Editor’s note: The following message was sent to State Bar of Texas members on August 7. COVID-19 has severely impacted the State of Texas and the administration of the judicial system. Many lawyers are struggling in the economic climate created by the pandemic. Under Article III of the State Bar Rules, Texas lawyers who do … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following message was sent to State Bar of Texas members on July 31. We are writing to share updated information related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as recent State Bar news. We hope this message finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. Supreme Court of Texas Emergency Orders The … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP), text TLAP to 555888, or find more information at tlaphelps.org. As I write this on July 28, 2020, at 7:30 a.m., I am at the courthouse square in a small central Texas … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following message was sent to all members today. The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors held a special meeting on July 27 to discuss and consider action regarding online commentary made by State Bar of Texas President Larry McDougal and other directors. The board heard from 61 speakers and accepted hundreds … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. CDT Monday, July 27. Among items on the agenda, the board will accept comments, discuss, and consider possible action regarding online commentary made by State Bar of Texas President Larry McDougal and other officers and directors. The board also … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold a special public meeting at 9 a.m. on July 27 to accept comments, discuss, and consider action regarding online commentary posted by State Bar of Texas President Larry McDougal and other officers and directors. The board also will discuss the creation of a State Bar … Continue Reading
Online comments made by Larry McDougal regarding #BlackLivesMatter do not reflect the values of the State Bar of Texas and we denounce them in the strongest terms. As leaders of the 105,000-member State Bar of Texas and the 26,000-member Texas Young Lawyers Association, we are united against racism and dedicated to the bar’s mission of … Continue Reading
A task force designed to help the Texas courts system resume criminal proceedings in light of the COVID-19 pandemic won approval June 24 from the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. The board approved the Presidential Task Force on Criminal Court Proceedings at the request of 2020-2021 State Bar President Larry McDougal, a Richmond … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP), text TLAP to 555888, or find more information at tlaphelps.org. I spent my whole life before law school achieving great things academically and trying to be perfect—and to somehow prove to myself … Continue Reading
UPDATED 6/24/20: Due to technical difficulties with YouTube, the June 24-25 board meetings are being live streamed on Facebook Live at facebook.com/statebaroftexas. ORIGINAL POST: The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold virtual meetings June 24-25 with a live stream on the bar’s YouTube channel. Members of the 2019-2020 board will hold their final … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas President Randy Sorrels and Executive Director Trey Apffel sent the following message to members on June 9. As our nation struggles with the events of the day which include the senseless killing of Texan George Floyd, the State Bar of Texas remains committed to the principle that all people … Continue Reading
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas will host its 20th Annual Women’s Advocacy Awards in two online events featuring conversations with four Texas legal all stars. On June 11, former State Bar of Texas President Harriet Miers, Locke Lord LLP partner and former counsel to President George W. Bush, and Shonn Evans … Continue Reading
Registration is now open for the 2020 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting On Demand—the State Bar’s first virtual annual meeting—on June 25-26. The June 25 session will feature a full day (up to 8 hours) of on-demand CLE from State Bar sections for the low rate of $150. A full list of CLE offerings … Continue Reading
Texas attorneys elected Sylvia Borunda Firth of El Paso to be president-elect of the State Bar of Texas. Borunda Firth received 49.31 percent—9,515—of the 19,298 votes cast during the voting period that ended May 29. Her opponent, Pablo Almaguer of Edinburg, received 49.11 percent or 9,478 votes. Write-in candidates accounted for 1.58 percent of the … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP), text TLAP to 555888, or find more information at tlaphelps.org. I have always struggled with the feeling of “not enough.” Not smart enough. Not nice enough. Not worthy enough. I could go … Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Texas honored veterans throughout the state at the Virtual 2020 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans. More than $422,000 was raised to help provide civil legal services to low-income Texas veterans. Proceeds are distributed by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and dedicated to the … Continue Reading
I grew up in Midland in the ’90s and early 2000s. Depression was out there, and people were starting to have normalizing conversations about it, but it was (and still is) something very misunderstood by a large number of people. When I was young, it was talked about as a defect or some fault in … Continue Reading
After careful consideration, the State Bar of Texas has canceled the 2020 Annual Meeting scheduled for June 25-26 in Dallas. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevents us from holding an in-person Annual Meeting this year, the State Bar is working to offer key features of the meeting in a virtual format, including the swearing in of … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas will present its proposed fiscal year 2020-2021 budget to the Texas Supreme Court during a virtual meeting at 10 a.m. CDT on May 11. The State Bar will live stream the meeting at youtube.com/statebaroftexas. The public may submit questions or comments in advance by email at StateBarPresident@texasbar.com before 5 p.m. … Continue Reading
The Professional Ethics Committee for the State Bar of Texas is accepting public comments on two proposed ethics opinions through June 27. Proposed Opinion 20-2 (Revised) concerns whether a lawyer who represents a defendant in a criminal matter violates the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct if, after receiving tangible evidence from the lawyer’s client, the lawyer … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: This post was originally published on June 29, 2018. Editor’s note: TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call TLAP at 1-800-343-8527 (TLAP), text TLAP to 555888, or find more information at tlaphelps.org. I started drinking in high school and immediately liked the way … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: The Texas Board of Law Examiners issued the following announcement. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Bar of Texas will not hold a swearing-in ceremony after the February 2020 bar exam results are released. Any person who is authorized to administer oaths—including a judge, retired judge, clerk, or notary—may swear you in, either before or … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas President Randy Sorrels and Executive Director Trey Apffel sent the following message to members on Friday. We’re writing to share recent updates related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you and your loved ones remain safe and healthy. Office of Court Administration Guidance The Office of Court Administration issued … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing this collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to the novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the legal community. Important links State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Legal Resources … Continue Reading
