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Week of March 16, 2009
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Austin Bar Nominating Committee Announces Board Candidates
Congratulations to 2009 - 2010 slate! Below is a list of all of the candidates who have been nominated by the Austin Bar Nominating Committee.
President-Elect - David Whittlesey
Secretary - David Chamberlain
Treasurer - Lance Sharp
Director (4 positions, 2-year terms) nominations include:
Julia Benkoski
Ed Burbach
Ami Desai
Judge Elisabeth Earle
Bethann Eccles
Kurt Kuhn
R. Allen Rodgers
Jeff Rose
Judge Eric Shepperd
Amy Welborn
Any qualified member not receiving a nomination by the committee may be included on the ballot by submitting a written petition signed by 75 members to the Austin Bar Association office by Friday, April10.
Early voting will begin April 16, 15 business days before the annual meeting, by electronic ballot. If you do not receive an electronic ballot or you choose to vote in person, you may do so at the Austin Bar/AYLA office, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700. In addition, the last chance to vote will be at the Law Day Luncheon & Annual Meeting on May 7 at the AT&T Conference Center.
Officer positions are one-year terms. 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 assuming office.
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Legal Build 2009: Making Dreams a Reality
Continuing the Austin Bar's tradition of working with Habitat for Humanity to give deserving Austin families the benefits of home ownership, Legal Build 2009 was kicked-off last week and needs your help.
There are many benefits of homeownership that Tamika Nobles and her family will realize through the partnership between her, the Austin Bar Association, and Habitat. Did you know that children of low-income homeowners are 20 percent more likely to graduate from high school, 62 percent more likely to acquire post-secondary education, and typically earn 24 percent higher income as adults? Helping parents become homeowners improves their children’s prospects for a more productive adult life. Tamika and her family will work side by side with Legal Build to build her home, which she will pay for through a mortgage.
We must raise a total of $65,000 before the summer's end to build a home for the Nobles family. To get things started off, our first goal is to raise $20,000 by the end of March.
You can help us change the lives of the members of the Nobles family! Donations may be mailed to the Austin Bar Foundation, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700, Austin, TX 78701 (please indicate that the contribution is for Legal Build) or may be made online. If you would like additional information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Mishell Kneeland by e-mail or phone, 965-5463.
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Bench Bar 2009, April 17
Date: Friday, April 17
Location: Austin Country Club, 4408 Long Champ Drive
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with happy hour and AYLA Birthday Bash following
Cost: Austin Bar/AYLA Members - $225; Non-Austin Bar/AYLA Members - $325; Wednesday Cooking Class - $75; Thursday Golf Tournament - $140; Thursday Wine Tasting - $50
Bench Bar is back with 6.0 hours of MCLE and plenty of entertainment. The Austin Bar has arranged for breakout sessions featuring panels covering bankruptcy basics to mandatory blood tests in DWI cases to preemption issues.
As always, there will also be opportunities to have some fun! Attendees may choose to take part in a Global Cuisine Hands-On Cooking Class at Whole Foods, the Rainmaker Golf Classic at Barton Creek Resort, and a happy hour honoring Austin's newest judges. And don't forget about AYLA 50th Birthday Bash following the end of Bench Bar on Friday.
For more information on Bench Bar 2009, click here. You may click here to register online or download a registration form here.
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Limited Scope Representation Webinar, March 18
The Lawyer Referral Service of Central Texas is working with the Travis County Law libraries and some local attorneys to introduce Limited Scope Representation. Austin attorney Phil Friday has written an article on this type of representation. You can view it here.
Also, LRS will be hosting the Webinar on March 18.
Date: Wednesday, March 18
Location: Ned Granger Building, Commissioner's Courtroom, 314 W. 11th St., 1st Floor
Time: 10:45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Cost: $5
RSVP to the Lawyer Referral Service at leslie@austinLRS.com or 472-1311.
A brief description of the day follows:
11:00 a.m. - Program Overview
11:15 a.m. - Part I: Introduction to Limited Scope Representation
12:15 p.m. - Part II: Safety Nets: Tools for Sleeping Well at Night
1:15 p.m. - Break
1:30 p.m. - Part III: How It Works in the Real Word
2:30 p.m. - Adjourn
This event has been approved for CLE credit.
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Austin Bar Association's Annual Blood Drive, March 24
Date: Tuesday, March 24
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
It's that time of year again! It's time for Austin Bar members to roll up their sleeves and get to work donating blood. Please follow the simple instructions below to sign-up today.
