State Bar of Texas Blog : State Bar of Texas Blog : News & Features on Lawyers & Attorneys & Legal Professionals in Austin, Dallas, Houston & TX

The audience at the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s “Slavery Out of the Shadows” event applauds as panelists are introduced. Pictured on the front row, from left, are panelists David Boatright of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Dr. Lawrence Feldman of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, anti-human-trafficking attorney Beth Klein, Texas Assistant Attorney General Geoff Barr, and Terry Lord of WebSafety Inc.

Human trafficking is a major problem in Texas and throughout the United States, and fighting it requires people working together to identify victims and get them the help they need, panelists said Friday during an event at the Texas Supreme Court.

The recent case in Cleveland where three women were rescued after years of captivity is a dramatic reminder of the problem—and an example of how people can help, said Beth Klein, a Colorado-based, anti-human-trafficking attorney who appeared on the panel. An Ohio man helped save the women by breaking down a door to the house where they had been held.

“Because he took an action that was a little uncomfortable, we have three women (rescued) now who hadn’t seen the light of day in 10 years,” Klein said. “And that’s what I’m talking about. Every one of you has the opportunity to be a real hero.”

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The president of Mongolia’s top lawyers’ association was in Dallas-Fort Worth on Friday for meetings on how to improve the country’s bar and implement its newly adopted Bar Act.

Batsukh Dorjsuren, president of the Association of Mongolian Advocates, held private meetings with legal mentors including Judge Joe Spurlock II, a Texas Wesleyan University law professor who founded and directs the law school’s Asian Judicial Institute, which focuses on educating former communist nations about the rule of law and judicial independence.

Just weeks ago, Mongolia’s national legislature passed a Bar Act based largely on the 1939 act that created an integrated Texas bar, Spurlock said. The Mongolian bar now must write its bylaws and establish committees to carry out the reforms, and Batsukh came to Texas to see how the institute could help.

“This is a big step,” said Spurlock, who has been working with the country to develop an integrated bar system since the mid-1990s. “Now that they’ve got it, they don’t want to lose their momentum.”

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Judge Patrick Higginbotham of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit and Dallas attorney Nina Cortell of Haynes and Boone are being honored as the 2013 recipients of the Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Awards.

The Texas Center for Legal Ethics (TCLE) presents the awards annually to one judge and one attorney who personify the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the field of law. The award is named after former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope, who was first to receive the honor in 2009.

The Pope Awards will be presented at the annual Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Dinner on June 14 in Austin. For more information, contact Bill Pugsley with the Supreme Court Historical Society at tschs@sbcglobal.net.

Read the full press release.

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There will be a run-off election for State Bar of Texas President-elect between Trey Apffel and Steve Fischer. Because a majority of votes was not received by any of the three candidates for president-elect, a run-off election will be held from May 9 through May 23. Rebekah Steely Brooker of Dallas is 2013-2014 president-elect of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA). Read more about the election results.

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Inside: C.E. Rhodes, Priscilla Camacho, Victor Villarreal, and Sam Houston on how they are getting the word out to students about the TYLA project What Do Lawyers Do? Plus: A look at social host liability in Texas, a new book by James L. Haley on the history of the Texas Supreme Court, a video that uses Brady V. Maryland to train law enforcement officers, and tips on how to wow if you land at a solo or small firm after law school. Go to the Texas Bar Journal to read the entire issue. 

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The Champions of Justice Gala benefiting veterans was held on Tuesday, April 23, at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center in Austin. Some of Texas’ most prominent lawyers, members of the Texas Supreme Court, members of the Texas Legislature, and State Bar of Texas leaders gathered for the special event. Texas Access to Justice Commission Chair, Harry Reasoner, thanked them for their continued support to expand access to justice for the underserved.

Guest speakers included Paul Melton, President of Board of Directors of the Department of Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation and Lt. Michael E. Thornton, U.S. Navy Seal (Ret.), Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient.

Lt. Thornton is the only Medal of Honor recipient in over a century to save the life of another Medal of Honor recipient. He reads the U.S. Constitution once a month to ensure he continues to understand its meaning. He thanked the State Bar of Texas and its members for leading the way nationwide to help veterans, and for helping to open the eyes of other state bars about what lawyers can do to help. Lt. Thornton noted how important this mission is to him, “Giving back to the greatest nation in the world that has given me everything in the world.”

