Austin Bar Blog

The Austin Bar Association, in conjunction with the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, recently completed its biennial Judicial Evaluation Poll. The results represent the evaluations of 47 area judges by 645, or 16.8 %, of the 3,838 Austin Bar and ACDLA members who were eligible to participate in the poll.  CLICK HERE to see the results of the poll.

The Austin Bar Association has conducted its Judicial Evaluation Poll periodically since 1978. In 2005, the Bar established a policy of conducting the poll every two years. The poll gives Travis County attorneys an opportunity to evaluate the performance of area judges — from justices of the peace to federal district judges — with the results released to the public as a community service.

“The opinions of attorneys are especially useful in evaluating the performance of judges.  No other group can observe the judiciary from the same vantage point or with as much expertise,” states DeLaine Ward, Executive Director of the Austin Bar Association. “The Judicial Poll is a resource the Austin Bar Association is proud to provide to the community.”

How the poll was conducted:
Respondents were asked to evaluate each judge with five questions (six for appellate and federal judges), then rate them choosing from the terms “Excellent,” “Acceptable,” “Needs Improvement,” and “No Opinion.” The questions for each judge were:

1. Is this judge hard working?
2. Is this judge impartial?
3. Does this judge correctly apply the law?
4. Does this judge display proper judicial temperament and demeanor?
5. How would you describe this judge’s overall performance?
6. Does this judge issue timely opinions of good quality? (not applicable to all judges)

CLICK HERE to view the jury trial schedule at the HMS Courthouse for the week of Feb. 11, 2019.

A text is sent to members on Mondays mornings of each jury trial week with a direct link to this schedule. To opt in, text “Austinbar” to 313131.

Ballot Box Online will deploy the biennial Judicial Evaluation Poll to current members of the Austin Bar Association, Austin Young Lawyers Association, and the Austin Criminal Defense Lawyers Association on Friday, Feb. 1, 2019. The poll will remain open until 5 p.m. on Feb. 15, 2019.

An email with a link to the ballot will be sent from noreply@ballotboxonline.com. Please add this email address to your safe senders list to ensure it doesn’t go into your spam filter.

No Bar Card numbers are necessary to vote. The ballots are linked to members’ specific email addresses. Please make sure you inform the Austin Bar office if your email address has changed so we can send it to the correct address.

The purpose of the poll is to evaluate the performance of county, state, and federal judges in Travis County who have been on the bench 18 months or longer. Results will be released to the public as a community service.

If you do not receive the emailed ballot or have trouble accessing the poll, please contact the Austin Bar office at 512.472.0279.

CLICK HERE to view the jury trial schedule at the HMS Courthouse for the week of Jan. 28, 2019.

A text is sent to members on Mondays mornings of each jury trial week with a direct link to this schedule. To opt in, text “Austinbar” to 313131.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I will be retiring as Judge of the 53rd District Court when my current term of office ends. This work has been, and continues to be, the most meaningful experience of my 40 years as a lawyer. I will always be grateful for having the privilege of serving as a judge in your court.

As I began this work, I was advised by a former colleague and mentor that to do it the right way is very hard work. I have found it to be hard and hope that is because I have done it the right way. I have tried my best to do that, and will continue to try my best until the end.

Being a lawyer in the Austin Bar has been a great joy. You are the most collegial and professional group of lawyers in this state, and I am proud to be among you.

Best wishes,
Scott Jenkins

CLICK HERE to view the jury trial schedule at the HMS Courthouse for the week of Jan. 14, 2019.

A text is sent to members on Mondays mornings of each jury trial week with a direct link to this schedule. To opt in, text “Austinbar” to 313131.

CLICK HERE to view the jury trial schedule at the HMS Courthouse for the week of Dec.10, 2018.

A text is sent to members on Mondays mornings of each jury trial week with a direct link to this schedule. To opt in, text “Austinbar” to 313131.

The Texas Access to Justice Commission and Texas Access to Justice Foundation honored Texas Representative Oscar Longoria as a Texas Access to Justice Legislative Hero for his contributions during the last session of the Texas Legislature. The recognition came at the annual Supreme Court luncheon held at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center on October 18, 2018.

