In Harris County, money is no longer required up front for release of any misdemeanor arrestee who is indigent and who is not subject to some other hold.

Thank Neal Manne, a managing partner at Susman Godfrey, for that change. In April, Manne won for his clients a monumental ruling from a Houston federal judge that led to the release thousands of people jailed for minor offenses who were stuck behind bars for no other reason than because they were poor.

Based on his work on that litigation, Texas Lawyer honored Manne as an Attorney of the Year.