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Transcript of TEXAS YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION - TYLA AnnualReport 06_07.pdfCorpus Christi Jennifer Evans Morris,...
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STATE BAR OF TEXASTEXAS YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 12487Austin, Texas 78711-2487
NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGEPAID
PERMIT NO. 1804AUSTIN, TEXAS
35129 5/07
TEXAS YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007
TEXAS YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATIONANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007
XX
Karin R. Crump, Austin
President
Gindi Eckel Vincent, Houston
Chair
Cheryl S. Camin, Dallas
Vice-President
William W. Miller, Jr., Texarkana
President-elect
Lisa Richardson, Austin
Treasurer
Christine G. Albano, McKinney
Secretary
Mary E. Reveles, Richmond
Chair-elect
Lee Ann Reno, Amarillo
Immediate Past President
DIRECTORS
David Anderson, Dallas
Cade Browning, Abilene
Rob Cañas, Dallas
Sylvia Cardona, San Antonio
C. Davis Chapman, Fort Worth
Eraka L. Childs, Houston
Kelly-Ann F. Clarke, Galveston
Kirsten Barron Cohoon, Houston
Rabecca Cross, Houston
Stephanie M. Daley, Fort Worth
Chad P. Ellis, Richmond
Israel Garcia, San Antonio
Clint Harbour, Austin
Cori Harbour, El Paso
Christopher L. Jensen, Amarillo
Christy Martin Liddle, Houston
Edward F. Maddox, Laredo
Errin Martin, Sherman
Brian C. Miller, Corpus Christi
Jennifer Evans Morris, Dallas
Daniel Peugh, Denton
Connie H. Pfeiffer, Houston
Heath C. Poole, College Station
C.E. Rhodes, Houston
Lisa Richardson, Austin
Patrick Rodriguez, Brownsville
Clay B. Scheitzach, Dallas
James R. Secrest, Temple
Michele Surratt, Odessa
Russell H. Thomasson, Lubbock
John D. West, Beaumont
C. Frank Wood, Brownsville
Kristie Wright, Texarkana
Patsy P. Yung, Dallas
LIAISONS
Justice Dale Wainwright, Texas Supreme Court Liaison
Jeff Edwards, Access to Justice Liaison
Kimberly Gregory, ABA-YLD District 25
Amy Davis Benavides, ABA-YLD District 26
Dean Lawrence Sager, Law School Liaison
Dustin Howell, Law Student Liaison
STAFF
Tracy Brown, Director of Administration
Denny Sheppard, Project Coordinator
Bree Trevino, Office Manager
Texas Young Lawyers Association
P.O. Box 12487
Austin, Texas 78711-2487
(800) 204-2222, Ext. 6429
www.tyla.org
TYLA BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2006-07
OFFICERS
1
THE TEXAS YOUNG LAWYERS ASSOCIATION:
EMPOWERING THE PUBLIC THROUGH UNPRECEDENTED SERVICE
Empowering Young Lawyers to Serve the Public
During the 2006-07 bar year, the Texas Young Lawyers Association continued to provide exemplary
service to our members by providing award-winning resources and CLE programs for our new and
experienced lawyers; providing a comprehensive directory of our judiciary; and circulating a monthly
newsletter to more than 20,000 of our members. However, it was TYLA’s service to the public that
made the greatest impact during this year. TYLA’s volunteers dedicated countless hours to educating
members of the public about their rights and duties under the law and taught elementary, middle,
and high school students about the law through award-winning curriculum projects that were
implemented in Amarillo, Midland, Houston, El Paso, Laredo, and everywhere in between. In
addition to the existing projects through which TYLA volunteers continue to serve, TYLA developed
several new programs that met the public demand for information and assistance.
Empowering Students to Make a Difference in their Communities
They Had a Dream Too: Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, a multi-media project that includes
a high school curriculum, website, and 28-minute film narrated by Julian Bond, taught thousands
of students about the role played by young people during the Civil Rights movement.
The project encouraged students of all ages to learn more about laws and legal decisions that affect their
lives and inspired them to have a positive impact on their communities.
