Corporate Counsel Volunteers

The Texas Access to Justice Commission in conjunction with the Texas General Counsel Forum has honored the legal department of CenterPoint Energy with the first Magna Stella Pro Bono Award. This award was created in 2008 to recognize corporate leaders and their respective legal departments that promote pro bono legal services within their organization and within the corporate structure at large.

Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O'Neill presented the award at the Forum's annual awards dinner on Nov. 13 in San Antonio. Scott Rozzell, Center Point Energy's executive vice president and general counsel accepted the award on behalf of CenterPoint Energy's legal department.

CenterPoint Energy's legal team was chosen because of its outstanding commitment to legal aid in Harris County. The team has been working with the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program for over 12 years and has in fact accepted twice the number of pro bono cases they committed to handling as an "Equal Access Champion."

"CenterPoint Energy is an incredible example of how a small department of 17 dedicated attorneys can make a significant impact on their community," James B. Sales, chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, said. "Such outstanding pro bono efforts truly deserve to be recognized with this prestigious award."

In the last year, CenterPoint Energy sponsored three Drive-Time Legal Clinics, where low-income residents were given the opportunity to receive legal advice and counsel after regular work hours, allowing them to receive much-needed civil legal help without missing work. CenterPoint attorneys recently participated in "A Day of Giving," where organizations conducted free legal clinics for low-income residents at multiple locations throughout Harris County.

Attorneys in CenterPoint Energy's legal department have twice been honored by the Houston Bar Association as the "Equal Access STAR Volunteer" of the month for their outstanding pro bono work.