Thanks to all who attended our annual banquet. Our honorees truly left us all inspired to be better, do more, and stand up!
Photos from the evening are available here
Tyler Flood, our member of the year, was unable to attend but kindly sent a video thanking us for the honor. He looks forward to his upcoming year as President-Elect.
Chris Tritico received the president’s award for his mentorship and assistance to Carmen Roe during her tenure as President.
David Ryan was once again honored (3rd year in a row) as our mentor of the year for his never-ending mentorship of young lawyers.
Thuy Le, one of our unsung heroes, was highlighted as a champion against all odds, even the judiciary. Much of her story can be found in the Houston Chronicle archives as reported by Lisa Falkenberg (Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist): here and here. She stood up to a judge trying to take a child away from her 12 year old client.
Nicolas Hughes, another unsung hero, was praised for his work against the sexual offender civil commitment process and Judge Sieler.
Dick DeGuerin was honored for his 50 years in practice and his dedication to HCCLA. He is a founding member, a past president, and recipient of awards (lawyer of year, lifetime achievement). He also swore in our officers and directors for the upcoming year. This year’s officers: JoAnne Musick (President), Tucker Graves (Vice President), Lisa Strauss (Secretary), Steven Halpert (Treasurer) and Tyler Flood (President-Elect).
David Dow, our torch of liberty recipient, was honored for his struggle against the Court of Criminal Appeals wherein Judge Keller has taken a personal interest in harming defendants by removing David as counsel. You can read about it here. David appeals his suspension and lawyers across the state have called for a reinstatement and a proper hearing on the matter.
Mark Bennett, our lawyer of the year, achieved some magnificent results this past year. Almost single-handedly, he has taken on the penal code and challenged several statutes under constitutional grounds. Not surprisingly, he has prevailed!
Stanley Schneider, our lifetime achievement honoree, has had a distinguished career defending the accused. And, he is not even close to being finished! He has overturned death sentences, appealed cases to the United States Supreme Court, and mastered the art of his craft: trials and appeals.
It was such an honor to share our evening with these amazing lawyers. We are truly thankful for their example. May we all strive to achieve such results.
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