Posted inNews

CLEAR Law Student and Lawyer Survey open through March 7

The Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA) want to hear from law students and practicing attorneys across the country about their law school and legal experience.

Your perspective will help inform the Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR) as it works to develop recommendations to improve bar admissions, ensure practice readiness of newly admitted attorneys, and pathways into public service.

This survey is anonymous, and your identity and individual response will not be shared. This survey should take 15 to 20 minutes, and your responses will be saved if you exit before completion. Go here to take the survey. This survey will close on March 7, 2025.

For more information about CLEAR, go to ncsc.org/consulting-and-research/areas-of-expertise/access-to-justice/clear.

 

Posted inEthics

Professional Ethics Committee seeks public comments on proposed ethics opinions

The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinions: 

Proposed Opinion 2024-3 (Revised) (comment deadline 4/11/2025): 

May in-house counsel for a for-profit company owned by nonlawyers provide legal services to customers of the company if the company gives the customers the option of retaining the in-house counsel and only charges the “actual cost” incurred by the company? 

Proposed Opinion 2025-1 (comment deadline 4/12/2025): 

  1. May a Texas lawyer agree to be bound by a non-disparagement clause in a client settlement agreement?
  1. May a Texas lawyer agree to be bound by a non-disclosure clause in a client settlement agreement, whereby the lawyer agrees not to reveal confidential information related to the representation for marketing purposes?

Go here to read the proposed opinions and provide comments.

Posted inSponsored Content

Sponsored Content: How to Select a Backup Attorney

If you are a solo attorney, you need to have a designated backup attorney, if for no other reason than to enable you to take a true vacation now and again. Of course, doing so can also make sure that your client’s interests are protected in case of an unforeseen circumstance such as an illness or accident that necessitates some time away from your practice. In short, designating a backup attorney is all about ensuring continuity of service, maintaining client trust, upholding your professional responsibilities, and taking care of yourself.
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Posted inNews

State Bar board to meet January 24 in Austin

The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. on January 24 at the Texas Law Center in Austin. The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast live on the State Bar of Texas YouTube channel

The meeting agenda is available here. Among the agenda items, the board will consider and discuss approval of the State Bar’s 2025-2026 proposed budget for publication in the Texas Bar Journal and approval of candidates for 2025-2026 president-elect candidacy. 

Those who wish to address the board in person during the meeting should fill out a speaker card at the beginning of the meeting and submit it to a staff member onsite. To sign up to speak remotely during the meeting, email boardofdirectors@texasbar.com or call 512-427-1400 or 800-204-2222 (toll free) before 5 p.m. CST on Thursday, January 23. Please provide the agenda item number you wish to speak on. 

Written comments regarding agenda items must be received by 5 p.m. CST on Monday, January 20, for timely distribution to the board before the meeting. Please submit written comments by email to boardofdirectors@texasbar.com and indicate the agenda item you are referring to. 

Posted inNews

Vicki D. Blanton to serve as 2025 Dallas Bar Association president

The Dallas Bar Association (DBA) will host the inauguration of its 116th president, Vicki D. Blanton, on January 25 at the Dallas Omni Hotel. Blanton, assistant vice president and senior legal counsel for AT&T Inc., has been on the DBA Board of Directors for many years and has served on a variety of DBA committees and sections. She is a past chair of the J.L. Turner Legal Association Foundation Board and a past co-chair of the Equal Access to Justice campaign, which raises funds for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. After earning her Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, Blanton received her JD from Southern Methodist University School of Law in 1991.

Other officers serving on the DBA Board of Directors are President-elect Jonathan Childers, of Lynn Pinker Hurst & Schwegmann; First Vice President Sarah Rogers, of Thompson Coe; Second Vice President Stephanie Gause Culpepper, of Lument; Secretary/Treasurer Javier Perez, of Crain Brogdon; and Immediate Past President Bill Mateja, of Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton.

For more information about the DBA, go to dallasbar.org.

Photo courtesy of the Dallas Bar Association.

Posted inSponsored Content

Sponsored Content: Billing Language Samples and Strategies for Attorneys

Effective billing language is crucial for attorneys to maintain a positive client experience, avoid payment disputes, and foster transparency in billing practices. In this guide, we’ll provide sample language for fee agreements and tips to ensure a seamless billing process.
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Posted inPodcast

State Bar of Texas Podcast: Breaking barriers—the 100-year legacy of women on the Supreme Court of Texas

State Bar of Texas PodcastIn this episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast, host Rocky Dhir welcomes Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod and Sharon Sandle to learn how Texas became the first state to have an all-woman high court in the United States. They discuss the surprising series of events that led to the appointment of female judges, the challenges faced by the legal trailblazers, and much more.
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Posted inTexas Bar FoundationTexas Young Lawyers Association

Texas Young Lawyers Association receives $45,000 grant from Texas Bar Foundation

The Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) received a $45,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation to create a website aimed at educating prospective law students on the law school process from start to finish, according to a press release.

Expected to launch this spring, the website will break down barriers faced by nontraditional and first-time law students by providing practical information on all aspects of legal education in videos and texts featuring experts from law schools across the state, according to a press release. Topics will include the law school applications process, pre-admissions tests (e.g., the LSAT), financing costs, first semester challenges, the Socratic method law professors use, extracurriculars, bar exam prep, and legal careers.

For more information about TYLA and its educational websites, go to tyla.org/resources/general-public/.

Posted inLaw SchoolsNews

Reynaldo Anaya Valencia named president and dean of South Texas College of Law Houston

Reynaldo “Rey” Anaya Valencia has been named president and dean of South Texas College of Law Houston, according to a press release. Valencia will assume his new role in July 2025.

Interim President and Dean Jeff Rensberger will continue to lead the law school through the spring academic semester and work to ensure a smooth transition to Valencia in the summer.

“I greatly appreciate the mission and values at South Texas Law and the law school’s strong tradition of excellence and community culture,” Valencia said in a press release. “My life is a testament to the power and impact of a formal education as the first in my family to go to college and to earn a law degree. I am deeply humbled and honored to be the first Hispanic and the first person of color appointed to this position.”

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Posted inAmerican Bar AssociationNews

ABA Hispanic commission announces inaugural Impacto Award

Betty Balli Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, and civil rights attorney Danny Ortega are the 2025 recipients of the inaugural Impacto Award, sponsored by the American Bar Association Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities.

The award will be presented January 31 at the Diversity Awards Reception during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, according to a press release.

The Impacto Award honors an individual or organization that has impacted efforts to remove the significant legal, socio-economic, linguistic, and other barriers to social justice and civic engagement facing Latinos in the U.S.

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