Congratulations to David Armbrust for his inclusion in Austin Business Journal’s inaugural Power Players list, which recognizes individuals who have notable influence in their industry. Armbrust is the founding partner of Armbrust & Brown and practices administrative, environmental, land use, and real estate law. Congratulations to Kelly Caperton Fischer on her promotion to partner in Goranson Bain Ausley’s Austin office. …
NJC Names Judge Maya Guerra Gamble a “Courageous Judge”
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 …
Austin Bar Board of Directors Open for Nominations!
If you are interested in running for a position as a director or officer of the Austin Bar Association, please fill out and submit this form by Feb. 25. Officer positions are one-year term; director positions are for two years. Nominees for the office of president-elect shall have served at least two years on the board of directors prior to …
ABLA Scholarship Applications Now Open
The Austin Black Lawyers Association (ABLA) Foundation, Inc., is looking for high-school seniors to apply for its Virgil C. Lott Scholarship for 2024. This scholarship is open to current high-school seniors in Central Texas who exhibit leadership, community service, good scholastic standing, extracurricular involvement, and financial need. Applications may be submitted online here. Please email any questions to: Foundation@austinblacklawyers.org. To …
Austin City Council Begins Efforts to Ban Construction of Windowless Apartment Buildings
Windowless bedrooms are illegal. Right? The issue is apparently not so cut-and-dry, much to the dismay of thousands of university students living in downtown Austin. Due to certain loopholes found in the 2021 International Building Code, the code that the City of Austin follows, so-called “luxury” student apartments can legally exclude windows from their apartment bedrooms. As per the Code, …
Gen Z-er Here: I’m an Avid Listener of the Council of Firsts Podcast
Austin Bar Foundation Chair Amanda Arriaga was the featured guest of a fireside chat on Oct. 16 at Hilgers House. The focus of the chat was Amanda’s initiative as president of the Austin Bar, “Council of Firsts,” which later became the name of her podcast, and her support for diverse “firsts” in the Austin legal community. I originally came across …
Decriminalizing Mental Health in Travis County: Part 5
This is the fifth in a series of eight articles about the Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project. The Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project delivered its recommendations to the Travis County Commissioners in March 2023. The goal of these recommendations is to provide solutions other than jail to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in the county. Recommendation …
Floyd Real Estate Wins AYLA Sponsor Award
Floyd Real Estate, LLC has been awarded AYLA’s 2023 Sponsor Award! Floyd Real Estate is owned by AYLA sustaining members Dave Floyd and Sara Foskitt. In addition to being attorneys, they are both also real estate brokers. Floyd and Foskitt have both served on many different AYLA committees, taken part in the inaugural class of the AYLA/Austin Bar Leadership Academy, …
AYLA Wins Four ABA Awards of Achievement
The Austin Young Lawyers Association won four 2023 American Bar Association (ABA) awards – the most of any organization this year. AYLA won Most Outstanding Single Project – Service to the Bar for the 2022 Family Fall Festival. For Texas District 25, AYLA also won Service to the Public – Local Level – Division C for the 2022 Crawfish Boil …
AYLA Guest Column – Revolutionizing Child Protection: The Birth of a Beacon for Change
In the early 1990s, the realm of child protection was a disjointed labyrinth of communication that left both children and the community vulnerable to the horrors of child abuse. The system comprised a convoluted web of agencies, marked by a lack of comprehensive training and woeful communication. This patchwork approach posed a dire threat to the safety of children within …