Three Texas attorneys were honored by the State Bar of Texas Office of Minority Affairs during the Keynote Awards Luncheon of the Texas Minority Affairs Counsel Program (TMCP) at the Westin Houston Memorial City.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was awarded the TMCP Lifetime Achievement Award during the October 16 event. The award recognizes an attorney who has demonstrated extraordinary support and advocacy for the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession over the course of his or her legal career.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

“For a lifetime, Vince Ryan has been committed to fostering diversity in the legal community, enhancing inclusion, and increasing the amount of opportunities for diverse attorneys in the marketplace,” said TMCP co-chair Travis Torrence, vice president of legal for Jiffy Lube International, Inc. and senior legal counsel for Shell Oil Company. “We could not think of a more deserving candidate for our Lifetime Achievement Award. As a Houstonian and someone who has worked directly with Vince, I am especially proud of his contributions to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and beyond.”

Bruce J. Ruzinsky, partner and chair of the diversity committee at Jackson Walker, received the Trailblazer Outside Counsel of the Year Award.The award recognizes an outside counsel who has effectuated the promotion of diversity within the legal profession through hiring, retention, and mentoring of diverse attorneys, partnering with minority- and women-owned law firms, and involvement with the bar or community activities designed to promote diversity within the legal profession.

Bruce J. Ruzinsky, partner and chair of the diversity committee at Jackson Walker, received the Trailblazer Outside Counsel of the Year Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

Bruce J. Ruzinsky, partner and chair of the diversity committee at Jackson Walker, received the Trailblazer Outside Counsel of the Year Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

Abel Martinez, vice president of risk solutions and government affairs at H-E-B, received the Corporate Counsel of the Year Award. The award recognizes a corporate counsel who has done the most to open doors for Texas minority and women attorneys by promoting diversity within his or her department or company and by consistently hiring minority or women attorneys in private practice to perform legal work on behalf of his or her company.

Abel Martinez, vice president of risk solutions and government affairs at H-E-B, speaks October 16 after receiving the 2015 Corporate Counsel of the Year Award in Houston.

Abel Martinez, vice president of risk solutions and government affairs at H-E-B, speaks October 16 after receiving the 2015 Corporate Counsel of the Year Award in Houston.

TMCP was created in 1993 with the mission of increasing opportunities for minority and women attorneys who provide legal services to corporate and government clients and expose those organizations to the legal talent of diverse attorneys. Since its inception, TMCP has been influential in enhancing opportunities for diverse attorneys.

For more information on the Office of Minority Affairs, please visit texasbar.com/minorityaffairs.