The National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP)has selected Richard Pena as the winner of its 2024 Fellows Award. This marks the first time a former Austin Bar president has won this distinguished award, and only the second time a bar president from Texas has won. (James Sales of the Houston Bar Association, who subsequently served as State Bar of Texas

The Hispanic Bar Association of Austin (HBAA) gave a $50,000 grant to St. Edward’s University to establish the HBAA Endowed Scholarship. The endowment will provide financial support to junior or senior students in the Pre-Law Advising Program. Students will need to demonstrate need for financial assistance, and preference is given to those who are the first in their families to

The Austin Bar co-sponsored the 22nd annual Austin Adoption Day on Nov. 9, 2023, where 10 families welcomed the children they adopted as official members of the family. Austin Adoption Day took place at the Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility on Nov. 9. The cases were heard by the following judges: Justice Chari L. Kelly of the Third

Austin attorney Denise Hyde initiated the Adoption Day Committee for the Austin Bar Association and has been the chair of the committee since it began. While Adoption Day is a wonderful celebration for children who get adopted, the reality is that some children in the foster care system never reunite with their families or find new families, and instead “age

I first stepped foot into a Volunteer Legal Services (VLS) clinic more than a decade ago. I remember the long line of folks waiting outside in the summer heat at Webb Middle School and the handful of volunteers in the school cafeteria waiting to answer their questions. The task seemed impossible. There were so many people who needed help and

This is the sixth in a series of 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 2023.1 The goal of these recommendations is to provide solutions other than jail to address mental health and substance abuse disorders in the county. Recommendation #5

The Veterans Legal Assistance Program (VLAP) would like to thank Austin Bar member Dominic Castillo, an associate at Husch Blackwell, for his work at the Dec. 11, 2023 free legal advice clinic. Castillo’s practice at Husch Blackwell focuses on healthcare regulatory compliance. His clients include individual healthcare practitioners and large national hospital systems.  But attorneys of any practice  area are

by Michael Wolman, UT Communications To mark Data Privacy Week in January, two experts on the subject from The University of Texas’s ethical AI research team Good Systems were interviewed: Sharon Strover, former chair of the Good Systems Executive Team and professor in UT’s School of Journalism and Media, and Amy Kristin Sanders, associate professor in both the School Journalism and

If you are interested in running for a position as a director or officer of the Austin Bar Association, please fill out and submit this form by Feb. 25. Officer positions are one-year term; director positions are for two years. Nominees for the office of president-elect shall have served at least two years on the board of directors prior to

The Austin Black Lawyers Association (ABLA) Foundation, Inc., is looking for high-school seniors to apply for its Virgil C. Lott Scholarship for 2024. This scholarship is open to current high-school seniors in Central Texas who exhibit leadership, community service, good scholastic standing, extracurricular involvement, and financial need. Applications may be submitted online here. Please email any questions to: Foundation@austinblacklawyers.org. To