Candidates for the Austin Bar 2009 - 2010 Board of Directors

Ballot Box Voting Information | AYLA Candidates

The Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association will be holding elections for their respective 2009 - 2010 Boards of Directors.

Voting shall be conducted via electronic ballot from Thursday, April 16 through Thursday, May 7 and in person. 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 Executive Education and Conference Center, 1900 University Ave., Salon C.

Below is a list of candidates for the Austin Bar board. The new board will take office July 1, 2009, along with Ann Greenberg of Walsh, Anderson, Brown, Schulze & Aldridge, who will take the position of Austin Bar President at that time. David Whittlesey of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld is running unopposed for the position of President-Elect. David Chamberlain of Chamberlain♦McHaney is running unopposed for the position of Secretary. Lance Sharp of The Sharp Firm is running unopposed for the position of Treasurer.

Click here to view the candidate for the Austin Young Lawyers Association. The new AYLA board will also take office on July 1, with Chris Popov taking the position of AYLA President at that time.

Julia Benkoski
Julia Benkoski is a solo attorney and mediator. With more than 20 years experience, Benkoski focuses her law practice on probate and estate planning, but mediates a wide range of disputes. As co-chair of the Austin Bar CLE Committee, Benkoski has worked to bring more free CLE to Austin Bar Members. She also serves on the Fee Dispute Committee and volunteers for Volunteer Legal Services.

Ed Burbach
A partner in the Governmental Affairs section of Gardere Wynne Sewell, Ed Burbach's practice is concentrated in litigation with extensive experience in governmental, energy, insurance, financial services, and general business matters. A UT School of Law graduate, Burbach also served as the Texas Deputy Attorney General for Litigation. He is currently the co-chair of the Austin Bar Bench Bar Committee.

Ami Desai
Ami Desai is the founder and principal attorney of Desai Law Firm. A graduate of UT School of Law in 2004, she currently serves on the Austin Bar Board of Directors as the Austin Asian-American Bar Association Representative. She is also on the board of the Dispute Resolution Center of Austin and the Austin Asian-American Chamber of Commerce.

Judge Elisabeth Earle
Travis County Court at Law Judge Elisabeth Earle is a former prosecutor and first presiding judge of DACC Community Court. Judge Earle was honored with the Outstanding Alumnus Award by AYLA and received the Austin Under40 Government Award. She is a Leadership Austin graduate, an Inns of Court Barrister, past-president of AYLA, and has served on numerous boards, including Austin Bar, Volunteer Legal Services, CAALP and the Salvation Army.

Bethann Eccles
Bethann Eccles is a partner in Eccles & McIntosh. She has served on the Austin Bar Board for the past two years as a director and as the Chair of the Estate Planning & Probate Section. Eccles is a solo practitioner specializing in tax issues involved in estate planning and probate matters. She also volunteers with Meals on Wheels.

Kurt Kuhn
Kurt Kuhn, partner at Brown McCaroll, is co-chair of the firm's appellate practice group. He has been active in the Austin Bar's Civil Appellate and Civil Litigation Sections and sits on the Red Cross of Central Texas Board of Directors. A Yale Law School alumnus, Kuhn serves as an adjunct professor at the UT School of Law and frequently writes and speaks on legal issues.

R. Allen Rogers
R. Allen Rogers is a shareholder of Dunham & Rogers. His practice is dedicated to helping injury victims and offers advice through his blog, Texas Car Accident Injury Law Blog. An active member of the Austin Bar, Rogers has served on four committees: People's Law School, Judicial Affairs, Bench Bar, and CLE. He is a graduate of South Texas College of Law.

Jeff Rose
A litigator who has handled some of the state's highest profile lawsuits, Jeff Rose is a top advisor to the attorney general as the Deputy First Assistant. He is a returning member of the Austin Bar Board and has participated on the Membership, New Civil Courthouse, and CLE Committees. Rose serves on the Board of Big Brothers and co-founded The Rise School for children with Down Syndrome.

Judge Eric Shepperd
Judge Eric Shepperd presides over County Court at Law #2. A leader in the Austin chapters of Habitat for Humanity and The American Red Cross, Shepperd was active in Austin's outreach to victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. He is a current member of the Austin Bar Board of Directors and participates in four Austin Bar committees. Judge Shepperd currently lectures on trial advocacy at the UT School of Law.

Amy Welborn
Amy Welborn joined the firm of Kelly Hart & Hallman in 2009 as Senior Counsel in the Litigation practice group. Her practice ranges across the state of Texas, including Central Texas and the Valley. Currently the president of the Austin Young Lawyers Association, Welborn has been active in several bar committees, including Judicial Affairs, Bench Bar, Gala, and Financial Planning.

If the Austin Bar does not have your current e-mail address, please contact Carol Tobias as Carol@austinbar.org or 472-0279, x106. Please set your spam filters to allow e-mails from BallotBox@BallotBoxOnline.com.

If you do not receive an e-mail from Ballot Box or choose to vote in person, you may do so at the Austin Bar office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700 during the voting period.