The following is a summary of selected criminal opinions issued by the Third Court of Appeals from May 2024. The summary is an overview; please review the entire opinions. The subsequent history is current as of November 5, 2024. EVIDENCE ADMISSIBILITY — Prior abuse allegations and testimony as to truthfulness. Trial court did not abuse its discretion by prohibiting cross-examination

Editor’s Note: The monthly jury trial verdicts update is first published through Bar Code and the Austin Bar app. Download the app today on either the App Store or the Google Play Store. CIVIL/FAMILY 5005 SSR LLC v. Laszlo Herczeg Cause No: D-1-GN-19-002982 Judge: Daniella Desetta Lyttle, 261st Civil District Court Dates: October 8 – 10, 2024 Attorneys:Plaintiff: Michael Smith,

The Supreme Court of Texas convened Oct. 29-31, 2024, and heard oral arguments from several Austin Bar members. Austin Bar Member  Wallace B. Jefferson Alexander Dubose & Jefferson  for Respondents Myers-Woodward, LLC v. Underground Servs. Markham, LLC Oil & Gas – Royalty Payments This case raises questions of who owns the right to use underground salt caverns created through the salt-extraction

In its 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated approximately 48.5 million people in the United States age 12 or older met the diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder at some point during that year. This represented approximately 17.1 percent of all persons 12 or older. The same

The Austin Bar Association cosponsored the 23rd annual Austin Adoption Day, where children were officially adopted into their forever families. The event took place at the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility on Nov. 14. The adoption cases were heard by many of Travis County’s district judges. There were 4,100 adoptions in Texas in 2023. Of those, 136 were

The Austin Bar Foundation and its Veterans’ Legal Assistance Program (VLAP) sincerely thanks attorney volunteer Stephanie Long for a generous contribution of $1,200 to VLAP! This was no ordinary donation, however. Stephanie recently got married and, instead of asking for gifts, she and her husband asked for donations to their favorite causes. Stephanie very generously chose VLAP.  Thank you very

If you are interested in running for a position as a director or officer of the Austin Bar Association, please fill out this form by Jan. 31. All candidates must be current attorneys and Austin Bar members in good standing. Officer positions are one-year terms; director positions are for two years. Nominees for the office of president-elect must have served

Texas has paid nearly $100 million to 95 men and women who were wrongfully convicted since 2009, according to a study conducted by criminal defense firm Michael & Associates in Austin.1 Records from the Texas State Comptroller’s Office also indicate the state pays a monthly annuity to each exoneree, totaling almost $500,000 per month. The compensation is the result of

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas is proud to announce the winners and honorees of its 2023 calendar-year awards and distinctions. Abigail Griffith, an associate at Reichman Jorgensen Lehman & Feldberg, received the Susan P. Burton Award, which is given annually to a volunteer attorney who has been licensed for five years or less and who has provided exemplary pro

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Austin Bar Association membership or the Austin Bar Association board of directors. Consider the following three scenes: SCENE ONE Egypt, Giza Valley, Akehnaton’s apartment. 2500 BC. [A knock on the door, it’s Djoser, the chief stone architect of Pharoah Khafre’s