DAYL’s 2014 Award Recipients
On Friday, May 2, the DAYL presented three awards at the Dallas Bar Association annual Law Day Luncheon. The awards, given annually, were presented to Michael K. Hurst as the DAYL Outstanding Mentor of 2013/2014, Mandy Price as the DAYL Outstanding Young Lawyer of 2013/2014, and Adrian Cook as the DAYL 2013/2014 Liberty Bell recipient. Both Michael Hurst and Mandy Price were recently named as the TYLA award recipient of their respective award in the statewide competition and will be recognized during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting at the end of June. Congratulations to both of them!
Michael K. Hurst is a founding partner of Gruber Hurst Johansen Hail Shank LLP, a business trial and litigation boutique based in Dallas, and is Board Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Michael has been named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas by Texas Monthly and Law & Politics magazines in 2005, 2006, and 2008 through 2014. He has also been named a top Business Defender by the Dallas Business Journal and, in 2012, was selected as a BTI Service All-Star. He currently serves as Chair of the Dallas Bar Association Board of Directors, and is a former Outstanding Young Lawyer of both the DAYL and Texas Young Lawyers Association. Michael’s legacy of mentoring and lawyer development extends nearly twenty-five years. In 1999, as President of the DAYL, he created programs consistent with his passion for peer assistance, mentoring, and civility, including “De-stressing the Legal Profession,” which now exist as integral parts of local and state-wide programming. Numerous attorneys cite Michael’s “organic” mentorship style – which focuses on teaching lawyers through hands-on application during critical moments – as a critical factor in their development. Michael is also a leading mentor of female attorneys, and he has actively and consistently sought opportunities for female attorneys to lead at trials and in bar activities.
Mandy Price is a Corporate associate at Weil, Gotshal & Manges. She graduated from The University of Texas Business Honors Program and then Harvard Law School. Mandy’s practice focuses on complex corporate and transactional matters, including the representation of private equity and public companies. Mandy serves on Weil’s Hiring Committee for the Dallas Office and on its Pro Bono and Diversity Committees. In 2013, Mandy served as President of the J.L. Turner Legal Association (“JLTLA”). She currently serves on the Board of Directors for JLTLA, and as Public Policy Co-Chair. Mandy also serves on the Board of Directors and Board of Councilors of the Texas Civil Rights Protect, and previously operated as Secretary/Treasurer of the Young Leaders Board for the YWCA of Metropolitan Dallas. Mandy also works actively on the Board of Trustees of ChildCareGroup, where she was recently appointed Governance Chair. Mandy has also performed a substantial amount of pro bono legal service. In one case, she participated on a team of Weil attorneys who represented inmate Larry Charles Fuller, who was wrongfully convicted of, and imprisoned for, a crime he did not commit, and helped him secure compensation.
Adrian Cook serves as Director of Research and Evaluations for The Rees-Jones Foundation. Adrian has a dual focus of preventing child abuse in Texas and working to free persons in bonded labor and sex slavery internationally. As a direct result of Adrian’s research and funding recommendations, court, child welfare, and victim services in Texas have improved, and numerous children have been protected from child abuse. Further, Adrian’s efforts in identifying gaps in the justice system in India have allowed for support in police training, capacity building, and rule of law education in bonded slave labor and sex trafficking, all of which have enabled Indian justice systems to operate more effectively. His recommendations have allowed for significant resources to be sent to regions in Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Mumbai, resulting in systemic changes and improvements.