At a January 2024 meeting of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the commission voted against a recommendation to create a pilot program that would have allowed non-attorney ownership of entities licensed to provide limited legal services to low-income Texans. The topic of nonlawyer ownership in legal entities has been a topic of growing interest in recent years. Currently, Texas

In Part One of this series, I explained the benefits of a revocable living trust on incapacity. However, incapacity is only half the story. Trusts are also popular because of the benefits they can provide on death.   First, trusts can avoid probate. A surprisingly common misconception is that a decedent can avoid probate by having a will. This could

Gov. Greg Abbott has started appointing individuals to the newly created Fifteenth Court of Appeals and the Austin business court division (see Briefs). Fifteenth Court of Appeals Effective Sept. 1, 2024, all cases pending in the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals filed on or after Sept. 1, 2023, and which fall under the jurisdiction of the Fifteenth Court of

Thank you to the nearly 200 people who came out for the 2024 Bench Bar Conference! This year’s conference took place at Kalahari Resorts in Round Rock, and featured plenty of members of the bench.  Bench Bar Committee Co-Chair Scott Brutocao kicked off the morning by introducing Corinne Smith, a life coach and Austin attorney. Smith led the crowd in

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

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.

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

(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

New Austin Bar Directors New AYLA Directors

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.