The Travis County Civil District & County Judges are aware of uncertainties and concerns regarding the resumption of jury trials in Travis County during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to assure the lawyers, litigants, jurors, and staff who participate in jury trials that we are equally committed to the resumption of jury trials as we are to the health and safety of those involved in the trials. To that end, we are exploring options that modify some prior practices while assuring due process of law and compliance with applicable emergency orders and public-health advisories. We seek solutions that will preserve and protect the constitutional rights and statutory requirements which form the bedrock of our democracy.

Together with the Office of Court Administration and the Austin Bar Association’s Jury Trial Task Force, we are working on a pilot program to resume jury trials via Zoom, beginning in mid-August 2020. During the pilot program, jury selection and jury trials will be conducted live and completely remote. Criminal and Child Welfare cases will not be included in the pilot program. If all parties agree, litigants may schedule one or two-day binding trials or one-day nonbinding summary trials on the following dates:

August 17, 2020;
August 31, 2020; and
September 14, 2020.

If you would like to learn more about the options being considered for the pilot program, we encourage you to participate in two webcasts scheduled to occur on July 16, 2020 at noon and July 27, 2020 at noon. The Austin Bar will host these webcasts, which will be free and available online.

CLICK HERE for information about the July 16 webcast, and CLICK HERE for information on the July 27 webcast.

As we explore options, we appreciate your patience as we work together to find solutions to the challenging, complex issues at hand. Despite the circumstances, we remain dedicated to the rule of law and our duties to its preservation. To provide suggestions or to participate in our pilot program on one of the available dates, please contact Judge Karin Crump’s court staff at 250.submission@traviscountytx.gov.

The Austin Bar Association joins other Texas bars in support of a letter from the 10 Texas law school deans calling for changes to the 2020 testing processes for licensing lawyers, in light of COVID-19.

Click here to read the letter from Austin Bar Association President Kennon Wooten, HBA President Bill Kroger,  Dallas Bar Association Robert L. Tobey, and San Antonio Bar Association President Tom Crosley.

Click here to read the letter from Texas law school deans.

As we are enduring a pandemic that exposes inequity, we are witnessing racism’s poisonous persistence in and beyond our community. When we look back on these times, we will either lament our inaction or assess the work we did to acknowledge, confront, and combat injustice—including racial injustice.

The Austin Bar Association unequivocally condemns racism in all forms. Consistent with our mission, we are committed to enhancing our community through concerted efforts to create a new normal, in which we eliminate injustice and relate as equals across our human differences.

In the words of Austin Bar Past-President Rev. Joseph C. Parker, Jr., “The reason there are visible and vocal protests is that we still have hope. We are protesting because we believe that something can be done.”

It is in this spirit of hope that the Austin Bar pledges to lead our legal community in the pursuit of justice for all people.

Todd Smith                                                                                 Kennon Wooten
Austin Bar  President                                                               Austin Bar President-Elect

CLICK HERE to see the approved 2022 Jury/Non-Jury Schedule for Travis County Civil District Courts.

The Austin Federal Court is creating a panel of attorneys to appoint to represent indigent defendants in federal criminal cases, as allowed under the Criminal Justice Act (18 U.S.C. § 3006A).  Any attorney interested in being on the panel, including those who currently receive federal appointments, MUST apply for admission to the panel.  There are two panels being constituted: a Trial Panel and an Appellate Panel.  Attorneys appointed under the Criminal Justice Act are paid at the current rate of $152 per hour and are compensated for expenses and other costs, as provided by the Act and related regulations.  CLICK HERE for more information on CJA Panel attorney compensation.

Applications will be reviewed by the Austin CJA Panel Committee.  CLICK HERE to see the qualifications and details regarding each panel, as well as information about how to apply.

The deadline to apply is June 1, 2020.

The Austin chapters of American Inns of Court are accepting applications for the 2020-21 term. The American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism, and ethics of the bench and bar.

BARBARA JORDAN INN OF COURT
To apply for the Barbara Jordan Inn of Court, please send a résumé, cover letter, and two letters of recommendation to barbarajordaninnofcourt@gmail.com by June 30, 2020.

Barbara Jordan Inn of Court members include appellate justices, civil and criminal court trial judges, and attorneys in many practice areas, including civil litigation, criminal litigation, probate, immigration law, real estate, and family law. The Barbara Jordan Inn of Court strives for diversity both in its membership and in its practice areas.

Monthly meetings are held from September through April on the second Tuesday of the month, with an orientation meeting in September and a social event with other Austin-area Inns in May. At the monthly meetings, team members present one-hour programs after a social hour. Teams meet before their scheduled program to select, prepare, and practice their presentations regarding legal issues.