Empowering Children with the Voice of a Volunteer Lawyer
Through TYLA’s ProBAR Children’s Project, TYLA responded to the dire need for legal representation
of unaccompanied immigrant children who are detained along the Texas border. In partnership with
the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), TYLA recruited and trained more
than 100 volunteer attorneys to represent migrant children, who had escaped devastating conditions in
their home countries and who were simply waiting for an opportunity to tell their story.
Empowering Cancer Patients with a Legal Guide to Issues that Affect their Lives
TYLA also created a comprehensive guide to provide legal information resources to those who have
been diagnosed with cancer and their caretakers.
Through an extraordinary level of hard work and service this year, TYLA volunteers have made an
enormous impact on our communities. It has certainly been my great pleasure to serve TYLA and the
great State of Texas.
Very truly yours,
Karin Crump
2006-07 President, Texas Young Lawyers Association
“It was awesome. It was very well put together. I know it has made an impact on [the students] about how much young people can do if they are willing to take a stand!” — Karen Garey Volunteer Coordinator of the South East Texas Foster Grandparent Program Beaumont, Texas
“The work that the TYLA has done on the civil rights DVD and materials is fabulous!” — Rosemary Morrow, PhD. Assistant Director of Social Studies Austin, Texas
“We watched the video not once, but twice. It was motivating. The video has generated a lot of discussions among the students in my classes. I hope TYLA will produce more projects like this one. We need to get our young people politicized and involved in law.” — Maricela Lazarin 10th Grade Teacher San Antonio, Texas
“I used the DVD and accompanying Teacher’s Guide to build a one-day mini-lesson for Martin Luther King Day. My students told me it was one of the best lessons we had done together this year! The video was well-paced and had just the right mix of explanatory narrative and live action sequences. The interviews with some of the actual participants really made it come to life.” — Tom Jaggard US History Teacher Refugio, Texas
3
★ 2,399 curriculums distributed
TYLA’s goal is to inspire future generations of Texans to understand and support our legal system.
TYLA programs were introduced to more than 1,000 Texas school administrators at the Winter
Conference of the Texas Association of School Administrators Education Expo in Austin. School
administrators responded enthusiastically, which challenged TYLA to find new avenues to implement
these programs in more schools and communities.
Junior Judges, We the Jury, and Supreme Team educate children of all ages about their Constitutional and
legal rights. Crossing the Line: Your Rights and Responsibilities, designed to educate junior high students
about their rights and obligations as they enter the adult world, was recently updated and republished.
2
EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
Funded through a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, They Had a Dream Too: Young Leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement is a multi-media project that takes students on a ride through the turbulent Civil
Rights movement of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Through a curriculum, website, and short documentary
film featuring archival footage and interviews with participants, They Had a Dream Too teaches
students about the profound impact that young leaders had on the world during the Civil Rights
movement and motivates students to positively change their world.
THE DREAMMAKERS
The film, narrated by NAACP Chair Julian Bond and filmed on location in Texas, California, North
Carolina, and Washington, D.C., features moving personal accounts from some of the young leaders
of the Civil Rights movement who helped change the nation.
Doreen Loury helped desegregate public pools in Columbus, Ohio, when she participated in a
swim-in when she was 8 years old. Gloria Bradley participated in the March on Washington when she
was 14. Mary Beth Tinker stood up for free speech by protesting the Vietnam War at the age of 13,
which led to a seminal U.S. Supreme Court decision championing the rights of students and teachers
in school. Franklin McCain made history as one of four young men who participated in a sit-in at a
Woolworth’s lunch counter in North Carolina. Terrence Roberts faced angry mobs on the way to
school as one of the first African American students to integrate Little Rock’s schools. John Martin was
a lawyer who won one of the first Voting Rights Act cases. Texans Norma Cantu and Henry Cisneros
provide perspective on the Mexican-American struggle for civil rights. Narrator Julian Bond was
a founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which staged a number of
sit-ins across the South. Many of these young leaders risked their lives and safety to fight for equality
for all.
A DREAM REALIZED
Lawyers across the country have helped realize the dream by taking this project into local schools in
38 states and three countries. TYLA has shared the project with more than 38,000, students and the
They Had a Dream Too website has attracted more than 90,000 visitors.
The project has been well received by the media. It was the cover story of the November 2006 Texas
Bar Journal. They Had a Dream Too was also featured on the Fox Morning Show in Austin and the
KSAT News in San Antonio. It has been implemented in schools and by community groups in 38
states across the country.