Chief of Staff Lee Loya accepting award from Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman on behalf of Rep. Oscar Longoria.

“As an attorney, Rep. Longoria understands that legal aid is essential for the economically disadvantaged and that having a lawyer can make all the difference in a time of need,” Justice Guzman said. “We’re truly thankful for all the hard work he has put into championing legal aid for all Texans.”

The Texas Access to Justice Commission and Foundation launched the Legislative Hero Award program in 2010 to recognize legislators who have significantly advanced access to justice in the state, either by assisting with the appropriation of funds and/or other substantive activities related to providing legal aid.

“I believe in making a strong impact on underprivileged Texans who need legal services,” Rep. Longoria said. “I hope to continue to create viable solutions and foster legislation that will positively affect not only the Rio Grande Valley, but all our Texas families and communities.”

Also honored at the luncheon were Kay Sim, executive director of the Houston Bar Association, who was presented with a Service Recognition Award for her tireless advocacy on behalf of low-income veterans through her work with the Veterans Legal Initiative. The award was presented by Terry Tottenham, secretary of TAJF. Sims will be retiring in March 2019, after 44 years at the Houston Bar Association,
38 of which she served as executive director.

Randy Chapman, former executive director of Texas Legal Services Center, was also presented with a special recognition by Texas Senator Judith Zaffirini.

Legal aid organizations funded by the Texas Access to Justice Foundation help more than 150,000 low-income Texas families each year; however, only about 10 percent of the civil legal needs of low-income and poor Texans are met due to a lack of resources.

To:                  Travis County District and County Court at Law Judges and Attorneys

From:             Velva L. Price, Travis County District Clerk

Dana DeBeauvoir, Travis County Clerk

The Texas Supreme Court has established a statewide portal, re:SearchTX, to display court records filed electronically in Texas. As a result, a copy of most instruments filed through efiletexas.gov and Electronic Filing Service Providers (EFSPs) beginning November 1, 2018 will be retained by Tyler Technologies and made publicly accessible through the re:SearchTX website.  Attorneys, judges, and clerks may use re:SearchTX to view records from a broader timeframe – filed beginning January 1, 2016.  Criminal filings are not accessible on re:SearchTX.  Please note that re:SearchTX may not include all documents filed (i.e. Orders, Pro Se filings, etc.).

There is the potential for a document which was ordered filed under seal and/or contains confidential/sensitive information to appear on that site un-redacted because the attorney/filer did not properly redact or mark the document as sensitive in the e-file system.  When filing documents through eFileTexas, please recall that Attorneys are required to redact confidential/sensitive information or, in certain limited cases, mark the document (see Texas Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 21c).  It is essential that Attorneys do this to protect the privacy of confidential/sensitive information.

The respective Clerks do not manage the re:SearchTX system.  The following information is provided to assist you:

• For questions about re:SearchTX, contact Tyler Technologies: support@tylertech.com | (844) 307-8720
• For expungement in re:SearchTX, contact the Office of Court Administration: ocaexpunctions@txcourts.gov.
• For additional information about this project, go to http://www.txcourts.gov/jcit.

In addition, it is possible that a case or case-related documents that were later sealed by court order could appear on the site. If a case or document was sealed post e-file and appears on the website:

• For District Court cases, please contact the Travis County District Clerk’s office: districtclerkhelp@traviscountytx.gov.
• For County Court at Law cases, please contact the Travis County Clerk’s Office: civil@traviscountytx.gov.
• For Statutory Probate Court cases, please contact the Travis County Clerk’s Office: probate@traviscountytx.gov.

Attorneys can still access the clerks records free of charge via the following links:

District Clerk:  https://www.traviscountytx.gov/district-clerk/public-access

County Clerk Civil/Probate Records:  http://www.traviscountyclerk.org/

CLICK HERE to view the jury trial schedule at the HMS Courthouse for the week of Nov. 5, 2018.

A text is sent to members on Mondays mornings of each jury trial week with a direct link to this schedule. To opt in, text “Austinbar” to 313131.