In a combined election and referendum, Texas attorneys elected Santos Vargas of San Antonio to be president-elect of the State Bar of Texas and approved all 12 proposed disciplinary rule amendments. Vargas received 52.06%—10,925—of the 20,986 votes cast during the monthlong voting period that closed at 5 p.m. CDT today. His opponent, Denise Scofield of … Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission, along with its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, raised $565,850 to help provide civil legal services to low-income Texas veterans during the Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans on April 25 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin. Proceeds from the gala will be distributed by … Continue Reading
The SMU Dedman School of Law team of Matthew Mussalli (3L), Jordon B.V. Smith (3L), and Johanna Pang (2L) won the American Bar Association’s 2024 National Appellate Advocacy Competition held April 7 in Philadelphia. The team, coached by SMU Adjunct Professors Lance Caughfield and Haleigh Jones, a 2015 graduate of SMU Law and former student … Continue Reading
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 May.… Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee announced its 2024 Pro Bono Excellence award winners. Retired Judge Lora J. Livingston, of Austin, received the Judge Merrill Hartman Pro Bono Judge Award; Nathaniel Peter Holzer, of Corpus Christi, received the Frank J. Scurlock Award; Lauren Joyner, of Edinburg, received … Continue Reading
Volunteer attorneys will be available to answer legal questions on Wednesdays in May through the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Clinic. The clinics, which run from 4 to 8 p.m., are free of cost. A volunteer attorney will call a participant for up to 15 minutes of legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be established. Individuals … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold its quarterly meeting April 19 in Galveston. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Tremont House, 2300 Ship Mechanic St. The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast live on the State Bar of Texas YouTube channel. The agenda and meeting materials … Continue Reading
The Child Protection Law Section of the State Bar of Texas presented Tara Grigg Green with its Rutland Advocacy in Excellence Award, during a luncheon at the section’s 6th Annual Advanced Child Protection Law Course in April in Dallas. One of the section’s most prestigious awards, the Rutland Advocacy in Excellence Award honors a lawyer … Continue Reading
The Texas Medical-Legal Partnership Coalition will hold its MLP conference and inaugural member meeting on April 12 on the campus of South Texas College of Law Houston, or STCL. “This will be a groundbreaking event for professionals at the intersection of healthcare and law,” said Vinh Ho, senior director for legal services of the STCL … Continue Reading
Volunteer attorneys will be available to answer legal questions on Wednesdays in April through the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Clinic. The clinics, which run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., are free of cost. A volunteer attorney will call a participant for up to 15 minutes of legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be established. … Continue Reading
The Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas is now accepting nominations for this year’s Texas Appellate Hall of Fame class. The Hall of Fame posthumously honors advocates and judges who made a lasting mark on appellate practice in the state of Texas. The section will honor this year’s Hall of Fame inductees at … Continue Reading
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 April.… Continue Reading
The Texas Bar Foundation honored retired Supreme Court of Texas Justice Craig T. Enoch with the 2024 Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, according to a press release. The award, established in 2011, commemorates the late attorney Gregory S. Coleman and celebrates the ideals and standards that Coleman demonstrated in his appellate practice and … Continue Reading
The Houston Bar Foundation, or HBF, has received a $500,000 grant from CenterPoint Energy to provide pro se litigant assistance to thousands of Harris County residents, according to a press release. “CenterPoint Energy takes its responsibility to be a good corporate citizen seriously,” CenterPoint Energy Executive Vice President and General Counsel Monica Karuturi said in … Continue Reading
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 March.… Continue Reading
Volunteer attorneys will be available to answer legal questions on Wednesdays in March through the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Clinic. The clinics, which run from 4 to 8 p.m., are free of cost. A volunteer attorney will call a participant for up to 15 minutes of legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be established. Individuals … Continue Reading
The First Court of Appeals in Houston is warning the public that scammers are calling community members claiming to be an officer on behalf of a justice of the court. The scammers claim the community member missed jury duty and must pay money to avoid having a warrant issued for their arrest. The First Court … Continue Reading
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 February.… Continue Reading
Bill Mateja, a partner in Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton in Dallas, was inaugurated as the 115th president of the Dallas Bar Association, or DBA, on January 20, according to a press release. Mateja, whose practice focuses on white-collar defense and corporate investigations, has been on the DBA Board of Directors for many years and … Continue Reading
Austin attorney and former State Bar of Texas President Richard Pena has been named the National Conference of Bar Presidents 2024 Fellow, according to a press release. Pena, who served as State Bar of Texas president from 1998 to 1999, is the second Texas-based attorney to receive the award. The late James B. Sales, who … Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission met December 15 to consider the report from the commission’s Access to Legal Services Working Group. After accepting public comment and discussion among the commissioners, the commission voted to approve the following recommendations from the working group’s report: Authorize Supreme Court of Texas-licensed (1) paraprofessionals to represent and assist … Continue Reading
The Access to Legal Services Working Group will present its final report on potential regulatory reforms designed to improve access to justice for low-income Texans during a meeting December 15 in Austin, according to an announcement Wednesday from the Texas Access to Justice Commission. The working group was formed after the Supreme Court of Texas … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on the following proposed ethics opinions: Proposed Opinion 2023-5 (comment deadline (1/26/24): Through an employment agreement between a law firm and its lawyers: May the law firm impose a minimum departure notice period for lawyers who wish to depart the law … Continue Reading
Baylor Law School announced it will open a new family law clinic beginning in fall 2024. The clinic aims to provide vital support to pro se litigants in navigating the complexities of family law cases, focusing on divorce and matters affecting parent-child relationships, according to a press release. Created with financial assistance from the Texas … Continue Reading