November 2006, Vol. 69, No. 10
Another leader was Terrence Roberts, now a professor in
California, who was 15 years old when he was recruited to inte-
grate the Little Rock schools three years after the U.S. Supreme
Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
“On the first day, when I walked up to Central High
School, I could hear the swelling noise before I arrived,”
Roberts says. “By the time I got there, the mob was in full
voice. Fortunately, I was surrounded almost immediately by a
cadre of photographers and reporters who served as sort of a
buffer zone between me and the mob. It was like a pack of
snarling dogs yelling all kinds of obscenities and profanities,
making it clear they would join the National Guard to keep us
out.” A year later, Roberts had to transfer out of state because
the Arkansas governor closed the schools rather than integrate.
A 25-minute video, They Had a Dream Too intersperses
original interviews with archival photos and film footage. After
chronicling several chapters in the civil rights movement — the
Freedom Riders, the Long Hot Summer, and Bloody Sunday
— the video shifts to social justice movements inspired by the
black civil rights movement.“Every other American and every other community owes
the African American community a debt of gratitude,” says
Henry Cisneros, the former San Antonio mayor and U.S. sec-
retary of housing and urban development. “When MLK Day
comes around each year, my first instinct — and what I advise
Latinos to do — is to say ‘Thank you.’ Our world has been
changed, our lives have been changed, and our horizons of
opportunity have been changed because of Dr. King and what
civil rights leaders of that era did.”They Had a Dream Too was the inspiration of TYLA Pres-
ident Karin Crump, who was spurred by an article Jeffrey
Zaslow contributed to The Wall Street Journal last year. Zaslow
challenged educators to teach young Americans about the piv-
otal roles teenagers played during the civil rights movement.
The Texas Bar Foundation awarded TYLA a grant to produce
the video, and Crump assembled a committee of TYLA direc-
tors to develop the script, coordinate the interviews, and over-
see the rollout: Kelly-Ann Clarke of Greer, Herz & Adams,
L.L.P. in Galveston; Jennifer Morris of Carrington, Coleman,
Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P. in Dallas; C.E. Rhodes of Baker
Hughes, Inc. in Houston; Chad Ellis of Ellis & Irwin, L.L.P.
in Richmond; and Clint Harbour of the Texas Attorney Gen-
eral’s Office. ZoMotion Picture Co. and Zone Communica-
tion Group handled the video production.
The They Had a Dream Too crew traveled the country to
tape interviews, from Greensboro to Los Angeles to Washing-
ton, D.C. In addition to the interviews with McCain and
Bond, the video features UT School of Law Professor and for-
mer Assistant Secretary of Education Norma Cantu; John Mar-
tin, a civil rights lawyer with the Justice Department in the
1960s who now serves of counsel to Carrington Coleman in
Dallas; and Mary Beth Tinker, one of the plaintiffs in Tinker v.
Des Moines, a landmark freedom of speech case.www.texasbarjournal.com
Vol. 69, No. 10 • Texas Bar Journal 955
TOP: Austin lawyer David Courreges, a Bowie High School student, TYLA President
Karin Crump, and UT Law Professor Norma Cantu. Cantu and Texas Supreme Court
Justice Dale Wainwright talked to students about leadership.
MIDDLE: Juniors at San Antonio’s Harlandale High School at a showing of They Had
A Dream Too: Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.
BOTTOM: A student ask Justice Carolyn Wright and John Martin questions about the
civil rights movement.
Bar Journal • November 2006
www.texasbar.com
BY KEVIN PRIESTNER
utside the Woolworth’s in Greensboro, N.C., a plaque
commemorates one of the landmarks of the civil rights
movement with an apposite quote: “Sometimes taking a
stand for what is undeniably right means taking a seat.”
On Feb. 1, 1960, four black students, dressed in their Sun-
day best, sat down at the whites-only lunch counter and asked
to be served. Woolworth’s summoned the police, who declined
to take action because of the lack of provocation. Woolworth’s
decided to close early. The four students returned the next day.
Joined by other students, their sit-in attracted national atten-
tion and prompted protests in dozens of cities. Six months
later, Woolworth’s integrated its lunch counter.
