32,187 for a family of four, justice is a luxury for low- and moderate-income families. DVAP’s volunteer attorneys are able to make a profound difference in the lives of low-income people in Dallas County, often only by donating a few hours of their time. Did you know that there are people in Dallas County who are unable to continue their education due to name disparities between their birth certificates and other forms of identification? “Chris” was a young man who received a college football scholarship, but the university was unable to release the scholarship to him because of an error in his name on his birth certificate. Financially strapped, Chris was unable to hire an attorney to help him. A DVAP attorney stepped in, worked with the university, determined what was needed, and obtained a court-ordered name change in time for Chris to enroll in school. Chris was able to start continued on page 8
More than four decades into her pathbreaking legal career, Nina Cortell still draws inspiration from her mother’s excitement over becoming a U.S. citizen after World War II. A refugee of Nazi Germany, Anneliese Amelie Feibel was forced to flee as a teenager, bearing the scars of the horrors she witnessed in her native country and the loss of her parents at Auschwitz. “The enormous pride she felt in becoming a U.S. citizen and the high regard she held for our country and legal Nina Cortell system were palpable and infectious,” Nina recalled. Anneliese and her husband, Walter Cortell, who also emigrated from Germany and served in the U.S. Army in World War II, raised Nina in Dallas, stressing the values of education, hard work, and selfdetermination. They instilled in Nina a strength of character that enabled her to blaze trails at her law firm and in the Texas appellate bar, while also raising a family and working tirelessly to mentor young lawyers and promote greater diversity in the profession. In addition to her parents, Nina credits Haynes and Boone, where she has worked her entire career, for mentoring her and giving her the platform to accomplish so much. When she graduated from the University of Texas Law School in 1976, it was very difficult for women to land jobs at corporate law firms in the state—regardless of the candidates’ credentials. She often recounts her great luck in meeting Dick Haynes at a 1974 recruitment interview, which led to a summer clerkship, a permanent offer, and the opportunity to work with such great lawyers as Dick, Mike Boone, and George Bramblett. Nina was the first female lawyer at Haynes and Boone. She became a formidable litigator, trying many lawsuits with Mr. Bramblett and growing Haynes and Boone’s litigation department in size and reputation. In 1989, she joined the
firm’s fledgling appellate practice and quickly distinguished herself thanks to her impressive skills as a writer, oral advocate, and strategist. Nina’s list of landmark victories is long, and her list of devoted clients is longer. She helped obtain a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court overhauling the Texas public school finance system and has scored impressive wins in state and federal courts on behalf of clients such as American Airlines, AT&T, ExxonMobil, CitiGroup, Matador Resources Company, and NextEra Energy. Lawyers who have worked with Nina over the years all say the same thing—she is the complete package. In the words of Dallas trial lawyer Jeff Tillotson, “opposing counsel get depressed when she is hired on the other side. They know they are up against the very best.” But perhaps Nina’s greater legacy has been her role in building Haynes and Boone’s nationallyrecognized appellate group, which owes much of its success to Nina’s model of excellence and superior client service. Her ability to attract and develop legal talent has not gone unnoticed by clients. “Nina has used her talent not only to further her own career, but also to further the careers of others,” wrote ExxonMobil Counsel Charles Beach in 2005. “She has allowed the lead junior attorney to be the main contact with me. Unlike many attorneys who jealously guard their relationships with major clients, Nina has shared her relationship with ExxonMobil for the benefit of others.” It is little surprise that the appellate group that Nina helped start 30 years ago now boasts nine Chambers-recognized appellate partners—more than any other previously recognized Texas law firm. Beyond mentoring generations of lawyers at Haynes and Boone, Nina has worked diligently throughout her career to make the legal profession more open and hospitable to women and minorities. continued on page 6
Inside 8 Supporting Justice in the Tapestry of our Community 12 Art Law for Collectors: What Did You Buy? 18 Lawyer Beware: Is Your Client Really a Client? 20 Meet Your New Judges: Civil & Criminal
DBA MEMBER REMINDER: All members who have not yet renewed for 2019 will be dropped on March 15, 2019! Renew TODAY in order to continue receiving all your member benefits. Thank you for your support of the Dallas Bar Association!