Thank you to the 26 writers who submitted entries to the Texas Bar Journal Short Story Contest this year.
Author names were removed from entries before being submitted to judges in order to keep the contest fair and impartial. 
Two panels of judges faced the challenging task of selecting the winners, and for each round the same evaluation form was used for consistency. Ten entries advanced to the final round, which was judged by Pamela Buchmeyer, of Dallas and Jupiter, Florida; last year’s winner, Caryn L. Carson, of Dallas and Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Mike Farris, of Dallas.
The winner, “Home,” by Brian Schmidt, earned the highest number of points.
Please congratulate these attorney-authors for making it through the competitive first round of judging to the finals.
“Home,” by Brian Schmidt (first place)
“Wrecked It,” by Robin Harris (second place; tie)
“Hattie,” by Terri B. Moore (second place; tie)
“The Other Side of the Room,” by Michael E. Jimerson
“The Partners’ Meeting,” by Ron Uselton
“The Same Place,” by Kevin Faulkner
“Forty-Five Years,” by Sohail “Ali” Hasanali
“Duck Hunting In Winter,” by Elizabeth Furlow
“All Things Being Equal,” by Frank Gonynor
“It’s 3 AM. Do You Know Who You Are?,” by Erane LaSusa
Here’s an excerpt from “Home”:
“His arm was hurting less now. The old lawyer had found his favorite chair that Judge Sloan kept near the outdoor entrance to his courthouse chambers. These days, he would find himself gravitating to it for at least a few minutes. He liked to greet the young judge who also liked to get an early start. On some days, he just liked to sit outside and watch over the East Texas courthouse lawn as the perfectly manicured grass remained still and undisturbed.”
The entire story, along with the two second-place winning entries, will be published in the June issue of the Texas Bar Journal.