THE ROBERT W. CALVERT INN OF COURT
The Robert W. Calvert Inn of Court is accepting applications for the 2020-21 Inn year during the month of May. The Robert W. Calvert Inn of Court is the first Inn established in Austin and has been awarded Platinum recognition by the American Inns of Court. Applications are welcome from any practicing attorney or judge in Travis County and the contiguous counties. Membership is open to all licensed Texas attorneys, without regard to area of practice or trial experience. The application deadline is May 31, 2020. Anyone interested should submit a letter stating their interest in joining, a resume, and two letters of recommendation (preferably from members of the legal community) to: Sherine Thomas.

LLOYD C. LOCHRIDGE INN OF COURT
To apply for the Lloyd C. Lochridge Inn of Court, submit a letter stating your interest in joining the Inn, a résumé, and two letters of recommendation from the legal community by June 30, 2020. Email your application documents to Ryan Botkin. Please do not fax or mail your application. Applications are welcome from any practicing litigation attorney or judge.

Membership is limited to the number of available openings. Successful applicants are admitted as Associates (licensed less than 10 years), or Barristers (licensed 10 to 20 years).

The Lochridge Inn meets in the evenings monthly from September to April and fosters dialogue on legal issues, the art and science of trial advocacy, and discussion about high-profile cases. Contact Ryan Botkin at 512.960.4730 or  with any questions.

THE HONORABLE LEE YEAKEL INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INN OF COURT
The Honorable Lee Yeakel Intellectual Property Inn of Court is accepting applications for admission during the month of May. Applicants are admitted as student, associate, barrister, and master members. The Inn meets monthly from September to April of each year, with each meeting including dinner and a presentation by Inn members. Inn members earn CLE credit for presentations and attendance. All membership application materials should be sent to Brian Nash and Darla Thomas. For tracking purposes, please include “Lee Yeakel IP Inn of Court” in the subject line. For new member applications, please send a statement of interest, a resume, and two letters of recommendation to the above email addresses. CLICK HERE for more information.

BallotBox Online will deploy an online ballot to elect the 2020-21 Austin Bar officers and board of directors. An email with a link to the ballot will be sent to current Austin Bar members on Mon. April 13, 2020.  Members of AYLA will also receive a ballot to vote for the 2020-21 AYLA officers and board of directors on the same date. The online elections will remain open until 5 p.m. on Fri. May 1. Several reminder emails will be sent to those members who haven’t voted yet. Please vote early.

An email with a link to the ballot will be sent from noreply@ballotboxonline.com. Please add this email address to your safe-senders list to ensure the email doesn’t go to your spam filter.

The ballots are linked to members’ specific email addresses. No Bar Card numbers are necessary to vote. If you haven’t received a ballot by 5 p.m. on Mon. April 13, 2020, please first check your spam filter. If you still can’t find the email, call the Austin Bar office at 512.472.0279 to confirm we have your correct email address on file.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Austin Bar officer and board candidates.
CLICK HERE to learn more about the AYLA officer and board candidates.

Thank you for participating in the online election to ensure that the Austin Bar and AYLA can continue to serve you with the best leadership possible.

The Austin Bar Association’s nominating committee has announced its slate of officer and board candidates for the 2020-21 bar year.
There are no contested races for officers. The new officers making up the executive committee for 2020-21 will be President Kennon Wooten, President-Elect David Courreges, Secretary Amanda Arriaga, and Treasurer Hon. Chari L. Kelly.

There are six candidates vying for four seats on the Austin Bar board of directors. The director positions are for two-year terms. 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 by Friday, April 10, 2020.

A link to the electronic ballot will be sent to Austin Bar members on April 13, 2020 by Ballot Box Online. The email will be sent from noreply@ballotboxonline.com. Members are encouraged to add this address to their safe-senders list to ensure that the message doesn’t go to their spam filters. Online voting will end at 5 p.m. on May 1, 2020.

OFFICERS

These officers will begin their terms on July 1, 2020.

President Kennon Wooten has been on the Austin Bar’s board since 2013 and has served as the Austin Bar’s treasurer, secretary, and president-elect. She was president of the Austin Young Lawyers Association in 2013 and editor-in-chief of Austin Lawyer between 2013 and 2019. In addition to local-bar involvement, Wooten assists the State Bar of Texas with CLE events and serves on the State Bar’s Court Rules Committee, the Supreme Court Advisory Committee, and the editorial board for The Advocate. She is a member of the American Law Institute and a partner at Scott Douglass & McConnico, where she focuses on civil litigation and appeals.

President-Elect David Courreges is a sixth generation Austinite who believes in being a steward of the Austin community. He currently serves as secretary of the Austin Bar, having previously served as treasurer and as a two term director.  He has co-chaired the Austin Bar’s Legislative Committee, Law–Related Education Committee, and the Wildfire Legal Response team, and is the co-founder of the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy.  He served as president of AYLA from 2014-15, vice president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association from 2010-11, and has represented the Austin Bar as a member of the Travis County Civil and Family Courthouse Bond Advisory Committee and the City of Austin’s Downtown Community Court Advisory Board. He is the Director of Legal and Compliance, and Senior Corporate Counsel at University Federal Credit Union.

