The Austin Bar Association cosponsored the 23rd annual Austin Adoption Day, where children were officially adopted into their forever families. The event took place at the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility on Nov. 14. The adoption cases were heard by many of Travis County’s district judges. There were 4,100 adoptions in Texas in 2023. Of those, 136 were …
Guidelines for Representing Impaired Professionals
In its 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated approximately 48.5 million people in the United States age 12 or older met the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder at some point during that year. This represented approximately 17.1 percent of all persons 12 or older. The same …
December 2024/January 2025 SCOTX Oral Arguments
The Supreme Court of Texas convened Oct. 29-31, 2024, and heard oral arguments from several Austin Bar members. Austin Bar Member Wallace B. Jefferson Alexander Dubose & Jefferson for Respondents Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Underground Servs. Markham, LLC Oil & Gas – Royalty Payments This case raises questions of who owns the right to use underground salt caverns created through the salt-extraction …
District & County Court Trial Verdicts December 2024/January 2025
Editor’s Note: The monthly jury trial verdicts update is first published through Bar Code and the Austin Bar app. Download the app today on either the App Store or the Google Play Store. CIVIL/FAMILY 5005 SSR LLC v. Laszlo Herczeg Cause No: D-1-GN-19-002982 Judge: Daniella Desetta Lyttle, 261st Civil District Court Dates: October 8 – 10, 2024 Attorneys:Plaintiff: Michael Smith, …
Meet the Austin Bar Foundation Gala Award Winners
David Armbrust, Denise Davis, and Thomas R. Phillips have been named the Austin Bar’s 2025 Distinguished Lawyers, and Austin Kaplan has been named the recipient of the David H. Walter Community Excellence Award. These individuals will be honored at the 2025 Austin Bar Foundation Gala on Jan. 25, 2025. Tickets and sponsorships are now available. Distinguished Lawyers David Armbrust Armbrust …
Third Court of Appeals Civil Update December 2024/January 2025
The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during October 2024. The summaries are an overview; please review the entire opinion. Subsequent histories are current as of November 11, 2024. FAMILY LAW: Court affirms modification ordering child support. Doyle v. Doyle, No. 03-22-00691-CV (Tex. App.—Austin Oct. 11, 2024, no pet. h.) (mem. op.). …
Federal Civil Update December 2024/January 2025
The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in October 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. TAX: Ordering taxable articles to be shipped to the United States for resale makes one an “importer” under the Internal Revenue Code. Tex. Truck Parts & Tire, Inc. v. …
AYLA Member Spotlight: Alan Lin
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your law practice. I am an Associate at Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP, where I practice management-side labor and employment law. My practice encompasses all facets, including litigation, advising, and disputes before government agencies. I grew up in Austin and had the great opportunity to return to Austin after graduating from …
AYLA Produces Videos for Non-Lawyers to Pick Juries
AYLA recently completed production on its series of tutorial videos meant to educate members of the public on how to pick juries without a lawyer in justice of the peace and municipal courts. See the YouTube playlist here. These videos were made possible by a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation and with the help of Judge Sylvia Holmes, Justice …
AYLA Health & Wellness Committee Hosts RIDE Cycle Class
On Saturday, November 16, the AYLA Health & Wellness Committee organized a cycle class at RIDE Downtown. The class was an awesome opportunity for Austin attorneys to unwind and get to know each other outside of the office or courtroom. The Health & Wellness Committee is focused on facilitating lawyer well-being through regular activities like group exercise. Huge thanks to …