Visit www.lonestardonor.com.
Click on the appropriate log-in type:
- Quick Log-in – for those with a user name and password
- Returning Donor – you've given blood previously through the Blood Center of Central Texas but haven't used the online service before, or
- I want to become a Donor – you have never given blood through the Blood Center of Central Texas
Once you have logged in, use the "Find a Drive" function: type in Austin Bar and click the Search button. The search results page should list only the Austin Bar Association Conference Room on Tuesday, March 24. Click on "Austin Bar Association Conference Room." This will take you to the list of times available to donate blood. Click on the time you would like to donate. If it asks for a sponsor code, use "Austin bar."
Please call the Austin Bar at 472-0279 if you have any trouble.
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Breakfast with the Judiciary, March 26
Date: Thursday, March 26
Location: Austin Bar Assocation, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Time: 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
Cost:$22
RSVP to Michelle McFadyen at Michelle@austinbar.org or 472-0279 x111.
Join Justice Jan Patterson from the Third Court of Appeals for breakfast next Thursday morning. Fill up on a scrumptious spread and great conversation to celebrate being on the downhill side of the week.
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Civil and Criminal Attorneys Free Happy Hour, March 26
Time: 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Avenue, Suite 700
Host: David Sheppard
Cost: Free, open to members of the Austin Bar Association only
RSVP to Michelle McFadyen at 472-0279 ext. 111 or Michelle@austinbar.org.
Reservations are limited to the first 30 responses. Please RSVP to ensure your spot.
Has your best friend called you during the middle of the night to report that their son was arrested for DWI or their daughter got an MIP? Has your nanny been caught shoplifting? Has your ex-brother-in-law been in a bar room brawl? Come to a happy hour and meet some of our outstanding Criminal Law attorneys. We will have a directory of the criminal law attorneys for you to take with you.
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Members Only Free Fourth Friday CLE, March 27
Date: Friday, March 27
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Time: noon to 1:00 p.m.
Topic: Margin Tax Update
Speaker: Jimmy Martens
RSVP to Mollie Gallagher at 472-0279 or Mollie@austinbar.org.
Being a member of the Austin Bar comes with many perks. One of these is Free Fourth Friday CLE. RSVP by noon on Thursday, March 26 to take part in this longstanding monthly program. This month's topic is timely: Margin Tax Update.
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Immigration and Public Benefits Attorneys Needed for Women's Resource Fair, March 28
Date: Saturday, March 28
Location: Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center, 1300 Lavaca Street
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Attorneys with a background in Immigration and Public Benefits are asked to volunteer to help the more than 130 women and children that will be attending the 2009 Women's Resource Fair. WRF provides a free day of access to medical care, social services, resume writing workshops, and clothing in addition to legal services for homeless and battered Austin-area women.
Like last year, the legal clinic will be staffed with attorney volunteers. It will be a one day only event for the volunteers; they'll just be there to counsel and advise. Any follow-up that's needed will be handled by Texas RioGrande Legal Aid or by a referral to Volunteer Legal Services.
If you are interested in providing legal assistance to these women, please contact Heather Godwin at hgodwin@trla.org.
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Featured Corporate Partner: LexisNexis' March 2009 Legal Research Webinars
LexisNexis Coffee Break Webinars have provided quick complimentary 20-minute sessions to legal professionals for the last few years. All sessions are appropriate for both current LexisNexis users and non-users. And when an individual attends two Coffee Break Webinars in any one month, they will receive one $5 Gourmet Coffee Card.
For more information on the Webinars such as topics and dates, click here.
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Upcoming Meetings
SECTIONS:
Wednesday, March 18 - Administrative Law Section Meeting
Thursday, March 19 - Construction Law Section Meeting
Friday, March 20 - Estate Planning & Probate Section Meeting
Monday, March 23 - Civil Litigation Section Meeting
Thursday, March 26 - Solo/Small Firm Section Meeting
COMMITTEES:
The following Austin Bar Committees are meeting at the Austin Bar office, 816 Congress, Suite 700.
Parking is available in the adjacent garage, accessible from 9th Street. Please feel free to attend any that interest you.
Since lunch is provided, please RSVP by noon the previous day to Mollie@austinbar.org or call 472-0279 with your name and the name of the committee.
Thursday, March 19 - People's Law School Committee Meeting
Friday, March 20 - Women's Resource Fair Committee Meeting
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Proud corporate sponsors of the Austin Bar Association
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