Bree Buchanan, a national leader in the movement to address substance abuse and mental health issues in the legal profession, is retiring October 31 as director of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) of the State Bar of Texas. Staff attorney Chris Ritter will succeed her as director of the program. Buchanan will continue as … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas is accepting expressions of interest to serve on committees for the upcoming bar year. Please fill out this form by December 7, 2018, to express interest in serving on a State Bar committee beginning in the 2019-2020 bar year, which starts June 1, 2019. Information provided in this form will be submitted … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Joe K. Longley sent the following message to members on Friday. Dear Member, The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and its Executive Committee held meetings today in Austin. I’m writing to update you on some of the major developments from the meetings. Committee Review Subcommittee Formed … Continue Reading
The Association for Continuing Legal Education (ACLEA) has awarded TexasBarCLE one of only 16 annual awards granted to competitors representing more than 300 organizations. ACLEA members are professionals in the fields of continuing legal education and legal publishing. The annual ACLEA’s Best Awards are highly competitive, and winning projects represent the highest level of achievement … Continue Reading
The Texas Young Lawyers Association and young lawyer affiliates in Dallas and San Antonio earned national awards August 3 at the 2018 American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Chicago. TYLA, the public service arm of the State Bar of Texas, was recognized with 2017-2018 ABA Young Lawyers Division Awards of Achievement in the public service … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas was presented a prestigious 2018 Harrison Tweed Award on August 3 at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Chicago. The Harrison Tweed Award recognizes bar associations that have made extraordinary efforts to improve the availability of civil legal services or indigent defense services to people living in poverty. Named … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Joe K. Longley sent the following message to members on July 19. Dear Member, I am writing to let you know that the Board of Directors is seeking candidates for the 2019 president-elect race, which will take place April 1-30. Whether you are interested in running as a … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas recently relaunched the State Bar of Texas Podcast—conversations and curated content to improve your law practice. The monthly show features news and discussions relevant to the legal profession, from the latest industry trends and caselaw to practice tips and State Bar programs. Host Rocky Dhir, attorney and CEO of Dallas-based … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors voted unanimously Wednesday to elect Ross Fischer of Austin as general counsel to the board. Fischer is an attorney with the Gober Group who specializes in legislative and campaign law, professional ethics, and government integrity matters. His clients include elected officials, candidates, trade associations, political committees, local … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Thursday. Earlier this week, the Supreme Court of Texas amended Article IV of the State Bar Rules to implement changes to the bar’s election process designed to ensure fairness and a level playing field among all candidates. The rules … Continue Reading
Houston lawyers have elected Carmen Roe to represent them on the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. Roe faced Courtney T. Carlson in a runoff election for the District 4, Place 5 seat on the board after none of three candidates received a majority of the vote in a general election that ended May … Continue Reading
TexasBarBooks Online is the technology-based solution for lawyers looking to leverage the value of TexasBarBooks’ practice manuals at a more affordable entry point. Featuring the same authoritative content of the print and digital download versions, the monthly and annual subscriptions to online versions allow greater flexibility for those needing material in a specific practice area … Continue Reading
Since 1949, May has been observed as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States. For the legal profession, mental health has become an increasingly important topic. A report released in 2016 by the American Bar Association Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation brought to light some staggering statistics: lawyers … Continue Reading
A prudent lawyer would no doubt avoid communicating sensitive client information in a crowded room where bystanders would be able to hear the conversation. However, in the rapidly changing technological landscape, the reasonable steps necessary to ensure lawyer-client communications are truly private are often less intuitive. So what steps should a lawyer take before hitting … Continue Reading
Houston attorney Laura Gibson was chosen to be chair-elect of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors during the board’s meeting in Fort Worth on Friday. Gibson will take office during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting to be held June 21-22 in Houston. She will serve as chair until June 2019. Read … Continue Reading
Veterans across Texas were honored at the Champions for Justice Gala Benefitting Veterans on April 25. More than $404,000 was raised to provide civil legal services to low-income Texas veterans at the event. The gala, co-sponsored by the Texas Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Texas, was held at the AT&T Executive Education … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following column also appears in the April 2018 issue of the Texas Bar Journal. As I write this column, we’ve just received the final reports from the State Bar of Texas’ 2017 fiscal year internal audit. The auditors found no areas of noncompliance. In fact, the findings are quite positive. The CPA … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas membership department reminds Texas lawyers that they can receive their annual membership statements in a fast and convenient way by signing up for e-billing before April 12. Lawyers who choose e-billing will receive their annual membership dues statement by email shortly after May 1, with a direct link to the State … Continue Reading
The University of Houston Law Alumni Association honored State Bar of Texas Board of Directors Chair Rehan Alimohammad with its annual Diversity and Inclusion Award on February 17 at the association’s 42nd Annual Law Gala and Auction. Alimohammad received the award in recognition of significant achievement toward developing a more diverse and inclusive legal community. … Continue Reading
Texas attorneys will choose between Lisa Blue of Dallas and Randy Sorrels of Houston in the race for the next president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. The State Bar Board of Directors today approved their nominations as president-elect candidates during its quarterly meeting in San Antonio. Also, the Texas Young Lawyers Association recently nominated … Continue Reading
We all know that an attorney has a duty to protect confidential client information, but it’s easy to forget that duty when posting on social media or responding to online reviews related to a lawyer’s services. The proper analysis under the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct will involve Rule 1.05, which generally defines the … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following column also appears in the January 2018 issue of the Texas Bar Journal. Did you know that the State Bar of Texas will soon have one of the largest legal incubators anywhere? And that the program is helping not only new attorneys but also people who normally can’t afford legal services? The … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Monday. I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season so far. Please read below for updates on the State Bar budget and other news. Good Financial Stewards I’m pleased to report that, under the leadership of our new Executive Director … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following column also appears in the December 2017 issue of the Texas Bar Journal. As I write this column, I’m busy winding down my 35-year practice as a Galveston County trial lawyer. By the time you receive this issue of the Texas Bar Journal, I will have assumed the job as executive … Continue Reading
