NIX PATTERSON ANNOUNCES THAT CHRISTINA YARNELL HAS BEEN NAMED THE WINNER OF THE STATE BAR OF TEXAS' INDIVIDUAL PRO BONO LAWYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

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AUSTIN, Texas, June 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the State Bar of Texas named Christina Yarnell as the recipient of the 2025 Frank J. Scurlock Award at the Bar's Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.   This award is given annually to the individual attorney who has provided outstanding pro bono work in the State of Texas.

Mrs. Yarnell is a trial attorney at Nix Patterson, LLP in Austin, Texas.  In addition to her work as a trial lawyer, she also serves as the firm's Chief Talent Officer and COO.

Mrs. Yarnell was nominated for her work over a ten-year period representing numerous vulnerable, at-risk, immigrant women in an incredibly complex human trafficking matter against an Austin based Spanish immersion school and its owner.  She worked in the face of threats, harassment and intimidation—not only to her clients but also to herself.

Christina ultimately was able to get the Austin Police Department to join the fight.  From there, APD turned to the United States Department of Homeland Security and others.  Eventually, the Texas Attorney General's Office also joined in the fight.  Mrs. Yarnell stayed involved and counseled her clients through it all.  She also helped the women get access to immigration specialists who helped them get U-immigration Visas, which are special visas for victims of labor trafficking who agree to cooperate with investigators and prosecutors.

On January 28, 2025, ten years after Christina first started fighting for justice for these immigrant women, the Texas Attorney General's Office announced an historic settlement against the school and its owners.  The settlement imposed the maximum penalty allowed in labor trafficking civil suits under Texas' racketeering law and prohibited the defendants from threatening or taking any action against these women.¹ 

While the Attorney General's office announced this settlement, the true heroines of this story are Mrs. Yarnell and the women she represented.  As the Detective who investigated this matter, and the Assistant Attorney General who prosecuted the civil case, both wrote to the State Bar, none of this would ever have happened without the courage, tenacity and hard work that Christina Yarnell gave to each of her pro bono clients.

Mrs. Yarnell's award comes nearly 25 years after Nix Patterson was named the winner of the State Bar of Texas' Dean Frank Newton Pro Bono Award. 

Contact information
Name: Brad Beckworth
Email:  [email protected]
Phone: 512-328-5333 

SOURCE Nix Patterson LLP