Are you looking to expand your network?  Or just looking for lawyer friends to help you celebrate and commiserate?  Make the commitment to attend AYLA’s monthly happy hours, appropriately called “Docket Call.” One of AYLA’s most popular member benefits, Docket Call is a monthly gathering of AYLA members, with free drinks (thanks to our sponsors) and great conversation. Docket Calls

The following are summaries of opinions issued by the Fifth Circuit in August 2023. The summaries are overviews of particular aspects of the opinions; please review the entire opinions. ADMINISTRATIVE LAW: Petitioners did not need to be “aggrieved parties” to challenge grant of license as ultra vires; Nuclear Regulatory Commission lacked authority to license private storage of nuclear waste. Texas v.

The following are summaries of selected civil opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals during August 2023. The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions. Subsequent histories are current as of September 11, 2023. FAMILY LAW: Court reverses appellate fees awarded after conclusion of the appeal. Morris v. Veilleux, No. 03-22-00178-CV (Tex. App.—Austin Aug. 25, 2023, no pet.

The following are summaries of selected criminal opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals from April 2023.  The summaries are overviews; please review the entire opinions.  The subsequent history is current as of Sept. 5, 2023. EVIDENTIARY SUFFICIENCY – DRUG POSSESSION: Evidence was sufficient to prove that defendant possessed methamphetamine. Sumrall v. State, No. 03-21-00402-CR (Tex. App.—Austin Apr. 6,

This is the third in a series of eight articles about the Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project. The Travis County Forensic Mental Health Project delivered its recommendations to the Travis County Commissioners in March 2023. The goal of these recommendations is to provide solutions other than jail to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in the county. Recommendation

The Supreme Court of Texas convened for the first time in six months the week of Sept. 11, 2023, and heard oral arguments from several Austin Bar members. In the Interest of R.R.A., H.G.A., H.B.A., Children, Bill Davis of the Office of the Attorney General argued for the petitioner, the Department of Family and Protective Services. The department sought to

As reported in the Texas Tribune,1 veteran households across the nation have seen an increase of predatory advertisements by companies claiming to be “medical consultants” or “benefits coaches.” These unaccredited companies promise to help veterans with disabilities submit their benefits claims to the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) for a fee, but many veterans have reported they were misled into

The Veterans Legal Assistance Program (VLAP) would like to thank the individuals listed below for their assistance at our Sept. 9, 2023, clinic! ATTORNEYSMelanie IbarraMichael JonesEmily FrancoXiangyun LiNicole MartinezTom MehaffyRebecca O’ConnorKaris Anne ParnhamAnn PriceRonald RomeroJustin RosasRodney RuizBrandon ScottCharles SmaistriaAnn TaylorGeoffrey Van OldenCharmaine BackensNadia BettacEmily CollinsKatherine LickteigSusanna MeringolaJim NolanSue Snyder LAW STUDENTSEmil AnayaKatie CarmichaelLucy ElkinsAnna NewellNichole Zhou PARALEGALSCarli CollinsErin CrumpAmber HaneyJennifer

Judge Lora Livingston will serve as Texas’ delegate in the American Bar Association’s House of Delegates. The House of Delegates is the ABA’s policy-making body responsible for the election of ABA officers and members of the Board of Governors. Livingston was elected the successor of Dallas attorney Kim J. Askew, who was term limited. Livingston is eligible to serve up

Austin Bar fellow Eric Nichols has been appointed chair of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. Nichols is a partner at Butler Snow LLP, an Austin Bar 100 Club member firm. Nichols has previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas and as deputy attorney general for criminal justice in the Office of the Texas