Franklin McCain, one of the Greensboro Four, recounted
the first day of the sit-in
: “There was a little white lady about
four or five stools down from us who was having her after-
noon coffee. She started to walk straight toward us, and I said
to myself, ‘This cannot be good.’ She came over, put her
hands on our shoulders, and said, ‘Boys, I am so proud of
you. I only regret that you didn’t do this 10 years ago.’”
McCain is one of several figures from the civil rights
movement featured in a new video from the Texas Young
Lawyers Association, They Had a Dream Too: Young Leaders of
the Civil Rights Movement. Narrated by Julian Bond, chair of
the NAACP, the video tells the inspiring stories of young
leaders who helped change their world and asks students to
consider how they might change theirs.
“You’ve probably heard of the Rev. Martin Luther King,
Jr. and Rosa Parks,” Bond says in the video. “They’re the
most famous figures from the civil rights movement. But it
was a people’s movement that produced leaders of its own. It
relied not on the noted, but on the nameless. Not on the
famous, but on the faceless.”
One of those faceless leaders was Gloria Bradley, who
marched on Washington, D.C., when she was 14 years old. “I
knew as a teenager that this was something special, that we
were making history,” she says.
TOP: TYLA Director Kelly-Ann Clarke (right) with Franklin McCain at the Woolworth’s
counter where McCain and the other members of the Greensboro Four staged their sit-in.
BOTTOM: NAACP Chair Julian Bond taping his narration for They Had a Dream Too
in front of the steps to the U.S. Supreme Court building.
O
HONDURAS
LOS FRESNOS
EL SALVADOR
GUATEMALA
★
54
EMPOWERING UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN
WITH THE VOICE OF A VOLUNTEER LAWYER
Each year, more than 6,000 unaccompanied children reach the United States border after fleeing abuse,
neglect, or persecution in their home countries. Approximately 25 percent of those detained children
are held in the Rio Grande Valley. In order to address this growing crisis, TYLA partnered with the
South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) to help provide a voice for those
children through the TYLA/ProBAR Unaccompanied Children’s Project.
ProBAR, created in 1989 by the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and the American
Immigration Lawyers Association, is a national effort to provide legal services to immigrants,
including children, who are detained in South Texas. With the assistance of dedicated ProBAR staff,
TYLA provided widespread public awareness to Texas attorneys of the constant need for pro bono
services to these children by hosting a series of training sessions throughout the state. TYLA trained
more than 100 attorneys in Austin, El Paso, Brownsville, Dallas, and Houston. As a result, young
lawyers have provided a voice to children who otherwise would not have had one.
The TYLA/ProBAR Unaccompanied Children’s Project has garnered attention from media outlets
across the state, including the Texas Bar Journal, the Univision affiliate in Dallas, The Monitor in
the Rio Grande Valley, KURV Talk Radio’s Davis Rankin Show and the Austin Lawyer. The legal
community’s involvement has been amazing, with each participant taking to heart the project’s motto,
“You could save the life of a child.”
EMPOWERING CANCER PATIENTS WITH A LEGAL GUIDE
TO ISSUES THAT AFFECT THEIR LIVES
★ 1,296 copies distributed
★ 6,450 visitors to the website
TYLA developed, drafted, and distributed the Legal Guide for Cancer Patients, a 71-page pamphlet
providing comprehensive information on legal issues faced by most cancer patients.
Cancer patients are confronted with numerous legal issues every day but had no specific resources to
assist them. Members of the legal community recognized this need and TYLA responded. The result
was the Legal Guide for Cancer Patients, which provides patients and their caretakers with information
on 10 areas of law that affect most cancer patients. Topics include Insurance, Clinical Trials,
Employment Disability, Guardianship, and Estate Planning. The guide was completed in January and
presented to audiences in El Paso, Dallas, Laredo, and McKinney. It is also available in Spanish.
76
PROVIDING TOOLS FOR FAMILIES
★ More than 5,000 Family Law Resource Tools Distributed.
KIDS IN THE CROSSFIRE
Kids in the Crossfire, a video aimed at helping parents understand the impact their behavior has on their
children during and after divorce, was launched last year and has been adopted throughout the state by
courts, counselors, and children’s advocates. TYLA has presented the program to judges and family law
practitioners throughout the state at a variety of conferences and seminars. Several states have adopted
the program or been granted permission to modify it to meet local needs.
