Austin Bar Blog

To further the goal of casting a wide net to attract the broadest possible pool of qualified applicants to serve as federal judges, the Judicial Conference Committees on the Administration of the Bankruptcy System and Magistrate Judges System present their national diversity event:
Roadways to the Bench: Who Me? A Bankruptcy or Magistrate Judge?
April 3, 2023 | 3-6 p.m.
United States Courthouse | 501 W 5th Street, Austin, Texas 78701

• Interested lawyers and law students are invited to observe a national keynote address or panel discussion and participate in local roundtables with bankruptcy, magistrate, district, and appellate judges about pathways to the federal bench.
• Registration is limited to 115 participants.

Please register here.

Judge Robert Jones, a past president of the Austin Bar, passed away on January 9th. Please see his obituary here.

We are trying to gauge interest in forming a Data Privacy Section of the Austin Bar Association. If you would be interested in joining a DP Section, please let us know by e-mail delaine@austinbar.org.

At the one-day CANLAW clinics, volunteer attorneys meet with and advise cancer patients and survivors and their caregiver on legal issues related to the preparation of estate planning documents.  Our volunteers then work with cancer patients and survivors to prepare estate planning documents that meet the needs of the cancer patient. To volunteer, please email info@cancerlawclinic.org. Attorney and non-attorney volunteers welcome. Learn more about the CANLaw Clinic at www.cancerlawclinic.org.

When: Volunteer training will take place on February 22, 2023.

Where: Travis County Law Library, Granger Building, 314 W. 11th Street, Suite 140, Austin, Texas 78701

Individuals interested in attending the clinic as clients must complete the questionnaire at the CANLaw website to determine eligibility.

Attorneys who wish to serve on the 2023/2024 Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) Board of Directors have until March 3, 2023 to formally sign up to run. Serving as a Director on the AYLA Board represents a great way to gain leadership experience, shape the local legal community, and meet other young attorneys who roam outside of the confines of your own office and legal field.

To be eligible for a Board position, a candidate must be a current AYLA member and be 40 years of age or younger as of July 1, 2023. To be placed on the ballot, submit a nomination form signed by 10 current AYLA members to Debbie Kelly by March 3, 2023. Find more information and the AYLA Election Rules here. Don’t miss this chance to get plugged into—and lead—your generation of Austin attorneys.

The 20th Annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala was held January 28th and we want to thank all of our sponsors and everyone who attended and planned this signature event – it could not have happened with you! It was an incredible success in networking, raising funds for the Austin Bar Foundation’s initiatives and celebrating Austin’s best and brightest legal minds and careers. Get the back story and see the gala video presentations of each of our Distinguished Lawyer award winners: Judge Lora Livingston, Bobby Taylor, and Judge Lee Yeakel.

The Austin Bar/AYLA Law Related Education committee and the YMCA of Austin invite you to join our volunteer program. We are excited to offer several volunteer opportunities at our upcoming Texas Youth & Government (YG) State Conferences:
 
High School State Conference
March 2-5, 2023

More information and volunteer sign up can be found here.

If you are interested in running for a position as a director of officer of the Austin Bar Association, please fill out and submit this form by Monday, March 6th.

Officer positions are one-year term; director positions are for two years. Nominees for the office of president-elects shall have served at least two years on the board of directors prior to assuming office.

The Nominating Committee’s decision will be announced on or before March 15. The number of candidates to be nominated for each position shall be left to the discretion of a majority of the Nomination Committee.  Any qualified member not receiving the nomination of the committee may be included on the ballot by submitting a written petition signed by 75 members of the Austin Bar. Such written positions must be submitted by April 7.  

Voting shall be conducted via electronic ballot. If you have any question about the nomination or election process, please contact DeLaine Ward at delaine@austinbar.org; 512-472-0279 ext 104.

Thank you very much for attending, or otherwise supporting, the Austin Bar Foundation’s 20th Annual Gala.  It was so wonderful to have nearly 600 lawyers, judges and friends working together to raise money for the benefit of the Austin Bar Foundation’s various programs supporting access to justice, pro bono efforts, and legal-related grant programming.

This year, we’re raising money for the Diversity Fellowship Program and the Veterans Clinic. To donate, click here and please follow the prompts to complete your donation by Friday, February 3rd. Thank you very much for your consideration and for all you do to care for our legal community, and our Austin-area neighbors.

Happy New Year!! We hope 2023 is a chance for a new year, healthier you! Please join AYLA and the Health and Wellness Committee for an informative event on injury prevention and evaluation on Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM CT with Airrosti. This presentation will be at the Hilgers House, 712 W. 16th St. Austin, TX. We hope to see you there and RSVP here.