Secretary Amanda Arriaga has served as treasurer of the Austin Bar since June of 2019 and served as chair of the Austin Bar Gala Committee for the past two years. She was president of the AYLA in 2014 and has been active on the Austin Bar board since 2015.

Treasurer Hon. Chari L. Kelly is a U.S. Army veteran and a justice on the Texas Third District Court of Appeals. She is a former AYLA president and graduate of the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy. Before her election as a director to the Austin Bar board in 2018, she served as the chair for AYLA’s Runway for Justice from 2015-17. She is board-certified in criminal law by TBLS and the National Board of Trial Advocacy and also serves on the Litigation Council for the State Bar of Texas.

board of directors

Four of the following candidates will begin their terms on July 1, 2020, joining current board members Rob Frazer, Leslie Hill, Megan Honey Johnson, and Mary Ellen King, whose terms will expire in 2021.

Leslie Jane Boykin, owner of the Law Office of Leslie J. Boykin, is a solo practitioner defending clients accused of crimes in the Central Texas area. She has been involved with AYLA and the Austin Bar since 2004. She has served on the Austin Bar’s Law-Related Education Committee and is a 2019 graduate of the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy. She served on the AYLA board of directors from 2013-15, co-chaired the AYLA Retro Vegas fundraiser, and the Reentry Committee, and served as a volunteer at the Women’s Resource Fair and Expunction Expo. Boykin is a member of the Austin Bar’s Solo/Small Firm and Criminal Law Sections. In addition, she is a member of the Barbara Jordan Inn of Court, the Texas Bar College, the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. She is a Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and a founding member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association.

Bill Christian is a shareholder at Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody. He has practiced civil litigation in Austin for over twenty years and is board-certified in civil appellate law. Christian is a member of the Austin Bar’s Civil Appellate Section, serving as the section’s chair in 2017. He is a Fellow of the Austin Bar Foundation. He served on the board of Volunteer Legal Services for ten years and was VLS board president in 2016.

Judge Maya Guerra Gamble is the presiding judge of Travis County’s 459th District Court. Prior to taking the bench, she had a solo practice representing children and parents in child protective services cases; represented whistleblowers as of counsel at O’Connell & Soifer; prosecuted child pornography and child exploitation cases for the Texas Attorney General; sued companies committing fraud against the United States for the Department of Justice; and clerked for Judge Richard Cudahy on the 7th Circuit. She has served on many boards and committees, including the Austin Bar’s CAFA section board, the Texas Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission’s Standing Committee on Foster Children and Education, the Travis County Child Welfare Board, the Capitol Area Council Scouting BSA Executive Board, and the Austin High School Continuing Education Fund Board.

Amy Meredith is the Chief Prosecutor for the Public Integrity Unit of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. Meredith has been with the Travis County Attorney’s Office since 2004 and has spent the majority of her career in trial court. Currently serving as an Austin Bar board member, she is seeking re-election for her second term. Meredith has been an active member of the Austin Bar throughout her entire career.  She currently serves on the Bench Bar Committee and is a member of the Criminal Law Section, of which she is a past-chair. She has participated in numerous Austin Bar committees and is currently a member of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association.

Carly Gallagher Murray is a board-certified attorney practicing family law in Central Texas, primarily in Travis and Williamson counties. Murray is a former Judge Suzanne Covington Pro Bono Service Award honoree and has been a member of the Austin Bar since 2008 and the Austin Bar’s Family Law Section since 2010. She is a board member of the Mother Attorneys Mentoring Association (MAMAs), through which she has participated as a UT Women’s Law Caucus mentor and has helped to sponsor events connecting female law students with working attorney moms. She enjoys participating in mock trial and moot court, and since 2016 she has served as both a sparring attorney and program judge with the UT School of Law Advocacy Program

Craig Moore is an Assistant District Attorney for Travis County. He was a member of the LeadershipSBOT Class of 2014-15, and he has served as the Project Reentry Ambassador and Government Representative for AYLA. Moore was the co-chair for the Austin Bar’s 4^th Friday Free Members-Only CLE Committee from 2017 to 2019. He has served for the State Bar of Texas on the Public Affairs, Criminal Pattern Jury Charges, and District 9 Grievance committees. He is a member of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court. In 2018, the Austin Bar presented Moore with the Regina Rogoff Award for Outstanding Public Sector Service.

CLICK HERE to view the blanket order extending time to file briefs, issued May 20,2020.

The following order was issued by Chief Justice Jeff Rose on March 17, 2020.