Years ago, I missed my firstborn’s birth. My client had an emergency guardianship hearing involving financial predation of their aunt, who was so far gone she was stuffing contact lenses into her eyes until they bled. We get our time in when we can: homework, dinner, bedtime routine, trips to the grocery store, music lessons, day camps, friend dates to …
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 …
My name is Mary-Ellen King. I am the current president of the Austin Bar Association. This is my story. I grew up in church, a star athlete, always a leader—secretary of my high school’s student-government association, sorority officer, involved in campus politics, president of alum clubs, Rotary president, president of the Austin Bar, and leadership in various foundations, to name …
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 …
It is a myth that an individual seemingly functioning well at work could not also be an addict and suffering from severe emotional trauma. My own experience painted a picture of an individual who continued to maintain the façade of functionality at work despite the extent of my alcohol and drug use. I looked like a functional lawyer, but I …
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 …
The Austin Young Lawyers’ Association and Austin Bar Association are excited to invite AYLA members to apply for the 2025 Leadership Academy, which is entering its 14th year! The goal of the Leadership Academy is to foster leadership skills in the Austin legal community, expand and develop relationship networks, and to assist Austin-area lawyers in making a difference in our …
Join AYLA for our annual Tailgate for a Cause! On Nov. 9 at 9 a.m., we will gather at the Travis Café Outdoor Concourse, 1760 Brazos St., between 17th and 18th. This year we are benefitting Partnerships for Children on its Holiday Wishes program. This program delivers holiday gifts to Central Texas children in Child Protective Services. The program has …
The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in August 2024. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: Federal agency lacked statutory authority to promulgate decisional rules for insurance rate arbitrators. Tex. Med. Ass’n v. U.S. Dep’t of Health & Hum. Servs., 110 F.4th 762 …
The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during August 2024. The summaries are an overview; please review the entire opinion. Subsequent histories are current as of Sept. 13, 2024. TRIAL PROCEDURE: Commercial-speech exemption barred TCPA dismissal. Carpenter v. Daspit Law Firm, PLLC, No. 03-22-00466-CV (Tex. App.—Austin Aug. 14, 2024, no pet. h.) …