Pro Bono Counsel
“My goal is to ensure our pro bono work reflects the same excellence and dedication we bring to all our clients. I love celebrating the victories we achieve for people whose stories might otherwise go unheard.”
As V&E’s firmwide Pro Bono Counsel, Parker Cragg facilitates and celebrates the firm’s commitment to providing high-quality legal work for individuals in need.
Parker brings extensive pro bono experience to this role. During his time as an associate in V&E’s Appellate practice group, he served as lead or co-lead counsel on two Fifth Circuit asylum appeals and a Bivens appeal on behalf of a former federal prisoner. He played a leading role in drafting an amicus brief in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals regarding the availability of pretrial writs of habeas corpus for individuals raising constitutional challenges. He also led extensive efforts to secure humanitarian parole for Afghan refugees following the fall of Kabul. In recognition of his efforts to obtain asylum for a client fleeing persecution in Cameroon, Parker was recognized as a Pro Bono Awardee by American Gateways in 2021.
Parker is an experienced appellate litigator who has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes appeals in federal and state courts. He also developed meaningful trial experience through years of advising trial teams and drafting dispositive motions. He was honored to serve as a judicial law clerk to Judge George C. Hanks, Jr. in the Southern District of Texas from 2022–2023.
Parker’s commitment to community service was forged by his parents, who dedicated their careers to youth ministry and public education. After college, he joined Teach for America and spent five years teaching high school English in Houston ISD. He then spent five years as the director of Three Oaks Academy, a recovery high school serving students who struggled with substance use disorders. These experiences of serving vulnerable populations continues to inspire his commitment to pro bono work today.
(5th Cir.) – Obtained a settlement to reopen and dismiss removal proceedings for an asylum-seeker who was persecuted by cartel members in Mexico
(5th Cir). – Obtained remand to the Board of Immigration Appeals from the denial of asylum for an Anglophone Cameroonian who was detained and beaten by Cameroonian authorities for participation in a protest for Anglophone rights
(U.S.); (5th Cir.) – Drafted appellate briefs on behalf of federal prisoner pursuing a Bivens claim involving prison officials’ retaliation for the exercise of his First Amendment rights
(4th Cir.) – Drafted amicus brief supporting a claim for greater press access to executions in Virginia
(9th Cir.) – Assisted with briefing in appeal concerning federal sentencing law, which resulted in favorable 10-to-1 opinion holding that District Courts must orally pronounce the “standard conditions” of supervised release at sentencing, overruling prior Circuit precedent to the contrary, and vacating our client’s sentence in pertinent part
(Tex.) – Led a team of associates in drafting an amicus brief regarding the availability of pretrial writs for habeas corpus for detainees asserting constitutional challenges to arrests pursuant to Operation Lone Star
Education
Admissions
Client Alerts
Pro Bono at Vinson & Elkins: Lawyers Changing Lives
Pro Bono Counsel Parker Cragg reflects on a life dedicated to service, returning to Vinson & Elkins, and wisdom he has picked up along the way.
October 20, 2025 • V&E+ Values
October 20, 2025 • 6-minute read
Media Coverage
Parker Cragg Featured in Texas Bar Journal’s Pro Bono Spotlight
Vinson & Elkins Pro Bono Counsel Parker Cragg was featured in the October 2026 issue of the Texas Bar Journal’s …
October 2, 2026
October 2, 2026 • 1-minute read
Firm News
Vinson & Elkins Represents BBBSTX in Merger with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas
Vinson & Elkins represented Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star (BBBSTX) on a pro bono basis in connection with its …
April 13, 2026
April 13, 2026 • 2-minute read
Firm News
Vinson & Elkins and Hill Wellford Recognized for Outstanding Pro Bono Service
The American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service has recognized Vinson & Elkins and Partner …
February 10, 2026
February 10, 2026 • 1-minute read
Deals & Cases
Vinson & Elkins Secures $94 Million Jury Verdict for Huntsman Corporation
On April 29, 2022, a team of Vinson & Elkins trial attorneys secured an approximately $94 million jury verdict for Huntsman Corporation, a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals, in connection with the Company’s long-running court battle against Praxair/Linde, one of the industrial gas suppliers to Huntsman’s Geismar, Louisiana methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) manufacturing site.
May 5, 2022
May 5, 2022 • 2-minute read
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