The Austin Police Department (APD) will soon start releasing a monthly report that includes number of arrests, instances of use of force, officer staffing, and overtime use. Currently known only as the APD Open Policing Data Release, the monthly release was requested by Austin City Councilmember Chito Vela, and was approved on Sept. 14. “What we’re doing today is bringing

Is 14 hours enough for a public defender (PD) to handle a felony case? “No,” is the conclusion of a new study sponsored by the Rand Corporation. In 1973, the National Advisory Commission on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals determined that a PD can handle a yearly maximum of 150 felony cases, 400 misdemeanors, 200 mental health cases, 200 juvenile

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin found that a hospital system with a single IT platform can easily collude with rival hospital systems to keep prices above competitive levels. In the study, McCombs School of Business Associate Professor Hüseyin Tanriverdi found that a hospital system with a single IT platform: A hospital system with a single IT platform

Veterans in Central Texas have garnered more support thanks to a $130,000 Funds for Veterans Assistance grant from the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC). The grant is awarded to the Austin Bar Foundation’s Veterans Legal Assistance Program (VLAP), which provides much-needed services to veterans. Doug Lawrence, managing attorney of the program, says the grant will be used to update the program’s

Do you have a plan in place for when it’s time to retire? What if an unexpected emergency comes up and you have to halt practice, either temporarily or permanently? The topic of succession planning and other issues surrounding the cessation of practice was one of the top initiatives of State Bar of Texas Immediate Past President Laura Gibson. “We

As adults, we often forget the simplicity of the “before” times. Before the job, the family, and the dreaded smartphone, we all allowed ourselves to have a little fun. I recently came across a book that explores the concept of fun and why it’s a necessary part of the human experience, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again.

Congratulations to Mitchell F. Boomer, who was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America in the Litigation – Labor and Employment Category. Boomer is the Austin Office Managing Principal at Jackson Lewis PC. Congratulations to James Matthew Dow, who was recently named a “Texas Super Lawyer” in the area of Business Litigation. Dow has held this distinction since 2006. Dow

This column discusses two studies of appellate-brief writing that reached different conclusions and call for different explanations. The first study scored nearly every brief submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court from 1969 to 2004 using four readability-assessment tools, two of which are described here. The Flesch Reading Ease Scale uses sentence and word length to assess readability and assigns a

On Nov. 2, 2023, the Austin Bar Association will host a talent show, and you’re invited to perform or watch! What: Austin Bar’s Got TalentWhen: Nov. 2, 2023, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Where: East Lawn, Hilgers House, 712 West 16th St.Why: It’s fun! Register here. Whether you’re a musician, comedian, dancer, magician, or have a unique talent to share, you’re invited to perform.

Ah, football season in Austin, Texas—a time when the air gets a little crisper, flannel shirts make their annual appearance, and on weekends sprawling parking lots transform into bustling hubs of camaraderie, grill smoke, and a whole lot of team spirit. But let’s face it: We’re not just here for the sport; we’re here for the age-old American tradition of