Lubabah Abdullah Lubabah Abdullah.
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Appointment

The Houston chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Houston), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, welcomed Lubabah Abdullah as its new executive director, in an announcement made June 20. Abdullah has worked with Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, counseling women on the interplay between Islamic and civil law, particularly in matters relating to family law. Prior to joining CAIR-Houston, Lubabah was an attorney in St. Louis, Missouri, practicing in the areas of Islamic estate planning, family-based immigration and family law. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in sociology. She received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Missouri. She is bilingual, speaking both English and Arabic fluently, and is working on her conversational Spanish. “I am incredibly grateful and energized to serve the greater Houston community. With the rise of Islamophobia in Texas and across the nation, our vision is to continue to educate, empower and build stronger ties with community and organizations in the greater Houston area in order to make our city and state the home it needs to be for all people of all backgrounds,” said Abdullah in a statement.

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New Positions

Nhu “Jasmine” T. Vu has joined Cantey Hanger LLP as an associate in the firm's business transactions section in Fort Worth. Her practice will focus on mergers and acquisitions, real estate, finance, and corporate and securities transactions. Previously, Vu worked as an associate with Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie in Denver, and Chamberlain, Hrdlicka, White, Williams & Aughtry in Houston. Vu graduated from the University of Texas in 2013, and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Houston Law Center in 2016. She is admitted to practice in Texas and Colorado.

Kristina Meyer has joined Houston litigation firm Copeland & Rice as an associate. She formerly practiced at Vinson & Elkins. A trial attorney, Meyer helps individuals and companies resolve disputes across a wide array of industries. In addition, she maintains an active pro bono docket and has represented clients in asylum proceedings, contract disputes and mediation. Meyer previously worked in the litigation section at Vinson & Elkins. A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, she later served as a judicial law clerk to Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court.

Harrison Papaila has joined Winstead's real estate development and investments group as an associate in the Dallas office. Papaila's practice focuses on a variety of matters, including commercial financing transactions, real estate transactions and other business matters. He most recently practiced at Kane Russell Coleman Logan PC in Dallas. Papaila received his J.D., cum laude from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 2016.

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Awards

Joe Cohen has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the DRI Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award. The award honors an individual DRI member in a law firm or corporation who has demonstrated that he or she embraces, celebrates and applies inclusion and participation of a diverse people whereby the legal profession, community and society is a better place in which to live and work. Cohen is a partner in the Houston office of Porter Hedges. His practice focuses on handling catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases arising from allegations of products liability (including pharmaceuticals). He also a member of the firm's Diversity Committee. 

The Dallas Bar Association (DBA) accepted several awards for its programs and services at the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) annual meeting in Austin on June 13. The State Bar's Local Bar Services Committee selected the DBA as the recipient of the prestigious Award of Merit for outstanding services to its members and the community, and the Outstanding Partnership Award for the Texas High School Mock Trial Program, which recently celebrated its 40th year. In addition, the DBA will be presented with the E. Smythe Gambrell Award for Professionalism from the American Bar Association for their “Day of Civility” program, which the judges said “represents an exemplary and innovative approach to educating lawyers about the importance of professionalism and civility in carrying out their legal responsibilities,” according to a statement issued by the DBA.

Also at the State Bar of Texas (SBOT) annual meeting in Austin, Headnotes, the official newsletter of the DBA, received two Star of Achievement Awards for outstanding articles written by DBA members and published in Headnotes: For the Best Substantive Law Series on Family Law award: Dawn Budner of Calabrese Budner LLP; Elizabeth Brandon and Victor Vital of Barnes & Thornburg LLP; and Bryan Ballew and Constance Mims of the Beal Law Firm. And for Best Feature/General Series on Mental Health Awareness: Terry Bentley Hill of The Law Offices of Terry Bentley Hill; Michael K. Hurst of Lynn Pinker Cox & Hurst, LLP; and Kelly Rentzel of Texas Capital Bank. The publication awards honor exceptional reporting, originality and impact on the legal profession.