AYLA Board of Directors 2025-26 Slate of Candidates

The following candidates are running for the AYLA officers and directors positions. The new board will take office on July 1, 2025, along with Jenna Malsbary, who will serve as AYLA’s president. Malsbary has been on AYLA’s board since 2019, and has served as secretary, treasurer, and president-elect. Voting begins April 11 and concludes on May 1 at 4 p.m. …

Announcing the 2025-26 Austin Bar Board Slate of Nominees

The Austin Bar’s Nominating Committee has released its slate of nominees for the 2025-26 board of directors. Voting begins April 11 and concludes on May 1 at 4 p.m. Per the bylaws, any qualified member not receiving the nomination of the committee may be included on the ballot by submitting a written petition signed by 75 members by Thursday, April …

22nd Annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala Raises More Than $200,000 

More than 500 guests attended the “Secret Garden”-themed Austin Bar Foundation Gala on Jan. 25, 2025, at the Four Seasons in downtown Austin. Members of the legal community arrived in their black-tie best. Austin Bar President Mary-Ellen King hired flower-covered stilt walkers, who posed with guests to take pictures. Attendees enjoyed an elegant pre-event cocktail hour while perusing the auction …

Texas Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers; A Resource for All of Us

The practice of law is a stressful profession. Lawyers face intense pressure with long hours, demanding clients, high-stakes and high-conflict deals or cases, and high professional and societal standards. As a result, the legal profession faces high rates of depression, substance use, and behavioral addictions. Chronic stress can also strain the body to the point of causing life-threatening diseases, and …

Volunteers & Donors Make 15th AYLA MLK Day of Service a Success

The 15th Annual Austin Young Lawyers Association Day of Service on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day was tremendously successful with the help of volunteers and donors.  This local project is modeled after the national Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service, which is intended to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community service that helps solve social problems. There …

Federal Civil Update March 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in January 2025. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. APPELLATE PROCEDURE: 28 U.S.C. § 1292(b) did not permit interlocutory review of pretrial ruling on proper measure… To view the rest of this article, please log into your account if …

Third Court of Appeals Civil Update March 2025

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during January 2025. The summaries are an overview; please review the entire opinion. Subsequent histories are current as of February 10, 2025.  ARBITRATION: Court reverses trial court’s failure to enforce arbitration … To view the rest of this article, please log into your account if …

Third Court of Appeals Criminal Update March 2025

EVIDENCE ADMISSIBILITY – BREACH OF COMPUTER SECURITY: Evidence found on defendant’s phone by defendant’s wife was inadmissible. State v. Holloway, ___ S.W.3d ___, No. 03-23-00423-CR (Tex. App.—Austin July 26, 2024, no pet.) (designated for publication). Holloway was charged with aggravated sexual assault. Evidenc… To view the rest of this article, please log into your account if you’ve already purchased a …

UT Study: Parole Reform in Texas Could Save Millions, Reduce Crowded Prisons

The University of Texas School of Law’s William Wayne Justice Center for Public Interest Law and the Civil Rights Clinic released a report recommending changes to Texas’ parole system. Parole reform is needed, the authors argue, because the state has become over-reliant on incarceration: Texas has a prison populat… To view the rest of this article, please log into your …

ABA Suspends DEI Rule as Threat of Funding Cuts Looms

The American Bar Association has suspended its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standard in response to the Trump administration’s Department of Education (DOE) mandate that such policies be eliminated or federal funding for higher education may be cut. The suspension of this standard, called Standard 206, will last until at least Aug. 31, 2025, the ABA Legal Education and Admissions …