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Jake Herrel Helps Launch Transactional Pro Bono Initiative at Texas Law

November 05, 2021

Associate Jake Herrel recently helped launch the Small Business Wellness Project, a new transactional pro bono initiative of The Richard and Ginni Mithoff Pro Bono Program at The University of Texas School of Law. Having led pro bono projects as a Mithoff Pro Bono Scholar while in law school, he also participated as a supervising attorney in the program, which provides much needed legal assistance to low-income small business owners while providing students with transactional experience.

"The intake session provided an excellent opportunity for law students to sit down with a real 'client' and interview them about their business’s legal needs. The students then developed a plan to produce deliverables, to be presented at a follow-up exit session,” said Herrel.

"Client interviewing and polished soft skills are invaluable when it comes time to practice, and the follow-up deliverable component provided an opportunity for students to do substantial legal work," commented Herrel. "The small business owners and the law students all left at the end of the first evening happy and having learned so much. Transactional practice isn’t always the easiest to learn in a traditional classroom setting, so this is exactly the kind of transactional pro bono opportunity Texas Law students need."


Jake
Jake Herrel is an attorney practicing in the firm’s Land Use, Zoning and Environmental Group. He specializes in guiding clients through the sometimes-confusing process of land development, assisting with obtaining entitlements and permit approvals for a wide range of real estate projects, including major commercial, residential, and mixed-use developments. Jake also assists with complex negotiations and business matters.

Jake comes to the firm by way of Texas, and like any true Texan, Jake is a straight shooter when it comes to providing his clients with the information they need, when they need it, in order to maximize their investments. Jake places a special focus on understanding his client’s objectives and motivations, both long-term and short-term, and he prides himself on being able to help clients develop even the wildest plans from concept to buildout.

Jake earned his bachelor’s degree in government with honors from The University of Texas at Austin and his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law. While in law school, Jake garnered a reputation as an accomplished negotiator, having successfully represented multiple pro bono clients at mediations and securing one of the largest Texas special education settlements in history. He also served as president of the Texas Real Estate Law Society and coached the Phi Delta Phi undergraduate mock trial team in his spare time. Jake counseled business and nonprofit clients as a part of the Entrepreneurship and Community Development Clinic, and he was selected as a prestigious Mithoff Pro Bono Scholar. Jake served as both executive articles editor of the Texas Intellectual Property Law Journal and executive editor of the Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law.

Prior to joining Lowndes as an attorney, Jake was a summer clerk with the firm. During law school, he worked as a legal intern for a large, national insurance company and as an intern for the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Jake currently serves as treasurer of the Orange County Bar Association’s Real Property Committee. When not practicing law, Jake enjoys traveling with his wife, golf, fishing, and supporting the arts in and around Orlando.

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