The Austin chapters of American Inns of Court are accepting applications for the 2025-26 terms. The American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism, and ethics of the bench and bar.
An Ode to Quiet Activism
Mr. Rogers once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” In these uncertain times that quote rings true more than ever.
Richard Pena Honored for His Military Service
Former Austin Bar President Richard Pena was honored for his military service in Vietnam by a Texas veterans program.
The Texoma Hero Program is a joint project of U.S. Army veteran Billy Teague and HOT 107.3 FM in Sherman, Texas. The program has recognized local and regional veterans for their service since 2015.
Western District of Texas Accepting Applications for Magistrate Vacancy
The Western District of Texas is accepting applications to fill a magistrate vacancy in San Antonio. The deadline to apply is May 16, 2025, at 5 p.m. CST. Download the official public notice here.
Austin Bar Foundation Now Accepting Grant Applications
The Austin Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Austin Bar Association, is now accepting grant applications for its 2025 cycle.
This cycle’s grant-making priorities are projects that will support suicide prevention, as well as projects that support local attorneys and their families when facing mental health and substance abuse challenges.
Recent Austin Bar Systems Improvements
The Austin Bar recently unveiled several systems improvements to give our members more value. The Austin Bar now features a self-service classified ads platform. Do you have office space to lease? Post a classified ad at austinbarclassifieds.com. This simple but powerful website allows you to create an account in the process of creating a classified ad, pay for that ad, …
Austin Bar’s 2025 Award Winners
The Austin Bar has named this year’s recipients for the Professionalism Award, the Regina Rogoff Pro Bono Award, the Larry F. York Mentoring Award, and the Joseph C. Parker, Jr., Diversity Award. These individuals will be honored with their awards at the annual Bench Bar Conference on April 11. Register now at austinbar.org/benchbar2025. Professionalism Award – Michelle Cheng Michelle Cheng …
Texas Supreme Court Update April 2025
The following are summaries of selected opinions issued by the Texas Supreme Court in March 2025. These summaries are prepared by court staff as a courtesy. They are not a substitute for the actual opinions. The summaries are overviews of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. GEO Grp. v. Hegar, ___ S.W.3d ___, 2025 WL ___ (Tex. Mar. 14, …
Austin Bar Members Appear Before SCOTX to Deliver Oral Arguments
The Supreme Court of Texas convened Feb. 19, 2025, and heard oral arguments from two Austin Bar members. Austin Bar Member Catherine Robb, Haynes and Boone, for Respondent Paxton v. Am. Oversight Administrative Law – Public Information Act At issue is whether trial courts have jurisdiction to issue writs of mandamus against the Governor and Attorney General to compel information under the …
Growing Up with Alcoholism
Hi, I’m Mary Evelyn, and I’m an adult child of an alcoholic. Recently, I was reading about Brooke Shields, with whom I thought I only had one thing in common—that we grew up in the same era. It turns out another commonality is that we grew up with alcoholism. When Brooke Shields was asked in an interview if she would …