Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. I started drinking in high school and immediately liked the way it made me feel. … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Joe K. Longley sent the following message to members on Thursday. This week I traveled to the border to learn how we can promote access to justice and the rule of law related to the separation of immigrant families. I met with a number of dedicated attorneys and … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Thursday. I am writing with a quick update on the recent events occurring on our southern border. Although the Trump administration signed an executive order to end family separations, the need for volunteer attorneys remains strong—particularly Spanish-speaking immigration lawyers. … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following update to members on Thursday. I am writing to update you on yesterday’s State Bar of Texas Board of Directors meeting in Houston that precedes our 2018 Annual Meeting. We have two days of informative CLE sessions starting today. Learn more at texasbar.com/annualmeeting. Transparency … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will meet June 20-21 in Houston. The meetings will take place at the Marriott Marquis, 1777 Walker St. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Click here to view the agendas and other meeting materials.… 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
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. What’s it like living with bipolar II disorder? It’s been a while since I’ve had … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Monday. The State Bar of Texas General Counsel Search Committee voted by acclamation Monday to recommend to the State Bar board Ross Fischer of Austin as general counsel. The State Bar Board of Directors, which elects the general counsel by a … 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
Texas attorneys have elected Randy Sorrels of Houston as president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. Sorrels received 58 percent of the 32,445 votes cast during the month-long voting period that ended May 1. His opponent, Lisa Blue of Dallas, received 41 percent of the votes. The 32,445 votes set a record for the highest total … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: The following message was sent to State Bar of Texas members on Tuesday. In an effort to encourage voter participation and educate members on the 2018 State Bar president-elect candidates, the State Bar is sending periodic emails with messages submitted by the candidates addressing topics of their choosing. The seventh and final messages are … Continue Reading
By Kaci Singer As Texas celebrates its third annual Jury Appreciation Week starting today, we pause to honor those citizens who give of their time to participate in our judicial system. Jury Appreciation Week was created by the 84th Legislature and was first celebrated in 2016. To mark the occasion, the State Bar of Texas has … 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
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Friday. I’m writing with an update on today’s State Bar of Texas Board of Directors meeting in Fort Worth, which included action on transparency, the budget, and president-elect task forces; an update on possible advertising review changes; a next … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold its quarterly meeting April 27 in Fort Worth. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Fort Worth Omni, 1300 Houston St. Members of the public are welcome to attend. Click here to view the meeting agenda. … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. Sometimes I am insecure explaining how I became an alcoholic. I felt like I should … Continue Reading
The Texas Social Media Research Institute at Tarleton State University will present a social media award to the State Bar of Texas for its Twitter account (@statebaroftexas) on April 17, 2018, at the 6th annual Social Media Conference in Fort Worth. The award recognizes top Texas state agencies included on the Texas State Library and … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following message was sent to State Bar of Texas members on Tuesday. In an effort to encourage voter participation and educate members on the 2018 State Bar president-elect candidates, the State Bar is sending periodic emails with messages submitted by the candidates addressing topics of their choosing. The fifth messages are available at the … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar President Tom Vick sent the following message to members on Thursday. On Tuesday, President-elect Joe K. Longley and State Bar staff conducted the public hearing in Austin on the proposed 2018-2019 State Bar budget, which was published in the March issue of the Texas Bar Journal. The State Bar continues to welcome … 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
By C. Kelly Rentzel Editor’s note: This post is part of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program’s Stories of Recovery series. TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance abuse or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP) and find more information at tlaphelps.org. According to a recent study, those who score top grades in … Continue Reading
The 29th Annual Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Convention will take place on June 1-3 at the Austin Marriott South. The convention will feature national speakers sharing their thoughts about current research on mental health, substance abuse recovery, and maintaining a more balanced professional life. Attendees will also have a chance to earn at least 6 hours … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following message was sent to State Bar of Texas members on Tuesday. In an effort to encourage voter participation and educate members on the 2018 State Bar president-elect candidates, the State Bar is sending periodic emails with messages submitted by the candidates addressing topics of their choosing. The fourth messages are available at … Continue Reading
