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

The Appellate Sections of the State Bar of Texas and the Austin Bar Association are sponsoring a program entitled “An Evening with the Texas Supreme Court” on Thursday, April 26, 2012, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel here in Austin. CLE credit (1.5 hours, .50 ethics) has been approved.

The event will feature a panel discussion with Chief Justice Jefferson and Justices Hecht, Medina, Green, Guzman, Johnson, Willett, and Lehrmann. A cocktail reception with the justices will follow.

Register by mailing a $25 check payable to “Civil Appellate Section" to Matthew Ploeger at Vinson & Elkins LLP, 2801 Via Fortuna, Suite 100, Austin, Texas 78746, no later than April 20, 2012. You may also reserve a space by emailing mploeger@velaw.com and paying $30 at the door.

If you have topics you would like to see addressed or specific questions for the justices, please email them to todd@appealsplus.com.

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Best thing about being a lawyer: Being able to help the construction community and frequently dealing with interesting and cutting-edge legal issues that affect the construction industry.

If you could be anyone else for a day, who would it be? Jimmy Buffett – I have always wanted to fly fish off the wing of an amphibious plane that I just landed in a remote bay.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing attorneys today? Dealing with society’s negative perception of lawyers and the services they provide

If you weren't an attorney, what profession do you think you would be in? I would likely be a contractor, building either offshore drilling rigs/vessels or custom homes.

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by Bree Buchanan

Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers (TLCL), a volunteer organization associated with the State Bar of Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP), helps those in the legal profession who are experiencing difficulties because of alcohol and/or substance abuse, depression, anxiety and other mental health issues. As part of this effort, TLCL is hosting its 23rd Annual Convention on June 1 – 3, 2012, at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk Hotel in San Antonio.

Opportunities for socializing will be plentiful! The event starts on Friday evening with a speaker and ice cream social. Saturday will begin with a welcome from State Bar President, Bob Black, followed by presentations (CLE credit for up to eight hours is pending) and an evening banquet and keynote speaker. A highlight of the dinner is the presentation of the Ralph Mock Award to a TLCL member who exemplifies the mission of the TLCL program. The weekend’s events will conclude with a brunch. Registration is $220 and early bird room rates are $109 per night.  Scholarships are available to those who cannot pay the registration fee and hotel cost.

Registration forms can be found at www.texasbar.com/tlap. For more information, please contact TLAP staff, Cameron Vann or Bree Buchanan, at 1-800-343-8527.

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Election 2012 online voting for State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) presidents-elect will begin April 2 and end May 1. Paper ballots will be mailed April 2.

The State Bar Board of Directors approved the nominations of E. Steve Bolden, II of Dallas and Lisa Tatum of San Antonio as State Bar president-­elect candidates. The TYLA Board of Directors approved the nominations of Shivali Sharma of Texarkana and Kristy Sims Piazza of Plano as TYLA president-elect candidates.

To view the candidates' bios, please visit www.texasbar.com/elections.

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This month, the Texas Bar Journal examines the efforts of the Texas Supreme Court-appointed Texas Court Records Preservation Task Force to build awareness of the importance of preserving the state's vast collection of historical court documents. In addition, we look at the issue of recovering stolen Texas court documents, provide document preservation tips, and highlight the work of the State Bar of Texas Archives Department. We also introduce the 2012-13 State Bar President-elect candidates, Steve Bolden of Dallas and Lisa Tatum of San Antonio, and the 2012-13 Texas Young Lawyers Association President-elect candidates, Kristy Sims Piazza of Plano and Shivali Sharma of Texarkana.

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