The Association of Women Attorneys, or AWA, Foundation in Houston is seeking nominations for its Premier Woman in the Law and Rising Star awards for 2020. The Premier Woman in the Law award and Rising Star award are presented to women attorneys who have contributed to Houston’s legal community through their professional achievement and community involvement and by actively seeking to advance other women in the law.…

The Texas Supreme Court welcomed Jane Bland to the bench in a ceremony September 11 at its chambers in Austin. Administering the oath was Gov. Greg Abbott, who appointed Bland to the bench, describing her previous work in the judiciary as “extraordinary.” Her experience includes 15 years as a judge on the 1st Court of Appeals in Houston, as well as once delivering a tiebreaking majority opinion for the Texas Supreme Court after a justice…

Kelsey Erickson, general counsel to Sen. Kirk Watson, and Katy Aldredge, capitol director for Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, are this year’s recipients of the James Madison Award presented by the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. Erickson and Aldredge were chosen for their efforts to create and pass legislation that makes important repairs to Texas’ open records law, according to a news release from the foundation. The legislation ensured that Texans will have access to…

By: Claude Ducloux Board Certified, Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Director of Education, LawPay As a veteran of nearly 39 years of legal practice, I know the importance of cash flow. In my quest for financial security and success, I have perused every bar journal article, attended numerous practice management CLEs, and varied my approach to billing and collections to see what worked. Doing good work, of course,…

The State Bar of Texas’ Membership Department was informed in August 2019 of the deaths of these members. We join the officers and directors of the State Bar in expressing our deepest sympathy.…

Blake Hawthorne, clerk of the court for the Texas Supreme Court, will be honored with the Kathleen McCree Lewis Award for Appellate Justice by the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers in April 2020. Hawthorne is being recognized by the group for his trailblazing work in transforming court records to electronic format, said Houston lawyer Kevin Dubose, treasurer of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, in a press release.…

The State Bar of Texas Appellate Section and the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society celebrated its Texas Appellate Hall of Fame 2019 inductees during an Advanced Civil Appellate Seminar in Austin on September 5.  The award recognizes judges, attorneys, and court personnel who have made significant contributions to appellate law and who are no longer living.…