Featured image for “Get Ready for the Annual AYLA Tailgate!”
Oct. 02, 2023

Get Ready for the Annual AYLA Tailgate!

Ah, football season in Austin, Texas—a time when the air gets a little crisper, flannel shirts make their annual appearance, and on weekends sprawling parking lots transform into bustling hubs of camaraderie, grill smoke, and a whole lot of team spirit. But let’s face it: We’re not just here for the sport; we’re here for the age-old American tradition of
Featured image for “Austin Bar’s Got Talent”
Oct. 02, 2023

Austin Bar’s Got Talent

On Nov. 2, 2023, the Austin Bar Association will host a talent show, and you’re invited to perform or watch! What: Austin Bar’s Got TalentWhen: Nov. 2, 2023, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Where: East Lawn, Hilgers House, 712 West 16th St.Why: It’s fun! Register here. Whether you’re a musician, comedian, dancer, magician, or have a unique talent to share, you’re invited to perform.
Featured image for “Readability of Briefs: Two Empirical Studies”
Oct. 02, 2023

Readability of Briefs: Two Empirical Studies

This column discusses two studies of appellate-brief writing that reached different conclusions and call for different explanations. The first study scored nearly every brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court from 1969 to 2004 using four readability-assessment tools, two of which are described here. The Flesch Reading Ease Scale uses sentence and word length to assess readability and assigns a
Oct. 02, 2023

Briefs October 2023

Congratulations to Mitchell F. Boomer, who was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the Litigation – Labor and Employment Category. Boomer is the Austin Office Managing Principal at Jackson Lewis PC. Congratulations to James Matthew Dow, who was recently named a “Texas Super Lawyer” in the area of Business Litigation. Dow has held this distinction since 2006. Dow
Featured image for “Austin Bar President’s Column: Don’t Forget to Have a Little Fun”
Oct. 02, 2023

Austin Bar President’s Column: Don’t Forget to Have a Little Fun

As adults, we often forget the simplicity of the “before” times. Before the job, the family, and the dreaded smartphone, we all allowed ourselves to have a little fun. I recently came across a book that explores the concept of fun and why it’s a necessary part of the human experience, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.
Featured image for “Preparing Your Practice for an Emergency”
Oct. 02, 2023

Preparing Your Practice for an Emergency

Do you have a plan in place for when it’s time to retire? What if an unexpected emergency comes up and you have to halt practice, either temporarily or permanently? The topic of succession planning and other issues surrounding the cessation of practice was one of the top initiatives of State Bar of Texas Immediate Past President Laura Gibson. “We
Featured image for “The Texas Veterans Commission Awards $130,000 to the Veterans Legal Assistance Program”
Oct. 02, 2023

The Texas Veterans Commission Awards $130,000 to the Veterans Legal Assistance Program

Veterans in Central Texas have garnered more support thanks to a $130,000 Funds for Veterans Assistance grant from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC). The grant is awarded to the Austin Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Assistance Program (VLAP), which provides much-needed services to veterans. Doug Lawrence, managing attorney of the program, says the grant will be used to update the program’s
Featured image for “Congratulations to Austin’s 50-Year Lawyers!”
Sep. 08, 2023

Congratulations to Austin’s 50-Year Lawyers!

The Austin lawyers below were honored for their 50 years of service to the profession at the State Bar of Texas’s annual meeting. Anita Ashton Karen Johnson Butler Thomas William George David Biggs Kultgen Hon. Jan P. Patterson Judge Bob Perkins Jimmy Altman John C. Augustine Ron Dale Betz Evelyn Hudson Biery William P. Boone Dick Terrell Brown J. Winston
Featured image for “First AYLA Trial Institute a Success”
Sep. 08, 2023

First AYLA Trial Institute a Success

AYLA’s inaugural Trial Institute proved to be a great success. The sold-out event took place on June 30, 2023, in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the new Travis County Civil & Family Courts Facility. AYLA partnered with the American College of Trial Lawyers to host a day of honing trial skills using materials and testimony from the real-life espionage trial of
Featured image for “Bringing Vegas to Austin: Relive the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy Casino Night Fundraiser”
Sep. 08, 2023

Bringing Vegas to Austin: Relive the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy Casino Night Fundraiser

On June 24, people from across the legal community gathered at the Chateau Bellevue to laugh, connect, and even do a little “gambling.” Fully equipped with poker, blackjack, and roulette, the Austin Bar/Austin Young Lawyers Association’s Leadership Academy hosted a Casino Night and Silent Auction that transformed the downtown Austin venue into a casino on the Vegas Strip. The Austin
Featured image for “Get Ready for the Annual AYLA Tailgate!”
Oct. 02, 2023

Get Ready for the Annual AYLA Tailgate!

Ah, football season in Austin, Texas—a time when the air gets a little crisper, flannel shirts make their annual appearance,…
Featured image for “Austin Bar’s Got Talent”
Oct. 02, 2023

Austin Bar’s Got Talent

On Nov. 2, 2023, the Austin Bar Association will host a talent show, and you’re invited to perform or watch!…
Featured image for “Readability of Briefs: Two Empirical Studies”
Oct. 02, 2023

Readability of Briefs: Two Empirical Studies

This column discusses two studies of appellate-brief writing that reached different conclusions and call for different explanations. The first study…
Oct. 02, 2023

Briefs October 2023

Congratulations to Mitchell F. Boomer, who was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the Litigation – Labor and…
Featured image for “Austin Bar President’s Column: Don’t Forget to Have a Little Fun”
Oct. 02, 2023

Austin Bar President’s Column: Don’t Forget to Have a Little Fun

As adults, we often forget the simplicity of the “before” times. Before the job, the family, and the dreaded smartphone,…
Featured image for “Preparing Your Practice for an Emergency”
Oct. 02, 2023

Preparing Your Practice for an Emergency

Do you have a plan in place for when it’s time to retire? What if an unexpected emergency comes up…
Featured image for “The Texas Veterans Commission Awards $130,000 to the Veterans Legal Assistance Program”
Oct. 02, 2023

The Texas Veterans Commission Awards $130,000 to the Veterans Legal Assistance Program

Veterans in Central Texas have garnered more support thanks to a $130,000 Funds for Veterans Assistance grant from the Texas…
Featured image for “Congratulations to Austin’s 50-Year Lawyers!”
Sep. 08, 2023

Congratulations to Austin’s 50-Year Lawyers!

The Austin lawyers below were honored for their 50 years of service to the profession at the State Bar of…
Featured image for “First AYLA Trial Institute a Success”
Sep. 08, 2023

First AYLA Trial Institute a Success

AYLA’s inaugural Trial Institute proved to be a great success. The sold-out event took place on June 30, 2023, in…
Featured image for “Bringing Vegas to Austin: Relive the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy Casino Night Fundraiser”
Sep. 08, 2023

Bringing Vegas to Austin: Relive the Austin Bar/AYLA Leadership Academy Casino Night Fundraiser

On June 24, people from across the legal community gathered at the Chateau Bellevue to laugh, connect, and even do…