Briefs September 2024

On the Move Congratulations to Glorieni Azeredo, who has joined Barron, Adler, Clough & Oddo. In her career, Azeredo has brought five cases to jury trial, secured two appellate victories, and participated in hundreds of special commissioners’ hearings. She previously served as the Houston-area team lead for the Texas Attorney General’s Office’s Transportation Division. She is a graduate of Baylor …

Stories of Recovery: Hope Over Fear

Editor’s Note: This article was reprinted with the permission of the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP). TLAP offers confidential assistance for lawyers, law students, and judges with substance use or mental health issues. Call or text TLAP at 1-800-343-TLAP (8527) or find more information at tlaphelps.org. At the ripe age of 41, my entire life has been leading up to the …

The History of the Justice Mack Kidd Fund

I worked with Justice Mack Kidd on the Third Court of Appeals for 10 years in the ’90s. He was invariably jovial and upbeat. But he had a secret that few people knew about: He and some other members of his family of origin suffered from depression.  A few years after I left the Court in 2001, I heard Judge …

2024-25 Austin Bar President’s New Initiative: Stop the Stigma

The Austin Bar Association is launching the “Stop the Stigma” campaign, an initiative of 2024-25 President Mary-Ellen King, to destigmatize mental health substance abuse struggles, as well as raise suicide prevention awareness in the legal profession. The two tentpoles of this new campaign are the newly launched Stop the Stigma podcast, as well as increased efforts to recruit authors to …

Austin Police Department Data Website Now Live

The Austin Police Department (APD) has launched a new website to publish data related to policing activities in the Austin metropolitan area. APD’s Open Policing Data Release project was ordered by the Austin City Council’s Resolution 20230914-132, which was passed in September 2023.

Gov. Abbott Begins Populating Fifteenth Court of Appeals, Austin Business Court

Gov. Greg Abbott has started appointing individuals to the newly created Fifteenth Court of Appeals and the Austin business court division (see Briefs). Fifteenth Court of Appeals Effective Sept. 1, 2024, all cases pending in the First through Fourteenth Courts of Appeals filed on or after Sept. 1, 2023, and which fall under the jurisdiction of the Fifteenth Court of …

What’s With a Trust? (Part Two)

In Part One of this series, I explained the benefits of a revocable living trust on incapacity. However, incapacity is only half the story. Trusts are also popular because of the benefits they can provide on death.   First, trusts can avoid probate. A surprisingly common misconception is that a decedent can avoid probate by having a will. This could …

Shifting Platforms: The Move to Online Tax Foreclosure Sales

Property tax foreclosure auctions are older than the Republic of Texas. The battle for Texas independence began in part because the government of Mexico eliminated property tax exemptions for new settlers in 1830.1 For 200 or more years, on every first Tuesday of each month, property foreclosure auctions have been held outside on the steps of county courthouses, whether it …