ADOPTION OPTIONS
Adoption Options, a guide for those who are considering growing their families through adoption, was
updated in 2006 and made available on the TYLA website. The guide answers commonly asked questions
about the adoption process and provides contact information for agencies throughout the state.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN FAMILY LAW COURT
What to Expect in Family Law Court was created to help those unfamiliar with the judicial system in
general and family law courts in particular make their way through the system when involved in
divorce, custody, adoption, or child support cases. The easy-to-understand brochure guides readers
through the family law system. The brochure has recently been translated into Spanish.
PRO SE DIVORCE HANDBOOK
The Pro Se Divorce Handbook is intended to assist those who choose to navigate a divorce without legal
counsel. The step-by-step guide helps individuals through the process of divorce and addresses key
topics such as courtroom etiquette, deadlines, and procedures.
EDUCATING THE PUBLIC
SAFEGUARDING DEMOCRACY: PROMOTING AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY
TYLA partnered with the Texas League of Women Voters to educate the public about the judicial
branch of government. Safeguarding Democracy aired on KLRN and is being distributed throughout
Texas by PBS.
★ More than 30,000 public information pamphlets distributed.
TYLA, with the support of the State Bar and volunteer attorneys, is one of the leading providers of free
legal resources for consumers in Texas:
• Segments of “It’s the Law” featuring University of Houston law professor Richard Alderman
are filmed and shown on local newscasts.
• “How to Sue in Small Claims Court” provides a plain-language explanation to Texas
citizens and attorneys of the rules and procedures that apply in small-claims courts, from
deciding whether to sue to appealing a small-claims judgment.
• The “Tenants’ Rights Handbook” (which is available in both English and Spanish) advises
Texas renters of their rights under Texas’ tenant protection laws.
• “To Will or Not to Will” provides Texans with estate-planning guidance.
JUST HANG UP!
★ 324 pamphlets distributed
Just Hang Up! began as a public service announcement and now includes a pamphlet focused on
protecting Texas seniors against unscrupulous telemarketers. Each year, thousands of Texas seniors lose
money to fraudulent telemarketers using a variety of illegal scams. TYLA is attempting to curb this loss
by distributing its Just Hang Up! brochure statewide.
AMERICAN JUROR
★ 4,366 unique visitors to AmericanJuror.org this year
Through its American Juror: The Decision is Yours video, TYLA continues to educate Texans about the
importance of jury service. The video is shown to potential jurors prior to their being questioned by
attorneys during the voir dire process.
TYLA also developed an American Juror educational PowerPoint presentation for attorneys to use in
their communities as a way to educate the public about the jury system.
Adoption OptionsA Directory of Adoption Agencies in Texas
T E X A S Y O U N G L A W Y E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
T E X A S Y O U N G L A W Y E R S A S S O C I A T I O N
What to Expect in
Texas Family Law Court
LIVING TRUST SCAMS
AND THESENIOR CONSUMER
98
SERVING OUR MEMBERS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS
Wouldn’t it be great if some of the best attorneys in their practice areas shared their secrets and
techniques with young lawyers just entering the profession? That’s exactly what happens at TYLA’s New
Lawyer Course and its first ever Practice Skills Course for New Lawyers..
A distinguished panel of lawyers and judges headlines the Federal Court Practice Seminar, at which
young lawyers learn the ins and outs of practicing in federal court. In addition to satisfying the
educational requirements for admission to the federal district courts in Texas, this program includes the
training required by the Southern District of Texas for the electronic filing system.
Young lawyers at the Choosing and Courting a Jury Course hear practical advice from top Texas
litigators about the art and law of voir dire, how to court a jury throughout trial, and the use of
focus groups.
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Participants in TYLA’s first-ever webcast, Understanding the Grievance Process: Expert Advice to Navigate
the Attorney Discipline Process, heard practical advice about the grievance process and avoiding common
ethical pitfalls from the Chief Disciplinary Counsel for Texas and three other distinguished panelists.
The TYLA Thumbnail Guide to Texas Ethics contains an overview of the grievance process, information
about helpful ethics-related resources, and summaries of the disciplinary rules governing the most
common complaints about lawyers: neglect, failure to communicate, and issues related to withdrawal
and termination of representation. The guide is being distributed to almost 3,000 newly licensed Texas
lawyers with their membership cards and CDs containing copies of the TYLA Survival Guide.
