Haynes and Boone, LLP Partner Laura Prather has been elected to membership in the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation. Fellows are selected for their outstanding professional achievements and demonstrated commitment to the improvement of the justice system throughout Texas.
Selection as a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation is restricted to members of the State Bar of Texas. Only one-third of one percent of State Bar members are invited to become fellows. Election is a mark of distinction and recognition of the contributions Prather has made to the legal profession.
Prather is a member of the Litigation Practice Group in the firm’s Austin office. She focuses her practice on First Amendment, Anti-SLAPP, intellectual property and media and entertainment litigation and appeals. Prather has significant government relations experience as an advocate at the Texas Legislature on First Amendment and open government concerns. She advises an extensive array of content providers including online and traditional newspapers, magazines, radio and broadcasters, cable television stations, production companies and music and sports entities. Prather was instrumental in the passage of the three most significant pieces of First Amendment legislation in recent history in Texas – the reporters’ privilege, the Texas Citizens Participation Act, and the Defamation Mitigation Act. Through her efforts, Prather both formed and led the coalitions in support of all three of these measures, making Texas the 37th state to pass a reporters’ privilege, the 28th state to adopt an Anti-SLAPP statute, and the 32nd state to enact a retraction statute. All three laws are designed to promote and protect free speech rights in Texas.
Prather has been named by The American Lawyer as one of the 45 best young women lawyers in the nation. She was recognized for her substantial career as a fierce advocate dedicated to preserving First Amendment rights, defending media companies in cases involving reporting on matters of public concern, and defending entertainment companies in theft of idea, trademark and copyright infringement litigation. In addition, she is the first woman to receive Texas Daily Newspaper Association’s “Legacy Award,” and has been named Texas Association of Broadcasters’ “Associate of the Year” and as one of Texas Lawyer’s “Extraordinary Women in Texas Law.”