Posted inLocal BarsPro BonoVeterans

Free legal clinic for veterans in Tomball

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Volunteer attorneys will be at the Tomball VA Outpatient Clinic (1200 W. Main St.) this Saturday, Nov. 14, to provide free legal advice and assistance to veterans and spouses of deceased veterans. From 9 a.m. to noon, lawyers will offer counsel in all areas of law, including family, consumer, and disability and veterans benefits. No appointment is necessary for the clinic, and those needing ongoing legal representation and who qualify for legal aid may be assigned a pro bono attorney.

The event is a public service of the Houston Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Initiative. For more information and to learn about other services for veterans, call the Veterans Legal Initiative at (713) 759-1133 or go to hba.org.

Posted inAccess to JusticeNewsPro BonoVeterans

Texas veterans can access free legal advice all week

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As the nation prepares to honor its veterans this Wednesday, the Texas Access to Justice Foundation is encouraging veterans and attorneys to participate in the second annual Texas Veterans Legal Aid Week.

veterans_unsplashToday through Friday, veterans who meet certain income requirements can get civil legal advice at dozens of events hosted by legal aid organizations, local bar associations, law schools, and pro bono lawyers across the state. Some events will be general legal clinics, while others will focus on specific matters or areas of law, such as wills or family law. For a complete list and interactive map of current events, go to texaslawhelp.org/veterans. Each clinic host has its own intake process and varying client income thresholds, ranging from about 125 percent to 200 percent of the poverty line.

In addition to these events, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day this week, the Texas Legal Services Center will host a live online chat to answer veterans’ questions. To access the chat, go to texaslawhelp.org/veterans and click on the green button at the bottom right-hand corner of the page. The statewide hotline for veteran legal issues is (800) 622-2520, option 2.

Posted inSpecial Event

National Black, Hispanic Pre-Law conferences to take place jointly in Houston

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The National Black Pre-Law Conference and Law Fair will hold its 11th annual event next week in Houston to equip pre-law students with the resources they need to succeed in the legal profession. New this year is the National Hispanic Pre-Law Conference, which allows students to receive insight from successful Hispanic law students and attorneys. Both events will be held November 13-14 at the University of Houston Law Center.

“Special to this event is the fact that attendees will be able to fully take advantage of two conferences combined together into one major joint event so they will gain a better understanding of and sensitivity to the issues that both black and Latino law students and lawyers face,” said Evangeline M. Mitchell, conference founder and executive director of the nonprofit National Pre-Law Diversity Initiatives Inc., which organizes the events. “In addition, we are bringing in the discussion and consideration of ways that both communities can effectively work together to collaborate and coalition build for the common goal of increasing the numbers and success of both black and Latino law students and lawyers.” Continue Reading

Posted inCriminal LawPeople

A Texas criminal defense legend on fighting for the underdog

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GerryMorrisE.G. “Gerry” Morris is a longtime Austin criminal defense attorney most well known for representing a Branch Davidian member and winning his acquittal on all counts. This July, Morris was inducted as the president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He recently spoke with the Texas Bar Journal about his career, the criminal law issues he thinks are most pressing, and how he sleeps at night. Stay tuned for our December issue, which will focus on criminal law.

What made you realize that you should be doing criminal defense law?

For whatever reason I became who I am.

I’m somebody that questions authority. I’m drawn to fighting for the underdog. What really gets me going is to see the big guy picking on the little guy regardless of the motive. I couldn’t begin to tell you how that happened; I’m just that way.

My formative years were spent in the ’60s. Growing up in East Texas, I saw how minorities were treated and how they were considered second-class citizens. The civil rights movement really made an impression on me.

Then I saw the Watergate hearings. I was transfixed by them and how the members of the committee were very skilled at their investigation. I saw how important it was to challenge government, to constantly work to make sure it’s honest and not overextending itself. Continue Reading

Posted inPeopleRandom Profile

Random Profile: Cynthia Fronterhouse, Houston

By Joanna Herzik on

For Random Profiles, we randomly pick one of our 94,000-plus attorneys and do a Q&A. We’ve found that every Texas lawyer has an interesting story. Will yours be next?

CynthiaHeadshotFamily: Married to my husband, Steve with a daughter, Sarah Jane

Areas of practice: Construction law, commercial litigation, wills and probate

Education: BA from Smith College, JD from University of Texas

Bet you didn’t know: on the synchronized swimming team at Smith College

Another little known fact: Studied abroad in Madrid, Spain and London, England

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Posted inSpecial EventTexas Minority Counsel ProgramUncategorized

Texas Minority Counsel Program honors three attorneys

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Three Texas attorneys were honored by the State Bar of Texas Office of Minority Affairs during the Keynote Awards Luncheon of the Texas Minority Affairs Counsel Program (TMCP) at the Westin Houston Memorial City.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan was awarded the TMCP Lifetime Achievement Award during the October 16 event. The award recognizes an attorney who has demonstrated extraordinary support and advocacy for the advancement of women and minorities in the legal profession over the course of his or her legal career.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Texas Minority Counsel Program on October 16 in Houston.

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Posted inCLENewsTLAP

Free online CLE course features inspirational TLAP video

By Lowell Brown on

Screen Shot 2015-10-30 at 11.17.06 AMTexas attorneys can earn continuing legal education ethics credit by watching the inspirational video Courage, Hope, Help—TLAP Is There through TexasBarCLE starting now through the end of the year.

TexasBarCLE is featuring the video as part of its free online CLE offering titled “Not Alone—Help and Hope for the Impaired Lawyer,” which is available at texasbarcle.com for registration from November 2 to December 31. Attorneys who view the course can earn 0.5 hour of ethics credit.

The video, an initiative of 2015-2016 State Bar of Texas President Allan K. DuBois, introduces viewers to the life-saving services of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program through the stories of three Texas attorneys who resumed successful lives and practices after seeking help for substance abuse problems. TLAP helps lawyers, judges, and law students whose professional performance is impaired because of substance abuse, dependency, or mental health issues.

All communication with TLAP is confidential by statute. Seek help now by calling 1-800-343-8527.

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