Starting today through April 14, the State Bar of Texas is conducting the 2013 Texas Attorney Survey to provide attorneys information on the economics of the practice of law.… Continue Reading
A man who robbed a Houston bank as a teen seeks redemption for his past. A pair of same-sex couples takes their case for legal recognition to the nation's highest court with help from two eminent attorneys. An East Texas landowner and a group of activists try to defy the odds and stop the Keystone XL pipeline. These and other real-life stories found a home on screen as part of the 2014 South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival, which took place March 7-15 in Austin.… Continue Reading
Telling the story of landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases often means poring through personal diaries and legal filings and--if you're not too late--jogging the memories of those who lived it. For Ben Cotner and Ryan White, directors of the new documentary The Case Against 8, it meant turning on a camera and watching events unfold.… Continue Reading
Darius Clark Monroe stood inside a New York bank feeling panicked, overcome with an irrational fear he would be robbed. The NYU film student was in no physical danger, but inside he felt crushed by the weight of his past.… Continue Reading
Only a few days remain to enroll in health coverage during the 2014 open enrollment period in the Texas Bar Private Insurance Exchange. Annual enrollment is scheduled to close on March 31.… Continue Reading
Elderly citizens who meet income guidelines can receive simple wills and basic medical directives at a free event sponsored by the Houston Bar Association's Elder Law Committee.… Continue Reading
It was 1912. Nellie Gray Robertson was smart, tough, and tenacious. The youngest of six children, she wanted to make her mark on the world. She vowed to become independent and support herself with a career.… Continue Reading
Ethical dilemmas can arise in all areas of law, but the entertainment field can be fraught with them. If they're not careful, attorneys can run afoul of rules governing the attorney-client relationship, conflicts of interest, attorney compensation, and simultaneous representation, among others, speakers said Friday during a South by Southwest continuing legal education session.… Continue Reading
The major law governing copyright in the U.S. will turn 38 this year. An update meant to modernize the law for the digital age took effect during the Clinton administration. Technology hasn't stopped evolving since then, of course, and many--including officials at the U.S. Copyright Office--say a comprehensive revision is due.… Continue Reading
Part I: Cool Things v. Consumer Privacy, Filming Unsuspecting Subjects, and Streaming Pay Scales By the end of South by Southwest 2014—held in Austin from March 7 to March 16—attorneys were referring to the festival’s official legal program as “Camp CLE.” Like the much larger SXSW spectacle, the CLE room was full of lawyers from … Continue Reading
I am so grateful that my life is headed in a positive direction. Actually, it has been headed in that direction for a few years, slowly, one day at a time, but it took a while for me to get some real traction.… Continue Reading
The Houston Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Houston Bar Association, recently announced its annual awards for pro bono service, volunteerism, and legal writing.… Continue Reading
Music and law experts explain how to reuse original compositions while staying in the legal clear. The take-away from the South by Southwest Music Festival panel titled “Remixing, Mashups, and Copyright Law,” was to play it safe when creating derivative musical works. Panelists included Christiane Kinney, musician and partner in the LeClairRyan law firm’s Los … Continue Reading
With the option to hide behind avatars, handles, and screen names, people can be downright mean, even libelous, while communicating online. When defamatory statements are published online and a victim chooses to take action, who is to blame? For websites like Tumblr and Twitter, which provide outlets for anyone with a username to publish content, … Continue Reading
South by Southwest has a tradition of encouraging innovators to push the tech envelope. But with new developments come new legal questions, and technology often moves faster than the legislative process. During the opening days of SXSW Interactive, tech and law experts converged to discuss some of the legal issues currently at play regarding tech … Continue Reading
The latest episode of the Voices of Recovery podcast explores one Texas lawyer’s struggles with clinical depression. The episode, Depression’s Black Hole, is available now from the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program. The monthly podcast, launched in February, features Texas attorneys’ personal stories of fighting and overcoming problems with substance abuse and mental health issues. The Texas … Continue Reading
South by Southwest started as a music festival, but attorneys know the event, which has morphed into much more and includes film and interactive tracks, is also a great place to network and learn more about emerging legal issues. The 2014 festival schedule is filled with continuing legal education (CLE) and other law-related sessions, and … Continue Reading
In response to her father's struggle with homelessness, Jessica Crute looked for a way to make a positive impact in the lives of those who are without a home in Harris County. With a mission to promote education and advocacy through public art projects and collaborations within the community, Crute sought out legal assistance in obtaining 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for the nonprofit Voice of the Homeless.… Continue Reading
The Municipal Judges Section of the State Bar of Texas is accepting nominations for its Judge Michael L. O’Neal Outstanding Jurist Award. Now in its 15th year, this accolade is named in honor of the former chair of the State Commission on Judicial Conduct who helped write the ethics rules for the judiciary. Judge O’Neal … Continue Reading
Inside: We explore changes facing the legal profession in Texas, from spotlighting two law schools, one with a new name and one seeking ABA accreditation, that discuss how they plan to help reshape the way future generations of lawyers learn and practice; to hearing from a third-year law student struggling to find work. We examine … Continue Reading
