Greenberg Traurig LLP issued the following announcement on May 13.
Karen M. Kennard, a shareholder in the Austin office of global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP been panelist at the inaugural Austin Bar Association Virtual Equity Summit on May 14 at 12:45 p.m. CT.
“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to speak about criminal justice reform, a topic that is dear to my heart,” Kennard said. “It is through these conversations that people are empowered to create change and true progress can be made.”
Kennard will speak during a session titled “History and Implementation of the Tim Cole Act: Injustice as a Catalyst for Justice.” This act has a very personal connection to Kennard as it is named in honor of her eldest brother Tim Cole. Cole was wrongfully convicted of rape more than two decades ago and died in prison in 1999, at the age of 39. In 2009, DNA testing proved Cole’s innocence, and he was the first person in Texas to receive a posthumous exoneration and posthumous pardon.
Joining Kennard for the session are Mike Ware, executive director for the Innocence Project of Texas; and Former Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, Supreme Court of Texas.
According to the Austin Bar Association, its efforts to achieve racial equity and dismantle the systems created by institutional racism will take much longer than one year. As such, the Equity Committee will continue its work and plan to make the Equity Summit an annual event.
As a Government Law & Policy attorney, Kennard focuses her practice on government law, policy, and regulatory matters with an emphasis on municipal local government issues. Her experience spans more than three decades and includes positions as City Attorney for the City of Austin, Texas and General Counsel of the Texas Municipal League.
Original source can be found here.