The State Bar of Texas Executive Committee will meet at 10 a.m. CDT on September 4 at the Texas Law Center in Austin. The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed live on the State Bar of Texas YouTube page. The agenda can be viewed here. The meeting materials are available here. … Continue Reading
What skills do new lawyers need to succeed and serve clients effectively in today’s legal landscape? What competencies matter most as the legal profession navigates changes in technology, work environments, client expectations, and access to justice? To answer these questions, IAALS—the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver—and … Continue Reading
Editor’s note: The following message was sent to all members on July 8, 2025. Dear Member, The Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals today issued the First Emergency Order on the Hill Country Flood State of Disaster. Read the order here. Sign up here to receive orders and other news … Continue Reading
SOUTH TEXAS — Free legal resources are available from Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) to low-income individuals affected by the March 24-26 storms and flooding in four Texas counties included in the federal disaster declaration May 21. These counties include Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy. Eligible survivors who sustained disaster-caused damage may qualify for FEMA … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will meet on June 18-19 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. The meetings are open to the public and will be broadcast live on the State Bar of Texas YouTube channel. June 18 Board Meeting The final meeting of the board for the … Continue Reading
The 2025 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting will take place June 19-20 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort in San Antonio. The event offers two full days of continuing legal education and networking opportunities for attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals. Keynote speakers include: For full details, read the press release.… Continue Reading
Daniella Landers was sworn in as the 2025-2026 president of the Houston Bar Association (HBA) during the HBA’s annual dinner on May 15. Landers, who succeeds Immediate Past President David Harrell, is the first African American woman to serve as HBA president in the organization’s 155-year history, according to a press release. In her address … Continue Reading
The Texas Access to Justice Commission and its co-sponsor, the State Bar of Texas, honored veterans throughout the state at the Champions of Justice Gala Benefiting Veterans last Wednesday night at the Four Seasons Hotel in Austin. This year’s gala marked a record-breaking year in terms of funds raised, with over one million dollars brought … 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 November.… Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas Hispanic Issues Section and the Texas Access to Justice Foundation (TAJF) will host LAWtería 2024, benefiting TAJF legal aid efforts throughout Texas. The fifth annual virtual game night will take place at 6 p.m. on September 24 via Zoom. To participate in the event, attendees are encouraged to donate to … 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
Below is a letter from the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office addressed to all licensed Texas attorneys and specifically defense attorneys who handled a criminal case filed by the Dallas Police Department in Dallas County between the years 2016-2021. Dear colleagues: In March 2023, this office was notified by the Dallas Police Department (DPD) … Continue Reading
The State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association received Luminary Awards during the 2023 National Association of Bar Professionals, or NABE, Communication Workshop held October 3-6 in Park City, Utah. Submissions for the annually presented Luminary Awards are judged by a panel of NABE Communication members and categorized by both submission type and … Continue Reading
August 29. The Spendlove family just got bigger by exactly 7 pounds and 14 ounces. Last week a little after midnight, Geoffrey Hinkson and I received an excited text message from Chris: “Scarlett Lin Spendlove! Born at 7:43 pm!”… Continue Reading
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
