The American Bar Association (ABA) has launched a pilot program to help Afghan judges, lawyers, and prosecutors resume their careers in America after fleeing Afghanistan during or after the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops and the Taliban’s return to power. The ABA Afghan Legal Professionals Scholarship & Mentoring Pilot Program has partnered with 18 law schools in the U.S. …
In an effort to close the equity gap among students in Texas K-12 schools, a new law has been rolling out statewide since May of 2023 year that will help more Black and Latino students enroll in advanced-placement (AP) math classes. The “opt-in” law will automatically enroll high-testing students in advanced math classes, where they will have the opportunity to …
In a private preference poll, members of the Austin Bar rated the candidates in Travis County’s three contested judicial elections. The three candidates for the 353rd Judicial District judgeship, the two candidates for Travis County District Attorney, and the three candidates for Justice of the Peace Precinct 5 will appear on the ballot in the March primary. The purpose of …
Austin Bar member Kristina Baehr and her family recently won a case arising out of toxic mold in their home. Baehr is a trial attorney and the founder of Just Well Law, PLLC, which specializes in representing people exposed to toxic environments. She founded her firm as a result of her experience living in a mold-infested home. Before that, she …
A prison speech-and-debate program has relaunched in Houston after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus. The Houston chapter of the Rikers Debate Project (RDP) will return to the Harris County Jail to teach inmates how to effectively argue. The Houston chapter was founded in 2019 by Caitlin Halpern, a commercial litigation associate at a Houston law firm. Halpern is a former public defender …
The Anti-Defamation League Center on Extremism has released statistics on hate crimes and extremism movements in Texas, along with recommendations on how to address such crimes and movements. In 2022, there were 212 antisemitic incidents, up from 112 in 2021, according to “Hate in the Lone Star State: Extremism & Antisemitism in Texas.”1 In 2021 and 2022, there were two …
In October 2022, the Texas Supreme Court directed the Texas Access to Justice Commission (TAJC) to study existing rules and recommend actions that would accomplish two goals: 1. Allow qualified non-attorneys to provide limited legal services directly to low-income Texans; and 2. Allow non-attorneys to have economic interests in entities that provide legal services to low-income Texans while preserving attorneys’ …
The opinions expressed in Entre Nous are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Austin Bar Association membership or the Austin Bar Association board of directors. Every culture has its scary legends, usually designed to frighten children into behaving as adults wish—or face horrible consequences. Fear of unnatural and unknowable forces has dominated the …
Judge of the 459th District Court and Austin Bar Treasurer Maya Guerra Gamble was named one of The National Judicial College (NJC)’s “60 Courageous Judges.” The NJC’s Courageous Judges Awards “honor 60 judges, present and past, from courts in the United States and abroad, who have demonstrated courage in upholding the rule of law and providing justice for all.”1 Nominations …
One of my proudest professional accomplishments is being board-certified in criminal law. There are many types of board certifications and professional recognitions for trial work, but three of the most popular in Texas are the Texas Board of Legal Specialization (TBLS), the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). While each has different …