About Lynne Margolis

Lynne Margolis Articles written 10

Pittsburgher-turned-Austinite Lynne Margolis worked as a writer and editor at several Pennsylvania newspapers before becoming a full-time freelancer for print, online and broadcast media including the Christian Science Monitor (which syndicated her work worldwide), RollingStone.com, Grammy.com, NPR, The Bluegrass Situation and magazines including Paste and American Songwriter. She has collected inductee oral histories for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum archives and was a contributing editor to The Ties That Bind: Bruce Springsteen From A To E To Z. She also edits books, provides website and media consulting, and has written hundreds of artist bios.

Articles written by Lynne Margolis

Service Profession

That’s how Laura Benitez Geisler views her vocation

In her 2019 inaugural address as the Dallas Bar Association’s first Hispanic president, Laura Benitez Geisler recited from a letter her uncle, Arnold Garcia, wrote her in 1997, right after she passed the Texas Bar exam. Garcia never actually sent her the letter; he published it instead. He was the editorial page editor at the Austin American-Statesman, where it ran on the editorial page under the headline: “The Choice of Leadership: An uncle’s fond advice to a young lawyer starting …

The Warrior

N. Diane Holmes puts a face—and a lot of pink trimming—on the fight against breast cancer 

When it comes to sporting pink, Barbie’s got nothing on N. Diane Holmes. Since conquering breast cancer—twice—Holmes has raised over $150,000 for various cancer nonprofits, while becoming an outspoken advocate for education and early detection. She draws attention to her message via permutations of pink—in everything from wigs to socks, sunglasses to sashes, feather boas to bedazzled bras. “If I can put a face on [battling cancer] to make sure that people take care of themselves and …

Transformational Art

Greg Westfall repurposes photos into bold pops of color

NOT GUILTY. It’s hard to miss the big, bold canvas hanging over the couch in Greg Westfall’s office—bearing the words his clients hope to hear in court. That work not only speaks to Westfall’s skills as a litigator but to his other passion: printmaking. Westfall spends many of his evening and weekend hours in his home studio, transforming photographic images into large-format monoprints and silk screens. His subject matter ranges from iconic legal figures (Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Clarence …

Geoff Weisbart Saddles Up

The business litigator rides in cutting competitions and turns out champions

On a spring day in Central Texas earlier this year, Geoff Weisbart introduces his new baby: a spirited quarter horse named Gracie. Born just three weeks earlier on his ranch in Manchaca, just outside Austin, the foal is already doing sprints across her pen, stretching out her long legs.  “She’s bred to be an athlete. She wants to go show off,” says Weisbart, a founding partner at Weisbart Springer Hayes in Austin. If all goes well, in three years she’ll be in cutting competitions, in …

Making Magic

While brightening the lives of sick kids, Amber Carson was undergoing health crises of her own

Before she became a bankruptcy lawyer, Amber Carson spent summers and holidays playing princesses and woodland creatures to the delight of thousands of children at Disney World. The best part of being Cinderella or Snow White, she says, was interacting with Make-A-Wish kids. “They talk about the magic of Disney. People think of that as the fairy godmother who makes magic,” Carson says. “But the magic is the looks on the kids’ faces. For those five minutes they’re with that character, …

The Ironman

A tribute to Steve Adams, a man who followed his passion

Tragically, Steve Adams died on Nov. 1, 2020, struck by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle. He is survived by his wife, Dr. Maria Bustamante, and sons Sam and Abe. We decided to run his story as planned, but as a tribute. In another tribute article, we reflect on his life and work. A competitive streak is pretty much a prerequisite for any trial lawyer, but Steve Adams takes it beyond the courtroom. He not only qualified to compete in four Ironman Triathlon World Championships; in …

Sister Act

Gwen and Sharla Frost didn’t plan on growing up and practicing law together; it just worked out that way

Sharla and Gwendolyn Frost were born 3½ years apart and grew up on a ranch in rural Frogville, Oklahoma. Older sister Sharla rode horses and practiced piano; Gwen played basketball and learned to overhaul engines alongside her father.  Their paths converged, however, after both completed law school: Sharla at Baylor University in Waco; Gwen at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. The sisters have spent nearly their entire careers—from 1993 through Sharla’s April 30 retirement from …

'The Mom Guilt Is Real'

Christine Leatherberry co-founded Moms in Law to help women attorneys balance work and home

When Christine Leatherberry returned to family law after her first maternity leave, the realities of being a working mom set in quickly. “You can’t give 100% toward being a lawyer and 100% toward being a mom at the same time,” says Leatherberry. “Something always has to give. The mom guilt is real.” Those feelings only worsened as her daughters grew older and had more activities. “When my nanny would take my daughters to the zoo and get a nice picture with them, it was like a dagger …

Colin Pogge's Teachable Moments

You can’t take this Houston litigator out of the classroom

Colin Pogge still remembers the thrill of delivering his first opening statement. It was for a statewide high school mock trial competition.  His interest in law was not surprising; his father is a lawyer (and now city councilman) in Urbandale, Iowa, where Pogge grew up. But before following in his dad’s footsteps, he wound up following his mother’s—into a school classroom.  At a college career fair, he spotted a Teach for America booth and realized that committing two years to helping …

The Value of Heritage

Kari Konikowski Blackman’s family found its American dream; now she helps others in their search

As a child, Kari Konikowski Blackman’s father would instinctively drop to the ground if he heard a plane overhead. The habit stayed with him long after he debarked the SS Ernie Pyle in New York, too young at 4 to understand what “immigrant” meant, but glad to leave the ravages of war behind. Born in a German labor camp, George Jerzy Konikowski also had to leave behind a Polish homeland he didn’t even know.  Blackman’s dad always kept Poland in his heart, however, and though his …

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