Joel Bennett is a highly respected attorney who has been a legal leader in the Austin area for more than 45 years. He has served as a lieutenant in the armed forces, worked for the Travis County Attorney, been honored by the State Bar of Texas, and been appointed and served as the first judge of the Travis County Adult Drug Court, where he presided over and saved thousands of lives.
On the Move Congratulations to Jennifer Banda, who has been hired as the new executive director of the Center for Women in Law at UT Law. Jennifer has more than 25 years’ experience in state and federal government relations and was most recently senior vice president for advocacy and public policy at the Texas Hospital Association. She is a graduate …
In election years and otherwise, it seems every other day can bring something new to be stressed and despair over when reading or watching the news. When the world feels like it is spiraling out of control and we don’t know what to do in response, it can be easy to feel like our actions don’t really matter and freeze. …
Each year, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., AYLA coordinates a Day of Service for its members to participate in several community service events and donation drives throughout Austin. The 15th annual MLK Day of Service will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025. This local project is modeled after the national MLK Day of Service, which is …
AYLA’s 8th Annual Tailgate for a Cause fundraiser was a great success. For this year’s holiday event, AYLA will be partnering with Partnerships for Children for their Holiday Wishes Program. The tailgate was a great success and helped raise money to provide holiday cheer to families who might not otherwise have the opportunity.
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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. …