Posted inNews

Dallas Bar Association hosts e-clinics in October

By Eric Quitugua on September 30, 2026

Volunteer attorneys will be available to answer legal questions on Wednesdays in October through the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Clinic. The clinics are free of cost to participants.

A volunteer attorney will call a participant for up to 15 minutes of legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be established. Individuals may receive referrals to local, legal, or social service agencies.

Calls from the clinic will remain anonymous. Participants should expect a call from an unknown number labeled “No Caller ID” or something similar. To participate, an online form is available at https://tinyurl.com/DBALegalLine. Registration for e-clinics closes at noon on the Tuesday prior.

Clinics are scheduled for October 7, October 14, October 21, and October 28, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For more information, go to dallasbar.org/?pg=LawyerReferralService.

Posted inUncategorized

Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program hosts free legal clinics in October

By Eric Quitugua on September 29, 2026

The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, an initiative of the Dallas Bar Association, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and local lawyers, is hosting free virtual and in-person legal clinics for eligible Dallas County residents throughout September.

All virtual clinics run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

DVAP and St. Mary’s University School of Law—Thursday, October 1
DVAP and O’Melveny & Myers—Thursday, October 8
DVAP, DLA Piper, and Hunton Andrews Kurth—Thursday, October 15
DVAP and Troutman Pepper Locke—Thursday, October 22
DVAP, Haynes and Boone, and UNT Dallas College of Law—Thursday, October 29

Posted inWork-Life Balance

The Critical Support of Relationships in Lawyer Happiness

By Ted Anderson on September 28, 2026

When I look back on my 40-year career as a trial lawyer and my time as managing partner, certain memories come to me immediately. After one particularly arduous trial victory, my client turned to me speechless except for the tears welling in his eyes. On another occasion after an appellate argument, an associate and I exploded into laughter when we realized I inadvertently wore a brown loafer on one foot and a black lace up shoe on the other. I also remember the concern in the eyes of our staff when the pandemic shut down the courts, which could have been a death knell for a contingency trial practice. I also remember the comforting touch of my wife during the stress of those sleepless nights. At the time, I viewed these moments as isolated memories—nice, human interludes in an otherwise demanding career. Only later did I recognize that they shared a common thread. Each reflected how meaningful relationships bolster a career. It never occurred to me that relationships are a core driver of professional satisfaction.

Posted inAccess to Justice Texas Supreme Court

Texas Access to Justice Foundation receives $26.7 million from Supreme Court of Texas to launch Rural Justice Initiative

By Will Korn on September 25, 2026

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF), the largest state-based funding source for civil legal aid, has received $26.7 million in initial funding from the Supreme Court of Texas to launch the Rural Justice Initiative, a historic multiyear effort that will transform how Texans in rural communities access civil legal services. The initiative will establish a network of 170 rural legal outposts that will create a sustained legal aid presence in communities across the state, according to a press release.

The Rural Justice Initiative is a coordinated effort between seven legal aid organizations, which will form a Rural Justice Coalition that includes Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Lone Star Legal Aid, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, Disability Rights Texas, Family Legal Services of the South Plains, Texas Advocacy Project, and the Texas Legal Services Center. The coalition advances the TAJF’s vision that all Texans should have equal access to justice.

“A strong justice system must be accessible to all Texans, including those who don’t live near metropolitan areas,” Supreme Court of Texas Justice and TAJF Liaison Brett Busby said in a press release. “This investment will help begin the process of bringing legal assistance closer to rural communities and create more opportunities for Texans to access civil legal aid without having to travel far from home. By expanding access in rural communities, we can help ensure that geography is not a barrier to justice in Texas.”

Posted inSponsored Content

The Value of PLM: Pre-Litigation Mediation

By Jerry Zimmerer and Stanley Santire on September 18, 2026

For generations, trial lawyers understood the courthouse as not only a venue for adjudication but also a forum for resolution. Trial judges would order parties to settlement conferences where pragmatic compromise frequently replaced prolonged litigation. (See In Re Caballero, 441 S.W.3d 562 (2014)). This innovation evolved into what we know as mediation, often considered a required stage in litigation and a cornerstone of modem dispute resolution. (See Hernandez v. Telles, 663 S.W.2d 91, 93 (Tex. App. 1983)). From that foundation emerged the movement toward Early Dispute Resolution (EDR) championed by Peter Silverman, Michael Hawash, and Anne Jordan, founders of the EDR Institute. The institute promotes early, economical, and principled resolutions. The central thesis of EDR is to resolve a dispute shortly after, or even before, a lawsuit is filed. Recently, the American Arbitration Association (AAA) adopted up the EDR concept as efficient and effective. To this end, the AAA is utilizing the EDR protocols of the EDR Institute.

Posted inNews

State Bar board to meet September 25 in Austin

By Rebecca Johnson on September 18, 2026

The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will meet at 8 a.m. on September 25 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 agenda can be viewed here. Among the agenda items, the board will discuss solicitation of candidates to serve as chair of the 2027-2028 Board of Directors and consider and discuss approval of the Discipline & Client Attorney Assistance Committee recommendation regarding the Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda’s proposed changes to Texas Rule of Disciplinary Procedure 2.12.

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. CDT on Thursday, September 24. Please provide the agenda item number you wish to speak on.

Written comments regarding agenda items must be received by 5 p.m. CDT on Friday, September 18, 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 inSponsored Content

Look to the States—the Overlooked Power of State Constitutions

By State Bar of Texas Staff on September 8, 2026

In this episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast, host Rocky Dhir welcomes U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton to explore the often-overlooked role of state constitutions in American law. After passing the bar, attorneys take an oath to uphold not only the U.S. Constitution, but also their state constitution as well. But how well do lawyers understand the rights and protections found in their own state constitution, and how often do they put them to work in their legal practice. Sutton shares practical examples of how state constitutional provisions can shape legal arguments and outcomes and explains why attorneys should look beyond federal law when advocating for clients.

Posted inPodcast

Will AI Send Clients to Your Firm?

By State Bar of Texas Staff on September 3, 2026

In this episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast, host Rocky Dhir welcomes marketing professionals Amanda Sexton and Zack McKamie to discuss effective marketing strategies for law firms. They talk about SEO tactics and what lawyers need to know about developing an advertising approach that makes sense for their individual law firm. Later, they take a deep dive into the ethics of lawyer marketing, AI considerations, social media usages, and much more.