★ 23,000 young lawyer recipients of the TYLA eNews each month
The TYLA eNews, a monthly online newsletter, continues to keep Texas young lawyers informed about
state and local activities, upcoming events, and opportunities for involvement. The eNews also includes
useful articles on various legal issues, legislative developments, and practice tips for lawyers.
★ 236 video segments viewed on TenMinuteMentor.org
from June 2006 to March 2007
TenMinuteMentor.org is an online video library of brief presentations by Texas lawyers and judges
that provides information and practice tips on a wide variety of subjects. Ten Minute Mentor is free of
charge and can be searched by keyword, speaker, or category. This growing library contains more than
200 educational segments in dozens of topic areas.
The Texas Young Lawyers Association has prepared the following overview of the attorney discipline process and some of themost frequently violated rules of professional conduct. A webcast, “Understanding the Grievance Process,” is available throughTexasBarCLE’s Online Classroom at www.texasbarcle.com. Participants can earn 1.75 hours of MCLE ethics credit.
454 Texas Bar Journal • May 2007 www.texasbar.com
Overview of Grievance ProceduresFiling — The grievance process begins when a complainantfiles a grievance form with one of the regional offices of theChief Disciplinary Counsel. A copy of the form is availableat www.texasbar.com.
Classification — Once a Grievance is filed, the Chief Dis-ciplinary Counsel has 30 days to determine if it alleges a vio-lation of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of ProfessionalConduct or other professional misconduct. Grievances thatallege professional misconduct are classified as Complaints,and those that do not are classified as Inquiries and dis-missed. The Chief Disciplinary Counsel’s decision to classi-fy a Grievance as an Inquiry may be appealed to the Boardof Disciplinary Appeals. See Tex. R. Disciplinary P. 1.06,2.10.
Response — If a Grievance is classified as a Complaint, theChief Disciplinary Counsel gives notice and a copy of theComplaint to the attorney against whom the grievance isfiled, and the attorney has 30 days to deliver a response. SeeTex. R. Disciplinary P. 2.10.
Just Cause Determination — Within 60 days of theresponse deadline, the Chief Disciplinary Counsel investi-gates the Complaint to determine whether there is JustCause to believe that professional misconduct has occurred.If the Chief Disciplinary Counsel determines that there isno Just Cause to proceed on the Complaint, the case is pre-sented to a Summary Disposition Panel comprised of localgrievance committee members. If the Panel accepts theChief Disciplinary Counsel’s determination, the Complaintis dismissed. Otherwise, the Panel votes to proceed on theComplaint. See Tex. R. Disciplinary P. 2.12, 2.13.
Election of Forum — If the Chief Disciplinary Counselfinds Just Cause — or if the Summary Disposition Panelrejects his recommendation to dismiss the Complaint — theattorney has 20 days to elect whether the Compliant will betried in District Court or before an Evidentiary Panel com-prised of members of the local grievance committee. If theattorney does not make an election, the Complaint will be
tried before an Evidentiary Panel. The lowest form of sanc-tion, a private reprimand, is only available if the Complaintis tried before an Evidentiary Panel, but a jury is only avail-able in District Court. See Tex. R. Disciplinary P. 2.15, 3.06,3.10.
Trial — After the attorney has made an election, the ChiefDisciplinary Counsel files a Petition in the name of hisclient, the Commission for Lawyer Discipline. If the attorneyhas elected to have the Complaint tried before an Eviden-tiary Panel (or has not made an election), the Petition is filedwith the Evidentiary Panel. If the attorney has elected Dis-trict Court, the Petition is filed with the Clerk of theSupreme Court, who transmits it to the District Court aftera judge is appointed by the Supreme Court to preside overthe case. The presiding judge must be an active districtjudge from outside the administrative judicial district wherethe attorney resides. In District Court, either the Commis-sion or the attorney may demand a trial by jury, althoughthe judge still determines the appropriate sanctions to beimposed. In either forum, the action must be set for trial onthe merits within 180 days after the answer is filed. Trial canbe avoided by an agreed settlement between the attorneyand the Commission. See Tex. R. Disciplinary P. 2.17, 2.18,3.01, 3.02, 3.03, 3.06, 3.07, 3.09.
