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

The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) presented awards to winners of the 2011 Law Day and YouTube contests. State Bar President Terry Tottenham and TYLA Vice President David Courreges presented the awards, with prizes ranging from $50 to $1,000.

The national Law Day theme was “The Legacy of John Adams: From Boston to Guantanamo.” Participants of the YouTube contest were asked to create a 30-second video in the style of a public service announcement on the topic of how lawyers have made a difference in our society. Read the press release for full details.

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The State Bar of Texas and the Texas Young Lawyers Association invited local bar associations and young lawyer affiliates to participate in the statewide Law Day contests.

We had many talented entries this year and are excited to recognize our winners on Monday, May 9, 2011 at the Texas Law Center in Austin. The theme celebrated this year was The Legacy of John Adams, From Boston to Guantanamo.

Click here for the list of winners [pdf].

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The State Bar of Texas is asking local bar associations around Texas to encourage students in their communities to participate in the 2011 Law Day program. Students in grades K-12 are asked to “explore how lawyers in the past and present have promoted justice by defending unpopular clients.”

The State Bar of Texas will celebrate Law Day on Monday, May 9, at the Texas Law Center in Austin. The deadline for all submissions is Friday, April 1, 2011. Get the full details and an entry form [PDF]

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Thanks to all who entered our first-ever Twitter novel contest. We asked attorneys to write a novel in 140 characters or less, and received 189 valid entries. We even received coverage on the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.

The winning entrant was Casey Burgess of Dallas, with this tweet:

"Swirling death, the dark cloud descends. As he runs for his cellar, the farmer learns that sometimes pigs can fly."

Casey won our grand prize, an Apple iPad.

In second place was Mark I. Unger of San Antonio (@miunger), with: 

"SheWalkedIn iFell @Love #WeDid RT@PookieBorn Birthdays MortgAge WorkLate GirlsTrip BikerDude FaceBookPics iFiled SheWalkedOut"

And our third-place winner was Ron Uselton of Sherman, with: 

"Wanted: wife's killer. Apply in person."

We were happy to have all three finalists at our awards ceremony during the Adaptable Lawyer track at the 2010 State Bar Annual Meeting.

Big thanks to Michael P. Maslanka for giving us the idea and for serving as a judge, and to our other judges, Chad Baruch, Michelle Cheng, Amanda Ellis, Thane Rosenbaum, Dom Sagolla, and Christine Son.

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The State Bar of Texas would like to congratulate the 2010 Law Day contest winners! Download a list of the winners (pdf).

The theme for the contest this year was Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges.

The first, second, and third-place winners of the statewide contest in each category have been invited to the State Bar of Texas Law Day Luncheon on Friday, April 30, 2010. The luncheon will be hosted by the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Young Lawyers Association, where awards will be presented to the winners.

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Do you know a budding writer, artist, or photographer? The State Bar, along with the Texas Young Lawyers Association, is inviting students grade K-12 to show off their skills by entering the 2010 Law Day editorial, photography, and poster contests. 

The theme of this year's Law Day is "Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges." Judges are looking for essays, photographs, and posters that creatively describe or depict how the modern world is changing the way we practice law. All entries should be submitted to your local bar association or young lawyer affiliate. Winners may receive up to $1000 in prizes, plus an invitation to the State Bar of Texas Law Day Luncheon on Friday, April 30th. The deadline for all contests is April 1st.

More information on the contests is available here. To contact your local bar association, check out the State Bar's Local Bar Services.

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What Ernest Hemingway reportedly considered to be his best work was also his briefest. To settle a bar bet, the story goes, Hemingway was challenged to write a complete novel in only six words. The result? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Texas Bar Journal, and the 2010 State Bar Annual Meeting Legal Innovation Track: The Adaptable Lawyer will challenge you to write your own brief work of fiction — but with a modern twist: 140-character, Twitter-ready novels. The grand-prize winner will receive an Apple iPad, as well as special recognition at the 2010 State Bar Annual Meeting, during a breakfast featuring LexBlog, Inc. CEO and Twitter guru Kevin O'Keefe. Look for details in the March issue of the Texas Bar Journal.

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Submissions for the 2009 Texas Bar Journal Short Story Fiction Writing Contest were supposed to be postmarked no later than than March 1, 2009. Apparently, the crack team of editors at the magazine failed to notice that March 1 is a Sunday, so you can have an extra day. That gives you a full weekend to search frantically for that long-lost manuscript or start writing a new tale. Postmark your entry by Monday, March 2, and your story may appear in the June 2009 issue of the Texas Bar Journal. Click here for the entry form.

Still not inspired? Read the winning entries from 2008 or listen to audio versions of those stories. Then, slam a couple of cappuccinos and start typing!

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We're calling on Texans of all ages to enter our 2008-2009 YouTube video contest, "Ideals That Unite Us." This is part of our public education campaign on the importance of the justice system.

What are the ideals that unite us as citizens of this country? Tell us in a three-minute-or-less video and you could win one of three $2,500 prizes. All are invited to enter, including groups like classrooms and law firms. We know Texans are a creative bunch, so give it a shot.

Rules and details are here, entries are due March 16

Call for entries: 

Last year's People's Choice: 

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