The Austin Bar Association is proud to recognize our 2023 Austin Bar 100 Club Members. The following firms, government agencies, organizations/schools, and corporate legal departments have 100 percent membership in the Austin Bar. The Austin Bar 100 Club is a distinguished membership that reflects a commitment to the advancement of the legal profession and involvement in the community. The Austin

Congratulations to Perkins Coie LLP for being named one of the best places to work by Austin Business Journal. Based out of Seattle, Washington, the Austin office is managed by Andrew Smetana. Congratulations to Robert O’Keefe, who recently started a mediation practice. Robert has mediated a variety of commercial disputes and stands ready to help parties reach a resolution. He

Austin attorney Gretchen Sims Sween in May 2023 filed a petition for a writ of certiorari asking the U.S. Supreme Court to conduct plenary review or summarily reverse the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals’ decision in January to uphold the conviction of Robert Roberson. In 2002, Roberson was charged with capital murder in the death of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki.

The LGBTQ+ Section of the Austin Bar celebrated Austin Pride with thousands of fellow Austinites on August 12, 2023. The section marched in the parade with members, supporters, and friends, handing out flags, necklaces, and fans for the hot summer night. The parade also provided the opportunity to share the Section’s “know your rights” website with community members through a

The following is a summary of a selected opinion issued by the Supreme Court of Texas in May 2023. The summary is intended as an overview of selected aspects of the opinion only; please review the entire opinion. PERSONAL JURISDICTION: “Dieselgate” auto manufacturers subject to specific personal jurisdiction in Texas, despite contacts with Texas being undifferentiated from those with other

The board of directors of the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association Scholarship Fund, Inc.  had the honor of awarding $2,000 from four separate scholarships to nine remarkable women attending The University of Texas School of Law.  Most of the awardees were able to attend the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association (TCWLA)’s mentor-mentee luncheon, at which Women’s Month was celebrated with

This is the first in a series of eight articles about the Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project. The Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project delivered its recommendations to the Travis County Commissioners in March 2023. The goal of these recommendations is to provide solutions other than jail to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in the county. The project

The Austin Bar Association and the Austin Chapter of the Federal Bar Association jointly hosted a retirement reception for Judge Lee Yeakel of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas—Austin Division.< More than $50,000 was raised. This money will be used to provide scholarships to students at The University of Texas School of Law. Congratulations to Judge

The Girls Empowerment Network (GEN) has received funding from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Texas Bar Foundation (TBF) to expand its Girl Connect school program to include Texas girls who are involved with the Texas juvenile justice system. Currently, Girl Connect serves girls across 84 program sites throughout Texas, including Austin. Using research-based, trauma-informed techniques, the program… Girls Empowerment

The fourth Travis County Expunction Expo took place on May 20, 2023. More than 300 applicants had prequalified to have their records expunged. The expo was a joint production of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, the Travis County Attorney’s Office, and the Travis County District Clerk’s Office. Legal services were provided by the Capital Area Private Defender Service, the