The Merianne Gaston Award for Excellence in Legal Support

This award recognizes a legal support professional whose conduct, commitment, and actions demonstrate extraordinary dedication to the legal profession. The award is named in honor of Merianne Gaston, who worked for over 30 years at the State Bar of Texas. She served the Texas Bar College from 2009 until her retirement in 2018, first as Managing Director and then as Executive Director. Merianne dedicated her entire career to promoting the importance of continuing legal education and improving the quality and content of the programing.

2020 Recipient – Emily Walterscheid

Emily, Chief Paralegal at Matthew Harris Law, PLLC, in Lubbock, Texas, has fourteen years of experience in the legal profession.

She has been a member of the State Bar of Texas Paralegal Division since 2014 and a member of the College of the State Bar Paralegal Division since 2015. She has been a member of NALS for eight years. She has held almost every office and either chaired or served on every committee for the Lubbock Legal Professionals Association. She currently serves as a state officer for Texas ALP. Additionally, she volunteers her time at the national level on several boards.

Matthew Harris Law, PLLC, currently has five attorneys whom Emily works with on a daily basis. They handle Business Law, Civil Litigation, Family Law, and Estate and Probate cases.

Emily received her PP and CLP certifications from NALS in 2014. She graduated with Honors from American Military University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies. She is currently working on her Master’s Degree in Paralegal Studies from National Juris University, and plans to graduate in April 2021. She was awarded the Lubbock County Young Lawyer’s Liberty Bell Award in 2019. In 2015 she was awarded the Lubbock Legal Professionals Association Legal Professional of the Year. She has been awarded the Lubbock Legal Professionals Association’s Rookie, Mentor, and Inspiration of the Year awards as well.

Although highly active in the legal field, Emily’s heart and soul is her family. She serves on the board of the local PTA for her children’s school and is on the board for Guns Up Volleyball Club in Lubbock. In 2015 and 2016 Emily played football for the Alzheimer’s Football League to help raise funds for research and to raise awareness of this disease.

Past Recipients