June 2024

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in April 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. PROPERTY DAMAGE: Reasonable juror could conclude that impounded groundwater that escaped and flowed over river onto plaintiff’s property remained “surface water” under Texas statute, and that defendant’s negligence proximately

On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, AYLA held a CLE on “Trust & Estate Law Basics,” presented by Melissa Pina, VP, Trust & Estates Officer, Cadence Bank.  The CLE provided attendees with an overview of considerations of which every attorney should have a basic understanding in serving clients. These included the importance of having a will; potential information needed when building

One of the questions I am most often asked when talking to and about the legal community is, “What does AYLA do?” It was the first question my distant cousin asked when I shared the news that I would be president of the organization and it is always the top question prospective members have—and rightfully so, when learning about AYLA.

New Austin Bar Directors New AYLA Directors

(L-R): Austin Bar President Justice Chari Kelly, Regina Rogoff Award winnerRaymond Winter, Larry F. York Mentoring Award winner Judge Jan Soifer,Professionalism Award winner V. Blayre Pena, and Joseph C. Parker, Jr. Diversity Award winner Manuel Escobar. (L-R): AYLA President Sarah Harp, Mentor Award winner Sam Denton, Outstanding Young Lawyer Award winner Nora Picasso Uvalle, and Austin Bar President Justice Chari

The Austin Bar Association is proud to announce that Austin Lawyer has been named the Best Overall Newsletter for Division III by the State Bar of Texas! Additionally, the “Decriminalizing Mental Health in Travis County” series was named Best Series of Articles – General Interest for Division III. This seven-part series was published between July 2023 and February 2024 and

Congratulations to Sandy Bayne of BayneLaw. Bayne has been elected as a new board member for 2024-25 for HeartGift, a nonprofit assisting children in obtaining life-saving heart surgery. Bayne’s practice involves healthcare law, civil litigation, health insurance, and gestational carrier agreements. Congratulations to Natalie Domanic, who has moved to Bollier Ciccone as an associate in the firm’s family law practice.

As the bar year ends, I want to thank you for being part of the Austin Bar family. From Bench Bar to the record-breaking Gala, it’s been an incredible year, and we could not have done it without your membership, engagement, and support of our events.  I would like to take the opportunity to recognize the many people who worked