The State Bar of Texas’ Membership Department was informed in May 2021 of the deaths of these members. We join the officers and directors of the State Bar in expressing our deepest sympathy.
State Bar of Texas Appellate Section seeks nominations for Texas Appellate Hall of Fame
The State Bar of Texas Appellate Section is accepting nominations for the Texas Appellate Hall of Fame.
The hall of fame posthumously honors advocates and judges who made a lasting mark on appellate practice in Texas.
Nominations should include the nominator’s contact information, the nominee’s bio or CV, the nominee’s photo if available, and all the reasons for the nominations (including unique contributions to the practice of appellate law in Texas). The more comprehensive the nomination materials, the better. All material will be sent to the voting trustees for consideration.
Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman announces intent to resign effective June 11
Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman announced her intent to resign effective June 11, 2021, to Gov. Greg Abbott. She is the court’s senior justice, having served for 22 years.
Posted inSponsored Content
Sponsored Content: Travel Inspires Law Career for SMU Spanish for Legal Professionals Professor
Many language students and professors travel for their studies. Not all find inspiration for seeking a second career in the legal field.
Miroslava “Mira” Detcheva, a Senior Lecturer in Spanish in SMU’s Department of World Languages and Literatures, was inspired to pursue a second career in law while studying in Mexico and traveling throughout Latin America. With a graduate degree in international relations and diplomacy, focusing on Spanish and Latin American Studies, earning a law degree seemed like a logical next step.
“Throughout my entire academic career, I consistently combined language and political studies. My background in international politics and knowledge of several languages and cultures inspired me to pursue a career in immigration law,” Mira Detcheva said.
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TYLA seeks lawyers to judge virtual State Moot Court Competition
The Texas Young Lawyers Association is seeking volunteers to judge the virtual State Moot Court Competition preliminary rounds. Seven law school teams from across the state will compete in the competition on June 15-17 via Zoom. Continue Reading
Posted inLaw Firms and Legal Departments
Scams continue to target Texas attorneys
Update 6/4/2021: We received reports of two more scams. One was similar to the scam we reported on March 30th. A Texas attorney received an email purportedly from an out of country/out of state individual saying that he had obtained the attorney’s name through “the Bar Referral Services” and asked for help with a contact dispute. When the attorney asked for more information on the nature of the dispute, they received an email from “Buvant Construction Group LLC” stating that the dispute was with “Fastenal Company, United States” concerning an unfulfilled order. The attorney looked into “Buvant” and found that this is a known scam.
The other report was from an attorney who was the target of a farm equipment scam. Read the details about the scam from the attorney. Continue Reading
Can a creditor or debt collector seize your social security or similar benefits?
Money is a powerful thing that can help you build your business and improve your lifestyle. But if you misuse it, it can create problems around you and obstruct your financial growth.
Stories of Recovery: The solution
Editor’s note: TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call or text TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) or find more information at tlaphelps.org.
My story starts in high school where I was introduced to drugs and alcohol. Where it went off the rails was the fall of my college freshman year. I went to a party with someone I just met where I was publicly sexually assaulted. I didn’t tell anyone and instead fell into a deep pit of drugs, alcohol, and an eating disorder. These self-destructive behaviors were easy solutions to push away my anxiety, fears, and self-loathing. At this point, I was blackout drinking most weekends. After graduation it got worse. At this point, my drug use was a daily struggle. Cocaine got me out of bed and kept me skinny. I had surrounded myself with a group of people where this was acceptable behavior until I started law school and met someone with a similar past. She showed me that there was another way. I started attending AA with her because I knew I couldn’t keep living this way. I knew I needed to stop drugs, but alcohol was harder for me to see the problem. I have learned that is part of my disease. Since that time, I have been successful in keeping drugs at bay, but I, like many young lawyers, thought the binge drinking happy hours were just a way of life. In 2006, I woke up in the ER with alcohol poisoning and that shook me. For the next 10 years, I kept my drinking to holidays or special occasions, but still over indulged every time. But I couldn’t have a drinking problem because I wasn’t drinking daily—so I thought.
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Texas Supreme Court issues new COVID-19 order, approves disciplinary rule changes
The Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday issued its 38th Emergency Order of the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, the court permits the modification or suspension of court deadlines and procedures through August 1, 2021. The order permits all courts to hold in-person proceedings, including jury trials, after the adoption of health and safety standards, but encourages all courts to continue to use reasonable efforts to hold proceedings remotely.
The Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday issued its Final Approval and Adoption of Amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. The rule amendments will take effect July 1, 2021.
Texas lawyers voted to approve eight rule change proposals earlier this year. To see the results of that vote go to texasbar.com/rulesvote. The court’s order approves and adopts each of those proposals, as well as interpretive comments, as set forth in the order. Continue Reading
UNT Dallas College of Law 3L student receives scholarship from Thai American Bar Association
Nadda Rungruangphol, a 3L at UNT Dallas College of Law, was selected as the recipient of the inaugural Thai Law Student Scholarship Award from the Thai American Bar Association.