Community Involvement
Community Involvement by The Lanier Law Firm
The Lanier Law Firm takes seriously its commitment to give back to the communities it serves. Whether it's promoting morality in the legal profession, supporting education, or helping fund life-saving medical research, The Lanier Law Firm believes in good corporate citizenship. In 2008, The Lanier Law Firm is promoting its "Year of Community Service" by partnering with several non-profit organizations to help deserving individuals and communities in Houston, New York, Los Angeles and Palo Alto. Every quarter, the firm's attorneys and staff will put their work week on hold for one or more days to provide hands-on assistance to non-profit groups that are working to improve the lives of the less fortunate.
Alliance for Lupus Research
The firm has taken an active role in sponsoring the Alliance for Lupus Research, a charitable organization that utilizes 100% of the funds raised to support clinicians and researchers dedicated to the treatment and cure of lupus, a disease that effects and kills thousands of Americans, primarily young women, every year. Firm attorney Gene Egdorf led the corporate fundraising drive for the recent "Walk to Cure Lupus" in Houston. Gene's wife Laura has suffered from lupus for several years, and The Lanier Law Firm is proud to support her and all Americans in the fight to find a cure. Additional information on this wonderful cause can be found at www.lupusresearch.org.
Biblical Literacy Class
Mark Lanier teaches a 300 plus member Sunday school class focusing on Biblical Literacy at Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston.
Children of Bellevue
Children of Bellevue is a non-profit organization founded in 1949 to initiate, fund and develop special programs and to act as an advocate for children and their families within Bellevue Hospital Center.
Click here for more information on our work with the Children of Bellevue.
Christian Trial Lawyers Association
Founded by Mark Lanier of The Lanier Law Firm, the Christian Trial Lawyers Association is the first organization of its kind in the country. "Our goal is to be an independent organization that advances Christian principles as they co-exist within the practice of plaintiffs work," Lanier told Texas Lawyer newspaper. "I'd love the public to start associating trial lawyers with Christians."
Committee for Economic Development
Mark Lanier sits on the board of trustees for the Committee for Economic Development, a group of business and education leaders committed to improving the growth and productivity of the U.S. economy, a freer global trading system, and greater opportunity for all Americans. The CED is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to policy research on the major economic and social issues of our time and the implementation of its recommendations by the public and private sectors.
The Learning Center for Women in Prison
The Lanier Law Firm is proud to support The Learning Center for Women in Prison.
Founded in the winter of 2003, LCWP's mission is to work with women prisoners to create opportunities for successful community re-entry by offering leadership development and transitional academic counseling, and by partnering with an accredited college to offer incarcerated women a rigorous for-credit college curriculum. As a result of LCWP's efforts, the first cohort of 11 women was admitted to the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) program at a medium security womens' correctional facility in New York City, and began coursework towards an Associate's Degree. BPI currently offers a Bard College education inside four New York state prisons. Established after the demise of publicly supported prison education in 1995, BPI is one of only a handful of existing programs of its kind left in the United States. For more information on The Learning Center for Women in Prison, click on the link to read a copy of the most recent newsletter.
Download PDF of LCWP Newsletter/Annual Report
Legal Services for Children
Firm attorney Chris Banys in our Palo Alto office recently was named as one of the recipients of the 2008 Pro Bono Advocate Award presented by Legal Services for Children, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that provides free legal representation and social work services to children. Mr. Banys was presented with the award based on his efforts helping a 14-year-old boy from China who was abandoned by his parents and living homeless in Magnolia, Arkansas, while in the midst of a deportation trial in San Francisco. The boy was smuggled into the U.S. by human traffickers who repeatedly threatened to kill him if he did not repay a $70,000 indenture his father had agreed to on the boy's behalf.
