Posted inNews

Attorney general alerts crime victims about scammers

By Amy Starnes on

The Office of the Attorney General warned Texans on Thursday about a reported scam where callers are falsely claiming to be staff members of the OAG’s Crime Victim Services Division. The scammers are attempting to obtain personal and financial information from the people receiving the calls.

An OAG news release about the scam reports that the callers use local phone numbers and sometimes provide a false “case number” in an attempt to convince the public to provide financial details. The office warns Texans not to provide personal information such as social security or banking numbers over the phone and urges anyone who receives a similar call to report it to the office’s Consumer Protection Division by calling 800-621-0508 or filing a complaint online.

Read the full news release here.

Posted inLaw Firms and Legal Departments

Scams Continue to Target Texas Attorneys

By Joanna Herzik on

Update 11/14/2019: We received a report of another scam. An attorney received an email from a Japanese company named Kuraray Co. Ltd, which appears to be a real company. The email used a fake email address, and stated that the Japanese company had a claim against a Grand Prairie company for unpaid invoices and wanted to hire the attorney. The attorney ignored the email but eventually received a fake settlement check that appeared to come from the Grand Prairie company, but the check was mailed from Canada. The attorney was invited to deposit the check and take out the attorney’s fee, even though the attorney never negotiated or requested the fee. The attorney took the check to their bank, and the bank spotted several problems with the check and confirmed it was fake, as did the real Grand Prairie company.
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Posted inTexas Young Lawyers Association

TYLA Director Spotlight: Josué Galván

By Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) on

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 serving the public. All TYLA programs are accomplished through the volunteer efforts of its board and committee members, with the cooperation of local affiliate young lawyers associations. Learn more at tyla.org.
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Posted inNewsVeterans

Free legal help available for veterans during Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week

By Adam Faderewski on

Veterans across Texas can receive free legal help as part of Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week from November 10 to 16.

Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week is a statewide effort in honor of Veterans Day and coordinated by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, or TAJF. Legal aid providers, local bars, law school, and pro bono attorneys will provide services to qualifying veterans at clinics across the state.

“We thank the Texas Legislature for providing funding for veteran legal services, as well as the Texas Access to Justice Commission and State Bar of Texas who help raise funds through an annual gala,” said Betty Balli Torres, executive director of TAJF, in a news release.

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Posted inLocal BarsNews

Austin Adoption Day celebrates 23 new families

By Adam Faderewski on

Thirty-nine children became part of 23 families on November 7, 2019, at the 18th Annual Austin Adoption Day at Gardner-Betts Juvenile Justice Center.

Along with more than a dozen attorneys, Chief Justice Jeff Rose, Justice Chari Kelly, and Justice Gisella Triana, all of the 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin, plus many other Travis County judges volunteered their time to create forever families for the 39 children.

“The real stars of Adoption Day are the families,” said attorney Denise Hyde, chair of the Austin Bar Association’s Adoption Day Committee, in a press release. “They have opened their hearts and their homes to create new families.”

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Posted inLaw SchoolsNews

State Bar of Texas Women and the Law Section announces writing competition

By Adam Faderewski on

The State Bar of Texas Women and the Law Section is calling for Texas law students to participate in its 2020 Texas Law Student Writing Competition.

The winning entrant will receive the 2020 Harriet E. Miers Writing Competition Award and $1,000 payable toward law school-related educational expenses. The second place finisher will receive $500 toward law school-related educational expenses. The two essays may be published in the section’s newsletter.

Essays should be no more than 2,500 words and should identify and analyze a legal challenge for women in Texas and/or in the United States based on recent news reports. The entry—written in a newspaper op-ed fashion—should define what the challenge is, how are women harmed, what is/are relevant law(s), and how the challenge should be addressed.

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Posted inTexas Young Lawyers Association

TYLA Director Spotlight: Katie Fillmore

By Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) on

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 serving the public. All TYLA programs are accomplished through the volunteer efforts of its board and committee members, with the cooperation of local affiliate young lawyers associations. Learn more at tyla.org.

 

Name: Katie Fillmore

Firm: Butler Snow LLP

Area of Law You Practice: Product liability defense and commercial litigation

Position Held in TYLA: District 8, Place 2 director; Co-chair of Online Member Services
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Posted inMust-ReadsNews

Texas Bar Journal Must-Reads for November

By Eric Quitugua on

Check out the TBJ staff’s must-reads for the November issue for in-depth articles exploring forensics, ethics, and how AED training came in handy at one recent investiture. And don’t forget to catch up on the latest Movers and Shakers, Memorials, and Disciplinary Actions.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission
Oversight and the road map to admissibility of forensic evidence in Texas.
By Lynn Garcia and Leigh Savage

The Texas Junk Science Writ
A look six years in.
By Kirk Cooper

The Texas Lawyer’s Creed 30 Years Later
A renewed focus on the conduct, behavior, and credibility of the legal profession.
By Suzanne Mann Duvall

Be Prepared
A Scout troop, three lawyers, a priest, and a state senator save a life at a judicial investiture.
By Charles Spain

Posted inAccess to JusticeAuthors

Author John Grisham talks about his latest legal thriller

By Patricia McConnico on

Commercial litigator Talmage Boston sat down with attorney and bestselling author John Grisham in Dallas to talk about his new book, The Guardians, and the writing process behind it. The interview was conducted before a live audience for the Dallas Museum of Art Arts & Letters Live series and took place a day before Grisham delivered the keynote address at the Texas Access to Justice Foundation 35th Anniversary Dinner in Austin.

Best known for his legal thrillers such as The Firm and A Time to Kill, Grisham is also an advocate for access to justice, raising awareness about the importance of justice for all—even for those who can’t afford an attorney. The Texas Access to Justice Foundation, which was founded in 1984 by the Texas Supreme Court, administers funding for civil legal aid for indigent Texans. Since its inception, the foundation has granted nearly $770 million to legal aid organizations across Texas.

For more information about the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, go to tajf.org. Listen to the podcast of Boston and Grisham here.

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