Personal Lives
Twin daughters of BigLaw couple among Texas flood victims; ‘we are devastated,’ family says
A first responder searches an area along the Guadalupe River that was hit by flash flooding July 4 in Kerrville, Texas. (Photo by Eric Gay/The Associated Press)
Two of the children who died in the floods that swept through Central Texas over the Independence Day weekend were the twin daughters of two BigLaw partners in Dallas.
BigLaw partners John and Lacy Lawrence are the parents of 8-year-old twins Hanna and Rebecca, who were at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, at the time of the flooding, Law.com reports. The girls had just finished second grade before their deaths.
Another daughter, 14-year-old Harper, was also at Camp Mystic. She survived.
The death toll from the flood was 109 as of midday Tuesday, the New York Times reported. The number has been increasing every few hours, the newspaper said.
John Lawrence is the securities and litigation co-chair at Baker Botts. Lacy Lawrence is a partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
They provided a statement to Law.com.
“Hanna and Rebecca brought so much joy to us, to their big sister Harper and to so many others,” they wrote. “We will find ways to keep that joy and to continue to spread it for them. But we are devastated that the bond we shared with them and that they shared with each other is now frozen in time. Thank you for the love and support.”
John Lawrence’s father is David Lawrence Jr., a former publisher for the Miami Herald, who gave a statement to the newspaper.
“It has been an unimaginable time for all of us. Hanna and Rebecca gave their parents John and Lacy and sister Harper and all in our family so much joy,” David Lawrence Jr. said. “They and that joy can never be forgotten.”
David Lawrence Jr. left the Miami Herald to focus on childhood education. He helped pass a Florida constitutional amendment to provide free education to all 4-year-old children in the state. He also founded the Children’s Movement of Florida and was the founding chair of the Children’s Trust, part of the Children’s Movement.
Write a letter to the editor, share a story tip or update, or report an error.
