Austin Bar Blog

Building & Enhancing Essential Relationships in a Pandemic

Thursday | December 9th | 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

To RSVP and receive the Zoom link please email Joseph Gagen.

Equity Committee Book Club
Fri, December 10, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
A Discussion on Angela Davis' Women Race & Class

Equity Committee Movie Discussion
Fri, January 28, 2022
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM CT
My Name Is Pauli Murray

Friday, December 3 | 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. CT

Earn 4 Ethics Hours at this Annual Program!

2021 Virtual Holiday Ethics program brought to you by the Austin Bar Association CLE Committee! This year we're bringing you more content than ever with a total of 4 hours of Texas State Bar accredited ethics! Topics include: Avoiding Legal Malpractice, COVID Employment Issues, New Advertising Rules, Changes, and Social Media, Professional Ethics & Conduct. Register Now!

You can complete your Turkey Trot here in Austin or virtually if you will be out of town for Thanksgiving. Record your run on Strava for a chance to win a Noxgear visibility vest! Great for running and biking now that it gets dark earlier. Winner will be chosen randomly! Good luck and Happy Turkey Trot!

Kick start or reinvigorate your wellness journey! The retreat will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Austin.  Registration is only $100.  We will spend time with and learn from trained professionals about meditation, self-care, stress-reduction techniques, nutrition, and yoga.  The weekend will be full of rest, mindfulness, fun, and movement.  The retreat is limited in size, so please register soon!  Registration information is available here. Registration deadline is Friday, November 19.
 

The Well-Being Committee cordially invites you to a free event on Saturday, November 20th from 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM. There will be a .75 hours of FREE ethics CLE presented by the nationally recognized CLE presenter, Claude Ducloux, and FREE all-you-can-ride bicycling in a safe environment. Learn more and register here.

Join us for a can’t miss statewide virtual musical benefitting charity. Virtually Legal, features lawyers from Austin, Houston, Dallas, and Fort Worth lifting their voices for charitable causes, including the Austin Young Lawyers Association’s Foundation. The streamed show premieres on December 9, 2021, and runs through January 1, 2022. Ticket prices are $20, and attendees will have the option to donate to each of the four charitable organizations throughout the period.

To purchase tickets and to watch the show, please visit: Virtually Legal | Murad Auction. Contact Debbie Kelly for more information.

The Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association are gearing up for the 31st Annual Bench Bar Conference, Friday, January 21, at Austin Country Club. This great event brings our local judges and lawyers together. Your generous and long-standing support makes this rewarding experience happen; we could not produce this without you!

We hope your firm will join the Austin Bar Association in sponsoring Bench Bar. Since registration fees do not cover all expenses of the Bench Bar Conference, the support of local law firms is imperative to our success.  Please help us by contributing at one of our three levels of support.
 
Underwriters | $1000
Sponsors | $750
Contributors | $500
 
We have 300 spaces available for the conference, and although seats are filled on a first-come basis, preference will be given to attorneys whose firms sponsor the event. Learn more and register here.

It is time to renew your Austin Bar membership. Dues statements have been mailed and if you have any questions please contact Carol Tobias.

We're pleased to have received a grant from the Texas Young Lawyers Association to hold a Pro Bono Challenge this year!  We want to encourage all our members to engage in pro bono work for the community and make it a regular practice to dedicate a few hours to helping others in need.

Here are guidelines for our Pro Bono Challenge:
1. Participants may either enter the challenge as a single or as partners (two people).  There will be winners for both categories. Prizes will be announced later and may include restaurant gift cards or professional headshots.

2. When you complete pro bono hours, please add your information into the Google Doc - be sure to choose the correct Sheet (Individuals vs. Partners) and enter the following information: Your Name(s) and email address/phone number, the # of hours, the name of the organization, the service you provided (i.e. served 2 hours with Veterans Clinic answering questions re probate issues)

3. Please make sure to complete your hours and log them in the Google Doc by April 30, 2022.

4. "Pro Bono" work includes: (a) volunteering your time as an attorney (i.e. giving legal advice or legal information) to serve underprivileged or under-represented individuals (i.e. serving with the Veterans Clinic or Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas);  (b) Participating in pro bono work through your firm if your firm has pro bono opportunities (you cannot be receiving monetary compensation for doing the pro bono work); (c) Volunteering at an event asking for attorneys (such as Mock Trial for high school students); (d) participating in community service projects (such as AYLA's MLK Day).

Optional pro bono opportunities you may consider participating in:

1. Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas

2. Vecina

3. Veteran's Clinic