Thank you to the nearly 200 people who came out for the 2024 Bench Bar Conference!
This year’s conference took place at Kalahari Resorts in Round Rock, and featured plenty of members of the bench.
Bench Bar Committee Co-Chair Scott Brutocao kicked off the morning by introducing Corinne Smith, a life coach and Austin attorney. Smith led the crowd in an icebreaker in which the members of each table shared their best life or career advice in the form of a hashtag. The table voted on who had the best hashtag, and that person then went up on stage to present to the crowd.
Austin Bar President-Elect Mary-Ellen King came up with #stopthestigma.
“As the incoming president of the Austin Bar, I want to make sure everyone knows that it’s OK to ask for help,” she said.
Another table’s hashtag was #itsnotaboutthemistakesyoumake butitshowyoufixthem.
Judge Sylvia Holmes came up with #hideyourjob.
“If you’re looking for a contractor or need work done on your home, don’t tell them you’re a lawyer,” she said. “Your bid will not be what you want it to be.”
Another table came up with #sayless. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this table was made up of mostly criminal defense lawyers.
One table came up with #cantmakethisstuffup. Another selected #dreamyourlifeliveyourdream.
Zach Wiewel came up with #nosuchthingasaformerclient.
“If you know, you know,” he said.
Other hashtags included #wearsunscreen and, simply, #brevity.
James Parker came up with #dontcompoundamistakewitha crime.
“We all make mistakes,” he said. “When that happens, ask for help and don’t try to cover it up, especially in a criminal way.”
Chase Hamilton came up with #checktherules.
“That seems to be something everybody should do more often,” he said.
Gabrielle Smith came up with #beconfident.
Ben Evans came up with #maybelookbeforeyouproduce.
“In a recent case, my opposing counsel produced the results of his own client’s cybercrimes against my client,” he said. “It was very unfortunate for their side.”
Nikki Maples came up with #thinkbigworkhard.
“Don’t limit yourself; don’t be lazy,” she said.
Rachel Rudder came up with #donttakethebait.
“Don’t engage with opposing counsel when they’re being difficult and petty,” she said.
Josh Romero came up with #justdoit.
“A lot of us suffer from impostor syndrome, which stops a lot of young lawyers from getting in there and trying cases,” he said. “There’s nothing like getting in a trial and slugging it out, and you’re going to be better for it.”
Gilbert Perales came up with #boundaries.
“As a young lawyer, it’s important to have boundaries that clearly define your work life and your home life,” he said. “And it’s also important to set boundaries with clients. Boundaries are good.”
Sam Denton came up with #getinvolved.
“With your children, with your community, with your work,” he said. “It helps everybody and fills your own cup.”
After the morning’s presentations, the afternoon featured the presentation of awards.
The Austin Bar award winners were as follows: Texas Health & Human Services Inspector General Raymond Winter won the Regina Rogoff Award; 345th Civil District Court Judge Jan Soifer won the Larry F. York Mentoring Award; Manuel Escobar won the Joseph C. Parker, Jr., Diversity Award; and V. Blayre Pena won the Professionalism Award.
For the AYLA awards, Nora Picasso Uvalle won the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award; Hollie Toups won the Liberty Bell Award (which was accepted by her coworkers, Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas Executive Director Alisa de Luna and Kara O’Shaughnessy); and Sam Denton won the Mentor Award.
After the awards presentation came what was arguably the highlight of the entire day: the “Lawyer Olympics.”
Attendees made their way outside to a large field behind the Kalahari Convention Center, where Jenga, Connect 4, cornhole, and tug-of-war stations had been set up.
Zach Wiewel (front right) watches helplessly as he causes the Jenga tower to collapse.
There were a total of 18 teams, two of which competed against each other at each station. Every 10 minutes, the teams rotated to new stations. Referees kept score of the winning teams at each station. The referees were Ben Evans, Travis Plummer, Judge Karin Crump, Sara Saltmarsh, Robert Robinson, Judge Elisabeth Earle, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, Cathy Tabor, and Justice Ed Smith.
The winning teams at each station were difficult to keep track of, but the final round of the “Lawyer Olympics” featured the likes of Judge Jessica Mangrum, Rudy Metayer, Justice Chari Kelly, Maitreya Tomlinson, Judge Jan Soifer, Ben Evans, and Zach Wiewel on one side; and Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, Judge Elisabeth Earle, and Elliott Beck on the other.
These teams took part in a water-balloon-throwing contest in which the gap between throwers grew incrementally wider. Referees Drew Harris, Travis Plummer, and Sara Saltmarsh kept track of how many times a team dropped a balloon to determine the winner.
“Lawyer Olympics” teams hand off water balloons with relative ease.
The final round of the water-balloon throwing featured impressive athleticism from Judge Mangrum, Rudy Metayer, Chase Hamilton, and Elliott Beck. If they hadn’t become lawyers and judges, these individuals might have done well as wide receivers in the NFL. (Or maybe just the Canadian league.)
Though the team of Judge Guerra Gamble, Judge Earle, and Elliott Beck, among others, ultimately won the water-balloon toss, the real winners were all the participants who pummeled referee Drew Harris with water balloons after the contest had ended. Harris somehow managed to quickly change before proceeding to host the day’s final presentation, on discovery disputes and ethics.
Referee Drew Harris (front center) sustains rapid water-balloon fire from the entire Bench Bar crowd, including (back, L-R) Judge Jessica Mangrum, Rudy Metayer, Judge Elisabeth Earle, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, and Justice Chari Kelly
After the conference, participants enjoyed a happy hour sponsored by the Civil Litigation Section, during which the Travis County Courthouse portraits of four former district judges were unveiled: Hon. Gisela Triana, Hon. Darlene Byrne (now Justice Triana and Chief Justice Byrne), Hon. Scott Jenkins (ret.), and Hon. Tim Sulak (ret.).
(L-R): Justice Gisela Triana, Chief Justice Darlene Byrne, Judge Scott Jenkins (ret.), and Judge Tim Sulak (ret.) stand beside their respective portraits honoring their time as Travis County District Court judges. Photo courtesy of Kennon Wooten.
The Austin Bar sincerely thanks our supporters.
We also thank the Bench Bar Committee, consisting of Scott Brutocao, Judge Bianca Garcia, Rob Frazer, and Justice Ed Smith; as well as the Fun Committee, consisting of Caroline Gorman, Drew Harris, Sara Saltmarsh, Travis Plummer, Ben Evans, Robert Robinson, Catherine Tabor, and Edward Smith.
Thank you to Howry, Breen & Herman for sponsoring the water bottles, and to Rose Resolution Group for sponsoring the T-shirts. (Hot tip: If you woud like a Bench Bar water bottle and/or T-shirt, drop by Hilgers House to pick them up).
Lastly, and most importantly, thank you to everyone who attended Bench Bar and made this year such a success. We’re already planning next year’s Bench Bar and can’t wait to share the details with you.
Thank you for your support!