When the boy arrived in the US, federal immigration officials promptly arrested him and incarcerated him in California. Deportation proceedings followed shortly thereafter. Mr. Banys was brought in to help in the middle of the deportation trial. At the same time, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement released the boy to the custody of his uncle in Arkansas. Unfortunately, within weeks, the uncle was bankrupt and moved out of state, leaving the boy homeless with nowhere to go. Working with the Rose Law Firm, Mr. Banys appeared in the Columbia County Court and asked that the State of Arkansas be ordered to provide shelter for the boy - over the state's strong objections - and that the Court make findings under federal law that the boy had been abandoned, abused and neglected by his parents. Fortunately, the Court granted both requests. With the Court's order, Mr. Banys was able to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile status on behalf of the boy, and the deportation proceedings were dismissed. The boy, now 17, is free and awaiting a green card. Legal Services for Children helps children in cases involving legal guardianship, dependency, school discipline, immigration, emancipation and other proceedings.
Mesothelioma Research at Methodist DeBakey Heart Center
We are not only committed to helping our clients and their families cope with the financial setbacks caused by chemical exposure. We have also assisted medical researchers in their search for a mesothelioma cure. One of the biggest stumbling blocks to finding a cure for mesothelioma is accumulating a sufficient number of patients to study. Because of our work on behalf of asbestos victims, our firm has sponsored a study conducted by the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center in Houston. The results of their work will be published in various medical journals.
The Midnight Mission
The Lanier Law Firm is a proud supporter of The Midnight Mission, which has provided a multitude of services for disadvantaged individuals in the greater Los Angeles area since 1914.
On May 13, 2008, attorneys and staff from The Lanier Law Firm
volunteered at The Midnight Mission kitchen, helping provide meals for
hundreds of individuals who rely on the group's services every day. In
addition to helping prepare and serve meals, our team also met with The
Midnight Mission staff to learn more about the group's goals and the
hardships faced by the homeless population in Los Angeles and the
surrounding communities. We also visited with many of the individuals
who come to The Midnight Mission for assistance, and learned about how
they are working to improve their lives.
The
Midnight Mission's objective is to work with homeless individuals and
families to help remove obstacles to self-sufficiency while helping
meet immediate needs like food, shelter and clothing. The Midnight
Mission also operates a drug and alcohol recovery program that offers a
bridge to self-sufficiency through counseling, education, job training
and placement. The group also provides transitional housing for
homeless families through its Family Housing Complex.
Northland Christian School Debate Team
The Lanier Law Firm sponsors the debate program at Northland Christian School, helping to prepare students for competition in interscholastic debate and speech tournaments against both public and private schools in the state of Texas and nationally. The program fosters critical thinking and argumentative abilities, which are crucial to success in college and beyond. Critical thinking skills are central to understanding complex issues, forming beliefs/opinions, shaping decisions, and resolving controversies and conflicts.
SIRE – Houston’s Therapeutic Equestrian Centers
The Lanier Law Firm is proud to support SIRE, Houston’s therapeutic equestrian centers.
Since 1983, SIRE has provided equestrian therapy to children and adults with a wide variety of disabilities, including cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, mental retardation, developmental delay, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, traumatic brain Injury and spinal cord injury.
On April 23, 2008, attorneys and staff from The Lanier Law Firm in Houston volunteered their time on various construction projects at a SIRE property near Spring, Texas, including building three decks for homes located on the property.
Texas Bar Foundation
Mark Lanier is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation, which actively seeks and supports programs in need of financial and professional resources that encourage legal assistance to the needy, education of the public, and ethics in the legal profession. Fellowship in the Texas Bar Foundation is limited to 1/3 of 1 percent of licensed attorneys. In April 2006, the TBF board of trustees awarded $416,840 in financial assistance to Texas organizations that met the TBF's mission. Of that amount, $168,000 was provided for the Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program, a joint project of the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Bar Foundation. Thirty-five legal aid attorneys across the state are benefiting from the program. The remaining $248,840 was awarded to 13 organizations for their law-related projects.
Texas Tech University School of Law, $6 Million Donation
Mark Lanier donated $6 million to his alma mater, Texas Tech University School of Law, to help build a high-tech courtroom and multi-use facility on the school's campus in Lubbock. It is the largest gift in the law school's history. "Texas Tech gave me the legal foundation that has allowed us wonderful chances to work in courts around the country," Lanier told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lanier graduated from Texas Tech University's law school in 1984.
Click here to read about Mr. Lanier’s contribution to the Texas Tech University School of Law in Texas Tech Today.
