Judge Julie Kocurek of the 390th District Court has been named the 2024 recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. The award is given by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and is one of the country’s highest judicial honors.  The recipient is decided by the Governance and Nominations Committee of NCSC’s board of directors, which

Kudos Congratulations to the following, who were among those named by Texas Lawyer as “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective practice fields in and around Austin: Thomas K. Anson Energy Regulatory Law Tom Anson practices state and federal energy and utility law at Clark Hill. He assists companies and governmental bodies on regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters involving electricity

The Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) held its annual Evening with the Judiciary at Chateau Bellevue on Thursday, Sept. 26. For more than 20 years, this reception has been a signature event where AYLA members have the opportunity to share an evening of food and conversation with local, state, and federal judges.  We also thank our generous and loyal sponsors

The following are summaries of selected opinions issued by the Texas Supreme Court in September 2024. These summaries are prepared by court staff as a courtesy and are not a substitute for the actual opinions. The summaries are overviews of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: Administrative Procedure Act  Tex. Dep’t of State Health Servs. v. Kensington

The Supreme Court of Texas convened Oct. 1-3, 2024, and heard oral arguments from several Austin Bar members. Bertucci v. Watkins Procedure-Appellate – Waiver Steven A. Fleckman  Munck Wilson Mandala  for Petitioner Elizabeth G. “Heidi” Bloch  Greenberg Traurig  for Respondent/Cross-petitioner These cross-petitions raise issues of briefing waiver and whether fiduciary duties are owed among business partners. Bertucci and Watkins founded several

Dear Austin Bar Members:  As we celebrate the Thanksgiving season, we want to thank you for your continued support of the Austin Bar Foundation. As you make your year-end charitable donations, we ask that you consider one or more of the following programs: Preservation of Hilgers House – The Foundation bought this beautiful home in 2019. It was built in

Out-of-state lawyers can temporarily register with the North Carolina State Bar to provide pro bono legal services to victims of Hurricane Helene, following an order by the North Carolina Supreme Court. The court approved the North Carolina State Bar’s temporary rule amendment on Oct. 1.  The State Bar petitioned the Supreme Court for this emergency rule to streamline the process by

The Lawyer Well-Being Committee of the Austin Bar Association invites you to participate in a fundraiser for suicide awareness and prevention.  The fundraiser is a walk that will take place on Oct. 26 at 10 a.m., starting at the Texas Capitol. These “Out of the Darkness” walks are hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), which has chapters

ON THE MOVE Michael Ripp, Cindy Grossman, and Lauren Fitte have launched the law firm of of Ripp Grossman & Fitte LLP (“RGF”). RGF will provide personalized legal services in the areas of domestic and international estate, gift, and income tax planning and preparation, closely held business planning, insurance coverage analysis and procurement, and asset protection planning. While the launch

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your law practice. I moved to Austin with my then-fiancée, now wife, in June of 2021. I had just graduated from the University of Washington School of Law, and my wife was working remotely because of the pandemic. We were in the position of being able to pick and choose where we