At the General Session Luncheon on June 27, 2014, during the State Bar of Texas’s Annual Meeting in Austin, 2013-2014 State Bar of Texas President Lisa M. Tatum gave her farewell remarks before Trey Apffel, a League City attorney, was sworn in as the 2014-2015 State Bar president. Apffel, surrounded by his family, shared his objectives for the upcoming bar year, including expanding communication tools and outreach projects.
“My goal will be to engage our members in constructive dialogue and connect attorneys to the programs and services that will help make their practices more productive and their lives less stressful,” Apffel said. “We will continue to search for how we can improve an already efficient, effective, and exemplary bar association.”
Apffel, who has previously served on the board of directors of the State Bar of Texas and as a member of the executive committee, among other bar leadership roles, also highlighted the significance of the law in his family and the importance of taking an active role in the profession.
“We must not shy away from speaking out forcefully on issues that affect the profession of law, our practices, or most importantly, the people we represent,” he said. “It is the oath we take as lawyers, and it is the right to access to justice that we defend every day that makes our profession different from any other.”
Following Apffel’s speech, Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, took the stage to present a keynote on the significance of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court school desegregation decision that observes its 60th anniversary this year. Rosen’s talk also touched on some of the legal issues that currently stand before the court, such as same-sex marriage and search warrants for cellphone data.
Additionally, Cindy Tisdale, 2013-2014 State Bar chair of the board, introduced a number of 50-year lawyers, who stood to receive applause. Tisdale also announced three 75-year lawyers: Leroy G. Denman Jr. of San Antonio; Bernard Hirsh of Las Vegas, Nevada; and Milton H. West Jr. of Houston.