Austin Bar Blog

Week of June 1, 2026

In the next episode of the Council of Firsts, Amanda Arriaga, first Latina president of the Austin Bar talks to Sandra Avila Ramirez, First Latina Judge of the 98th Civil District Court.

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We hope that this project can give young attorneys across the state the opportunity to continue the amazing pro bono work they are already doing by offering a simple way to continue that service over the summer or, in the alternative, offer an accessible entry point for attorneys who have not yet done pro bono work! Texas Free Legal Answers is a website where income-qualifying Texans can ask for advice from a licensed Texas attorney at no cost to the user.  Attorneys who are registered on the TxFLA site can volunteer to answer questions on the site at any time of day. You can find answers to frequently asked questions about Texas Free Legal Answers here. 

Dates: Virtual Kickoff - June 6, 2025; June 6 - Aug. 29, 2025

Time: 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: Zoom

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/cNbTw8zNQWK53Tf2Mrh7bw

Mary Rios will go over what Texas Free Legal Answers is, how to register and use the portal, how to access resources to help answer questions on the portal, how the competition will work, and answer any questions about the Summer of Service or Texas Free Legal Answers generally.

Please email Jenna Malsbary (jennareblin@gmail.com) if you would like to participate in the competition to help AYLA win and track hours served/questions answered. The meeting will be recorded for those who cannot attend and Jenna can send the recording once it is available.

Attorneys in practice 10 years or less are invited to a mentor lunch with 353rd District Judge Sherine Thomas! This is a first-come, first-served event, so RSVP to delaine@austinbar.org now!

Date: June 12, 2025

Time: 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: CFCF, 10th floor jury room

Lunch will be provided

Attorneys in practice 10 years or less are invited to a mentor lunch with 353rd District Judge Sherine Thomas! This is a first-come, first-served event, so RSVP to delaine@austinbar.org now!

Date: June 12, 2025

Time: 12 - 1 p.m.

Location: CFCF, 10th floor jury room

Lunch will be provided

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The ABA Career Center is the go-to career hub for professional candidates - making it the ideal place to reach your next great hire.

Start hiring smarter today!

We invite you to submit articles for publication in our monthly newsletter, Austin Lawyer!

General guidelines :

• Minimum of 500 words;
• Maximum of 1,000 words;
• Can be about a substantive law issue or non-substantive law-related topic;
• Author headshot and 50-word bio requested.

In addition to being published in our physical publication, your article will also run on austinlawyeronline.com.

Please fill out our author interest form, and we'll be in touch shortly!

Amy M. Rodriguez is a civil litigation associate in the Austin office of Leland Shaffer LLP and her practice centers on complex business and commercial disputes at the trial and appellate levels.   Amy came to Austin to attend UT Law School and has been an Austin resident since then. She is a native Spanish speaker and was a participant in UT Law's Human Rights and Criminal Defense Clinics.  After UT Law, Amy was an Assistant Attorney General with the Texas Attorney General’s Environmental Protection Division. Amy is an active member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Austin and a director of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. 

Amy is originally from Boston, Mass. and a graduate of Wellesley College. In her free time, she enjoys traveling back to the East Coast for the fall foliage as well as films, cheese tastings, and reading.

If you were not able to attend the Metro Bar Conversation on the ABA Accreditation of Texas Law Schools CLE live, the recording is available for all bar members, and CLE credit can be claimed.

Click here to access the recording. 

Full program is credited for 3.00 general CLE and 0.5 ethics.

The email with the link to the recording will include the new course number, which you can use to claim CLE credit.

In the latest episode of Stop the Stigma podcast, Austin Bar President Mary-Ellen King talks with past Austin Bar President David Courreges and licensed clinical psychologist Katy Sutton about living with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Watch on YouTube.

Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Listen on Spotify.