The Women and the Law Section of the State Bar of Texas selected Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Lynne Liberato as the 2018 winner of the prestigious Louise B. Raggio Award. The award recognizes an attorney who has actively addressed the needs and issues of women in the legal profession and the community.
Liberato received the award at the state bar’s annual meeting in Houston on June 21, 2018. Haynes and Boone Partner Michelle Scheffler nominated Liberato for the award based on her many accomplishments as a lawyer, mentor, community leader and advocate for civil rights. The only woman in her law class in 1922, Louise Raggio eventually became Dallas County’s first female criminal prosecutor and helped draft the 1967 Marital Property Act, which gave women the right to own property, secure a bank loan, or start a business without their husband’s consent.
“I had the privilege of meeting Ms. Raggio early in my career so this award is particularly meaningful to me,” said Liberato. “What my generation of women has encountered is minor compared to the seemingly insurmountable challenges that she overcame with determination and courage.”
A partner in the firm’s Appellate Practice, Liberato has led teams in some of the most significant appeals and trials in Texas, including arguing to the United States Supreme Court. She has been heavily involved in civic and charitable causes throughout her career, including serving as the first woman president of the Houston Bar Associate and as president of the State Bar of Texas.
Liberato currently is chair of the United Way of Greater Houston’s Hurricane Harvey Task Force. She previously was selected as "Volunteer of the Year" for the United Way of Greater Houston and won the Karen H. Susman ADL Jurisprudence Award in 2013, in recognition of her commitment to equality, justice, fairness and community service. Liberato led the Haynes and Boone team that defended against high-profile legal challenges to a Houston ordinance that prohibited discrimination against gay and transgender residents.