American Inns of Court Accepting Applications for 2024-25

The Austin chapters of the American Inns of Court are accepting applications for the 2024-25 terms. The American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism, and ethics of the bench and bar. Information about the American Inns of Court can be found at www.innsofcourt.org. Each inn meets monthly. The deadline to apply is May 31, 2024. Interested applicants should …

Annual Equity Summit Registration Now Open

On behalf of the Austin Bar Association’s DEI Committee, I am excited to invite members of the Austin legal community to our annual Equity Summit.  This year’s CLE program will be held on Thursday, May 23, 2024, from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. at the Austin Community College Rio Grande Campus, 1212 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701. The theme for …

An Open Letter of Gratitude

It is with immense gratitude that I write to announce that I will retire from service as associate judge for the District Courts of Travis County on May 31, 2024. I have enjoyed my service on the bench as an associate judge in Travis County and, before that, as the first associate judge for the Child Protection Court of Central …

DOJ Announces White-Collar Whistleblower Rewards Program, Sentencing Enhancements for Corporate Misuse of AI

At the American Bar Association’s 39th National Institute on White Collar Crime, U.S. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the formation of a Department of Justice (DOJ)-run rewards program for whistleblowers.  “The premise is simple,” Monaco said during her remarks in San Francisco on March 7, 2024. “If an individual helps DOJ discover significant corporate or financial misconduct—otherwise unknown to …

Third Court of Appeals Civil Update May 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals in March 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. Subsequent histories are current as of April 9, 2024. GOVERNMENTAL IMMUNITY:  Court holds agency is immune from takings claim. Texas State Library & Archives Comm’n v. Westmoreland, …

Austin Bar Recognizes Award Winners

The Austin Bar Association has announced the 2024 winners of the Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award, the Regina Rogoff Award, the Professionalism Award, and the Larry F. York Mentoring Award. The winner of the Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award is Manuel Escobar, partner at McGinnis Lochridge. The winner of the Professionalism Award is V. Blayre Pena. The winner …

The Rule of Law is Under Attack. What Are We Going to Do About It?

“These are extraordinary times. As lawyers and as guardians of the third branch of government, we have a unique duty to lead our nation in the protection of judges, the rule of law and American democracy. The time has come to rededicate ourselves to our obligations.” This is the recent charge from American Bar Association (ABA) President Mary Smith, calling …

Briefs May 2024

Congratulations to Matthew “Maff” Caponi, associate at the Kaplan Law Firm, who negotiated a $55,000 settlement for his client, Eli Winkelman, in a federal lawsuit against the City of Austin. Winkelman alleged Austin police used excessive force against her when, during the protest marches of May 2020, she attempted to film police arresting another protester. Congratulations to Frank O. Carroll …