News Release
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
AUSTIN, Texas—The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF), which provides grant funding for civil legal aid in Texas, has announced the addition of prominent Houston attorney Travis Torrence to its board of directors. The Supreme Court of Texas appointed Torrence to a three-year term beginning on September 1.
Torrence serves as
the Global Litigation Bankruptcy & Credit Team Lead for Shell Oil Company
and has been with the corporation since 2013. In his current role, he
manages a team of attorneys and legal support professionals handling
bankruptcy and credit legal issues for all of Shell’s business units in the
U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining Shell, Torrence was a senior associate at
Fulbright & Jaworski LLP (now known as Norton Rose Fulbright), where he was
chair of the Houston office’s Recruiting Committee and helped found the
firm’s Diversity Advisory Council. Before joining Fulbright, he clerked for
the Honorable Edward C. Prado of the United
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. A man of many talents,
Torrence was also an on-air radio personality and DJ for B-97 FM, New
Orleans’ #1 Hit Music Station, from 2001-2002.
“Travis is a
tremendous talent in both law and life,” Deborah Hankinson, board chair of
the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, said. “He brings a wealth of legal
knowledge and a giving and generous spirit to the board, and we are honored
to have his perspective in guiding the Foundation in its mission of ensuring
access to justice for all Texans.” As part of Houston’s thriving philanthropic scene, Torrence has been featured, along with several local celebrities, as a celebrity model for fashion shows at galas for Bo’s Place, a Houston-based nonprofit bereavement center. Torrence is also the 2014 champion of Urban Souls’ Dancing with the Houston Stars. His chairmanship has been tapped for various philanthropic events, including the 2014 World AIDS Day Luncheon, Victory Fund’s 2016 Champagne Brunch, the Montrose Center’s 2018 Out For Good Gala and the 2018 Camp For All Gala.
Torrence graduated
from Yale Law School and is now a member of the Yale Law School Fund Board.
Additionally, he serves on the dean’s advisory council for Tulane
University’s School of Liberal Arts and the University of Houston Graduate
College of Social Work. He is a former member of the executive committee of
the board of directors of the State Bar of Texas, former President of the
Arthur L. Moller-David B. Foltz, Jr. American Inn of Court, former president
of the Bo’s Place Board of Directors and former member of the board of
trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation. Torrence has also served as co-chair
of the Texas Minority Counsel Program.
The
Foundation’s board includes 13 attorney and public members—seven are
appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas and six by the State Bar of Texas. The Texas Access to Justice Foundation was created by the Supreme Court of Texas in 1984 to provide funding for the civil legal needs of poor and low-income Texans. The Foundation grants millions of dollars each year to approximately 40 organizations offering free civil legal assistance to qualified Texans. With TAJF grants, legal aid organizations advise more than 150,000 low-income Texans annually on such civil matters as protection from domestic violence, assistance with housing, and other critical legal issues.
Kimberly Schmitt
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