I’ll soon be entering my 81st year. I turned 80 on May 5. What I am experiencing is of interest only to people aging as I am, but they already know most of these things. They just may not have thought about them. This will not be relevant to younger people. Just as I … Continue Reading
In January, the State Bar of Texas introduced its Identity Fraud Flag Program, which seeks to assist attorneys who have been victims of identity fraud and protect them from scammers potentially attempting to impersonate them. The program gives lawyers a way to voluntarily report to the bar that they have been the victim of identity … Continue Reading
Remember when mediations were in person? Since March 2020, I’ve conducted hundreds of mediations, and almost all of them have been by Zoom. Zoom mediations started because of health concerns, of course. Even though the coronavirus appears to be finally in check, it seems that this trend in favor of Zoom may go on forever. … Continue Reading
A new standing committee will work to develop and promote strategies and best practices for the State Bar of Texas in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The board of directors voted June 8 to create the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and asked 2022-2023 State Bar President Laura Gibson to submit a roster … Continue Reading
Hannah E. Shoss, Evan Alexander Barr, and Olivia Sher are the three highest scorers on the February 2022 Texas Bar Exam, the Texas Board of Law Examiners announced in a press release. “The Supreme Court of Texas is immensely proud of the achievements of these three individuals,” said Texas Supreme Court Justice Brett Busby in … Continue Reading
By Lyle Solomon Divorce affects your present life and future plans, including your estate plan. If you made a will while married, you most likely left money and assets to your spouse. You may also have designated your spouse to manage finances and make health care decisions in the event of your death. However, you … Continue Reading
Five attorneys were recognized for their exceptional contributions in 2021 to the State Bar of Texas’ continuing legal education efforts. TexasBarCLE presented Standing Ovation Awards to Erica Grigg, of Austin; Administrative Judge Amber Morgan, of Hewitt; Jacob G. Straub, of West; Dena Stroh, of Plano; and Christine Wakeman, of Dallas. “All of our volunteers deserve … Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission and its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, will honor veterans throughout the state at the 2022 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans at 6 p.m. CDT on April 27 at the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center in Austin. This year’s keynote speaker is retired Gen. Nadja West, … Continue Reading
Voting in the 2022 elections for State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association presidents-elect and open district director positions starts tomorrow, April 1, and ends at 5 p.m. CDT on May 2. To help you get to know the State Bar president-elect candidates better, we’ve produced two “Meet the Candidates” videos featuring messages … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors held its quarterly meeting on January 27. Highlights of the meeting appear below. You can watch video of the meeting at youtube.com/statebaroftexas and read the agenda and meeting materials at texasbar.com/bodmaterials. State Bar of Texas Budget The board approved the State Bar of Texas fiscal year 2022-2023 proposed budget … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas’ Membership Department was informed in September 2021 of the deaths of these members. We join the officers and directors of the State Bar in expressing our deepest sympathy.… Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission with its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, honored veterans throughout the state at the 2021 Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans on April 6, 2021, via YouTube. This year, the commission raised approximately $448,000 to help provide civil legal services to low-income Texas veterans. Texas Supreme Court Justices … Continue Reading
Congratulations to everyone who passed the September 2020 bar exam! A virtual New Lawyer Induction Ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. CST on November 16. The public can watch the ceremony here.… Continue Reading
A comprehensive new law review article just published in the St. Mary’s Law Journal covers the Legislature’s substantial changes to the Texas Citizen Participation Act, or TCPA. Authored by participants representing major stakeholders during the negotiations on House Bill 2730, the article details the history, problems, and revisions of the TCPA, which was having a … Continue Reading
The Hon. Meca Walker is the 39th chair of the Texas Bar College Board of Directors. She is the 2nd African American to serve as chair. Her term began on July 15 and will end on the same day in 2021. The Texas Bar College is an honorary society of lawyers, judges, and paralegals who … Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: State Bar of Texas President Randy Sorrels and Executive Director Trey Apffel sent the following message to members on Monday. Like you, we at the Texas Law Center in Austin continue to adjust our lives and operations to the new realities of the coronavirus pandemic. We are assessing the needs of Texas lawyers … Continue Reading
The Galveston County Bar Association and the Houston Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Initiative are sponsoring a free legal clinic for veterans on Saturday, February 8, from 9 a.m. to noon.… Continue Reading
Editor’s Note: In this blog series, we are getting to know the members of the Texas Young Lawyers Association Board of Directors. TYLA, commonly called the “public service arm” of the State Bar of Texas, works to facilitate the administration of justice, foster respect for the law, and advance the role of the legal profession in … Continue Reading
Jerry C. Alexander was selected chair-elect of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors during the board’s meeting in Georgetown on Friday. Alexander will take office during the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting to be held June 13-14 in Austin. He will serve as chair until June 2020. Alexander is president of Passman … Continue Reading
The free clinic, which takes place December 8 at the Katy VA Outpatient Clinic, will offer veterans, or spouses of deceased veterans, one-on-one advice and counsel from volunteer attorneys in areas of law including family law, wills and probate, consumer law, and real estate and tax law, as well as disability and veterans benefits.… Continue Reading
The Chicago Bar Association is adding to its collection of Law Practice Management and Technology How To videos and making them accessible to everyone. Currently more than 100 on-demand videos can be watched and or accessed through the CBA’s video library. Each video is one hour or less in length and hosted on Vimeo, which … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the American Bar Association, and others proudly support National Pro Bono Celebration Week (October 21-27). Pro Bono week is an opportunity to educate the public about the good work the legal community does to improve the lives of vulnerable Texans and to encourage more … Continue Reading
The Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda (CDRR) has published proposed rules changes regarding confidentiality/ethics advice and diminished capacity. These were also printed in the (September) Texas Bar Journal and the (August 31) Texas Register. A public hearing on the proposed rules will be held at 10 a.m. October 10, 2018, at the Texas Law Center in … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: State Bar of Texas President Tom Vick sent the following message to members Wednesday. Dear Members, I’m writing to let you know that the Nominations and Elections Subcommittee of the State Bar Board of Directors voted today to nominate Lisa Blue of Dallas and Randy Sorrels of Houston to be candidates for 2018-2019 … Continue Reading
