At its September quarterly meeting in Austin, the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors presented Austin Bar member Laura S. Fowler with the following resolution honoring her contributions to the legal profession and the community at large.
Judge Sam Sparks: “One You Should Watch to Learn How to be a Good Lawyer”
When he passed away in mid-September, Judge Sam Sparks was properly recognized by members of the Austin Bar for his long and distinguished service as a district judge of the Austin Division of the Western District of Texas.
Austin Bar President’s Column: Using Our Austin Bar Committees Effectively for a Productive Bar Year
We know that committees are important to organizations. Like other organizations, bar associations see the value in committees and tend to create many of them. But why are they important? And does their creation automatically enhance a bar association?
AYLA President’s Column – My Challenge to You: Give Yourself Grace
I graduated from St. Mary’s University School of Law and was sworn in to the Texas Bar in 2012. However, there are days when I still feel like I’m a baby lawyer. Especially days when I make mistakes or instantly regret saying, or not saying, something.
One Young Lawyer’s Guide to Seeking Balance
For many of our clients, firms, or agencies, fall is the start of a new fiscal year. Several of us are probably instrumental in the labor required to prepare a new budget. Well, my offering to this month’s Austin Lawyer readers is to reflect on a different kind of budget–the budget for your personal energy.
AYLA Member Spotlight: Melissa Pina
We recently sat down with AYLA member Melissa Pina to feature in our Member Spotlight.
Federal Permitting and the Judicial Acorn
On May 29, 2025, the Supreme Court added another chapter to its evolving project of administrative law reform—this time turning its attention to federal environmental permitting. In Seven County Infrastructure Coalition et al v. Eagle County, Colorado et al, the justices ventured into the thicket of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a statute long celebrated for its environmental ideals but criticized for its procedural backlog.
Thank You to Our August CANLaw Clinic Volunteers!
Thank you to the following attorneys, paralegals, law and high school students who helped staff the Aug. 23 CANLaw Clinic!
Austin Bar Member Hatchell Wins Pope Award From Texas Center for Legal Ethics
The Texas Center for Legal Ethics has awarded Austin attorney Mike Hatchell the 2025 Chief Justice Jack Pope Professionalism Award.
Texas Commission on Professional Ethics Opinion 708
The latest ethics opinion addresses whether a lawyer may agree to be bound by a non-disparagement clause in a client settlement agreement, and whether such a clause may contain a provision not to reveal confidential information related to the representation for marketing purposes.