Melton spoke about the debt we have to the men and women who are fighting for our country. "We are returning veterans at a faster pace than has been seen since 1945," Melton said. He referred to the people in attendance as the best in the Texas legal profession and emphasized that there is no higher calling than pro bono efforts on behalf of veterans.

The Emily C. Jones Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Stewart W. Gagnon of Fulbright & Jaworski in Houston for his years of pro bono work. Gagnon advocates for the most vulnerable Texans through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers program, veterans’ legal clinics, and legal helplines. Gagnon thanked the Access to Justice Commission for honoring those who rush to help those in need. 

James C. “Jim” Harrington, executive director of the Texas Civil Rights Project in Austin, received the James B. Sales Boots on the Ground award for his singular contributions that have made an extraordinary impact. He has dedicated 40 years to legal service, working tirelessly for equal rights for migrant workers, the handicapped, children’s privacy, and battered women. Harrington said that his clients’ faith in the system gives him the faith to move forward — access to justice is a group effort and all of those in attendance are one community who believe in equal access to justice.

The awards were presented by Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson. Chief Jefferson acknowledged Chief Justice Jack Pope's 100th birthday last week, and noted that Chief Pope is responsible for inaugurating Texas IOLTA.

For more information, please visit www.texasatj.org. 

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The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) invited local bar associations and young lawyer affiliates to participate in the statewide Law Day contest. This year’s Law Day theme was Realizing the Dream: Equality for All. Contest winners will be recognized on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 at the Texas Law Center. The State Bar of Texas and TYLA will host the luncheon and present the awards to the winners. View this year's contest winners [PDF].

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Retired Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Jack Pope, the longest living state chief justice in U.S. history, was honored Thursday by the Texas House of Representatives on his 100th birthday. State Rep. Dan Branch, who was a law clerk for Pope in 1983-84, introduced him at the ceremony and sponsored a resolution celebrating Pope’s life and career.

Other jurists, including current and former members of the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, also attended the afternoon ceremony. Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson spoke at the event, calling Pope “a remarkable jurist and an even more remarkable man.”

Jefferson and Texas Supreme Court Justice Nathan Hecht read numerous letters congratulating Pope on his 100th birthday, including from President Barack Obama, former U.S. presidents, and Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Pope spoke briefly at the event, thanking those in attendance for honoring him.

Pope began his 38-year career as a Texas jurist in 1946 when he was appointed to a district court bench in Nueces County at the age of 33.  In 1950, voters elected him to serve on the San Antonio Court of Civil Appeals. Pope was elected to the Texas Supreme Court in 1964, where he served as a justice and then chief justice, until he retired in 1985.

During his career, Pope had numerous noteworthy accomplishments, including the establishment of formal judicial education for Texas judges, a judicial ethics code, state water rights, and reforming and simplifying how cases are pleaded and tried. 

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The State Bar of Texas has established a disaster legal hotline – 800.504.7030 – to assist people with basic legal questions following the devastating plant explosion in West, Texas.

The hotline – answered in English and Spanish by Lone Star Legal Aid – is intended to help low-income persons affected by the disaster with such issues as replacing lost documents, insurance questions, landlord-tenant issues, and consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the rebuilding process. Residents can call and leave a message any time. People who qualify for assistance will be matched with Texas lawyers who have volunteered to provide free, limited legal help. 

A partnership between the State Bar of Texas, Texas Young Lawyers Association, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, Lone Star Legal Aid, local bar associations, and other legal services providers throughout Texas is making a range of assistance available.

Additional resources are available at www.texasbar.com/disasterresponse and www.texaslawhelp.org.

The State Bar of Texas reminds the public that solicitation of a potential legal case is a crime unless the lawyer has a family relationship with you or you have been a client of the lawyer in the past or are currently a client. Solicitation of you is also a crime if perpetrated by a non-lawyer employee or representative of the lawyer, unless the previous conditions exist. Please report any prohibited contacts by lawyers or their representatives, whether in person, telephone or otherwise, to your local law enforcement authority or the State Bar of Texas at 877.953.5535.

Attorneys who want to volunteer to help may visit our Disaster Relief and Attorney Resources page.

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