Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards
This committee reviews entries and selects the winners of the annual Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards. The awards recognize outstanding pro bono work performed during 2019 through any recognized legal services provider or through direct legal representation on behalf of any non-profit that serves the community. A committee of HBA members and members of the Harris County judiciary reviews nominations and selects the recipients in several categories.
As the legal community focuses on issues related to COVID-19, the Houston Bar Association and the Harris County judiciary have decided to cancel the 2020 Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards in respect of the time and safety concerns of attorneys and the community. The awards will resume next year. Law offices and individuals will be allowed to include pro bono work performed during the last two years in 2021 nominations, rather than only work performed during the previous year. Any current nomination forms will be saved, and nominees will have the opportunity to update the form before next year’s nomination deadline.
The Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards recognize outstanding pro bono work performed through any recognized local legal service providers and help to increase awareness of the critical need for legal services for low-income Houstonians. Recipients are chosen by a committee of both attorneys and members of the judiciary, and recognized at a ceremony at the Harris County courthouse.
Please watch for information on the 2021 Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Awards.

Click here for eligibility requirements.
For more information, contact Tara Shockley at taras@hba.org or (713) 759-1133.
None of us wish to appear selfish in the presence of the compassionate or egotistical in the presence of the big hearted. …When the sharp edges of the law collide with soft tissue of humanity, we must be there! -Judge Keith Ellison @thehba Pro Bono awards today!
— Judge Steven Kirkland (@stevenkirkland) May 8, 2019
2019-2020 Co-Chairs:
Benny Agosto, Jr., Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz
The Hon. Robert K. Schaffer, 152nd District Court
2020-2021 Co-Chairs:
Bill Kroger, Baker Botts L.L.P.
The Hon. Robert K. Schaffer, 152nd District Court
For more information on this committee, contact Tara Shockley at taras@hba.org or (713) 759-1133.