May 2, 2025

P.S. — Champions of Justice Gala Shatters Record, Remembering Fallen Heroes and Dallas to Kyiv: One Lawyer’s Solidarity with Ukraine

Texas Lawbook

The 2025 Champions of Justice Gala shattered previous fundraising records by collecting over $1 million to support legal aid for veterans, with AT&T’s David McAtee and Halliburton’s Van Beckwith co-chairing the event and receiving widespread support from the legal community. Keynote speaker Bryan Stevenson highlighted the importance of access to justice, while Texas lawyers Rebecca Flanigan and Fred Krasny were honored for their dedication to legal aid. Meanwhile, Dallas attorney Rogge Dunn raised over $100,000 at a dinner with Gen. David Petraeus to support Ukrainian mental health efforts and plans to attend the Kyiv Security Forum. In a separate initiative, Carry the Load launched its annual Memorial May campaign to honor fallen heroes, with longtime legal support from Sidley Austin’s Aaron Rigby, a U.S. Navy veteran and founding supporter of the nonprofit.

Carry the Load, a Dallas-based national nonprofit veteran and first responder organization, kicked off its Memorial May campaign Monday. The fundraiser, lasting through Memorial Day, features hundreds of events across the country to connect communities while honoring fallen service members. The signature event, the Dallas Memorial March, takes place over two days, May 25 and 26. The march begins at Reverchon Park at 3505 Maple Ave., Dallas, TX, 75219. More information about Memorial May and how to participate can be found here.

Since its inception in 2011, Carry the Load has gotten help from Aaron Rigby, a mergers and acquisitions and private equity partner in Sidley Austin’s Dallas office. Rigby, a co-chair of the firm’s Dallas pro bono and interest law committee, is a 1998 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, where he befriended Carry the Load founders Clint Bruce and Stephen Holley. Rigby helped the organization obtain its 501(c)(3) status and has assisted in most of its legal matters.

Rigby, who, while on active duty, served as an officer in two deployments to the Middle East, now serves on Carry the Load’s board of directors. His firm, Sidley, is a corporate partner of Carry the Load.

News

P.S. — Champions of Justice Gala Shatters Record, Remembering Fallen Heroes and Dallas to Kyiv: One Lawyer’s Solidarity with Ukraine

Texas Lawbook

Address

Links

Social