Please join us on Saturday, May 10 at Austin Pickle Ranch for Austin Bar Association and AYLA’s Leadership Academy PICKLEPALOOZA—An All-Ages PickleballTournament Fundraiser Benefiting CASA of Travis County The Austin Bar and AYLA’s Leadership Academy is thrilled to invite you to Picklepalooza, a fun and competitive pickleball tournament in support of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Travis County, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 4-7 p.m. at Austin Pickle Ranch – Braker …
The Robert Roberson Case: A Struggle for Justice and the Role of the Texas Attorney General’s Office and Legislature
The death penalty case of Robert Roberson has captivated attention across the nation, not just for the tragic death of his daughter, Nikki, but for the layers of injustice that have been revealed through the legal process and the evolving understanding of medical science. Roberson’s conviction in 2002 was based on the now-discredited medical theory of “Shaken Baby Syndrome” (SBS). …
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 …
22nd Annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala Raises More Than $200,000
More than 500 guests attended the “Secret Garden”-themed Austin Bar Foundation Gala on Jan. 25, 2025, at the Four Seasons in downtown Austin. Members of the legal community arrived in their black-tie best. Austin Bar President Mary-Ellen King hired flower-covered stilt walkers, who posed with guests to take pictures. Attendees enjoyed an elegant pre-event cocktail hour while perusing the auction …
Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers; A Resource for All of Us
The practice of law is a stressful profession. Lawyers face intense pressure with long hours, demanding clients, high-stakes and high-conflict deals or cases, and high professional and societal standards. As a result, the legal profession faces high rates of depression, substance use, and behavioral addictions. Chronic stress can also strain the body to the point of causing life-threatening diseases, and …
ABA Suspends DEI Rule as Threat of Funding Cuts Looms
The American Bar Association has suspended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standard in response to the Trump administration’s Department of Education (DOE) mandate that such policies be eliminated or federal funding for higher education may be cut. The suspension of this standard, called Standard 206, will last until at least Aug. 31, 2025, the ABA Legal Education and Admissions …