Gibbs & Bruns associate Caitlin Halpern has earned membership in the prestigious State Bar of Texas Pro Bono College for 2024.
In addition to her busy trial docket, Caitlin serves as the firm’s pro bono liaison. She donated 175.5 pro bono hours in 2023, which earned her membership into the College for the 2024 calendar year. Caitlin actively handles mulitple pro bono parole matters, in addition to coordinating other parole representations for her fellow lawyers. She is working with the University of Texas Parole Project, run by Professor Helen Gaebler, and the Texas Defender Services to establish and train a statewide network of attorneys to take on pro bono parole cases. Caitlin also recently completed a selective training program in § 1983 litigation run by Civil Rights Corp.
Additionally, Caitlin serves on the Houston Bar Association’s HAY Center Committee, which supports programming for youth in foster care and aging out of foster care. She also serves as Executive Director of the Rikers Debate Project’s national organization; in 2019, Caitlin and her partner started a debate class at the Harris County jail, the second-largest jail in the country.
Her efforts include multiple other charitable and civic endeavors including co-chairing the Texas Defender Service’s Light of Justice fundraiser luncheon in October 2024, which will allow her to share her passion for philanthropy with her colleagues, neighbors, and friends.
Caitlin will be recognized for her contributions at the State Bar Annual meeting in June 2024. Her contributions were formally acknowledged by both Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan C. Hecht and SBOT President Cindy Tisdale.
Created in 1992 by the State Bar of Texas, the Pro Bono College recognizes attorneys who have far exceeded the State Bar’s aspirational pro bono goal in their efforts to address the vast unmet legal needs of the poor. Membership in the college must be renewed annually to remain an active member of the Pro Bono College. Attorneys are eligible to join the Pro Bono College if they have completed a minimum of 75 hours of qualified pro bono services as stated in the membership guidelines.