Sanctions — There are eight available sanctions for profes-sional misconduct, ranging from a private reprimand to asuspension for a term certain to disbarment. Sanctions mayalso include restitution and payment of attorneys’ fees. Aprivate reprimand is not available in District Court. See Tex.R. Disciplinary P. 1.06, 3.10, 15.11.
Appeal — The judgment of an Evidentiary Panel may beappealed to the Board of Disciplinary Appeals, and anappeal from the Board of Disciplinary Appeals may be takento the Supreme Court of Texas. The final judgment of a dis-trict court may be appealed in the same way civil cases aregenerally appealed. See Tex. R. Disciplinary P. 2.24, 2.28,3.16, 7.11.
Live Webcast December 13 10 a.m. to noonUnderstanding the Grievance Process: Expert Adviceto Navigate the Attorney Discipline Process
Topics include:How grievances are filedFrequently-violated rulesWhat to do if a grievance is filed against youCommon pitfalls in the grievance processEvidentiary hearings vs. district court adjudicationAppeals
PanelistsJohn Neal, Chief Disciplinary Counsel; Mark White,former chair, Texas Commission for Lawyer Disci-pline; Melody Wilkinson, member, Texas Commis-sion for Lawyer Discipline; and Warren Clark,Amarillo
UNDERSTANDING THE GRIEVANCE PROCESS: Expert Advice to Navigate the Attorney Discipline Process
Sponsored by the Texas Young Lawyers Association, TexasBarCLE, and Texas Commission for Lawyer Discipline
1110
ASSISTANCE TO LOCAL LEADERS: TAKING TYLA ON THE ROAD
The TYLA Roadshow program continued to provide free support and CLE activities to its local
affiliates throughout the State of Texas. After completing nine Roadshows since the event’s inception,
six more were presented in 2006-2007.
What has TYLA done for me lately? An immediate answer to this question is the Roadshow. Designed
to assist small- to medium-size bar associations in providing quality leadership and CLE programs to
their members at no cost, the Local Leaders Assistance Committee has toured the state with events
tailor-made to meet the specific needs of each affiliate. Whether it was offering a helping hand and
financial support to help organize a CLE dinner or simply meeting with the affiliate leaders to offer
advice on possible projects, TYLA was there for the local bar. During the 2006-2007 bar year,
Roadshows were held in Lubbock, Corpus Christi, Sugarland (Fort Bend County), Galveston, and
College Station (Brazos County).
ENSURING ACCESS TO JUSTICE
★ 3,766 applications downloaded
One way that TYLA supports the principle of “And Justice For All” is by promoting a
specialty license plate.
The “And Justice For All” license plate is available to all Texas motorists for a $30 annual fee, plus $40
if personalized, in addition to regular vehicle registration fees. Twenty-five dollars of the $30 annual fee
supports civil legal services to Texans who cannot afford legal services. The license plate can be
purchased at any time, regardless of when a vehicle registration expires.
This year, TYLA raised more than $22,000 for the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, which uses those
funds to provide grants to legal aid providers. During a time when funding for legal aid is in decline,
the “And Justice for All” license plate serves as an innovative method to increase funding.
El Paso (April 20, 2006)
Midland (Nov. 4, 2004)
Lubbock (Nov. 5, 2004)(Oct. 6, 2006)
Denton (April 7, 2005)
Temple (Nov. 4, 2005)
Waco (Nov. 4, 2005)
Texarkana (Feb. 23, 2006)
Lufkin (Feb. 23, 2006)
Brownsville (April 6, 2006)
McAllen (April 6, 2006)
Corpus Christi (Oct. 26, 2006)
Fort Bend County (Sugarland)
(Jan. 18, 2007)Galveston (Jan. 19, 2007)
Brazos County (College Station)
(March 22, 2007)
1312
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
In the new bar year, TYLA will continue its outstanding public and member service efforts, with more
than 30 active projects, by educating Texas citizens about the law and improving services to its 23,000
members. TYLA will continue its award-winning elementary, middle and high school curriculum
projects like They Had a Dream Too, Crossing the Line, and Junior Judges. We will also continue to
implement our great educational programs, American Juror and Kids in the Crossfire. For young lawyers,
TYLA will offer valuable CLE programs such as the Success Strategies, New Lawyer and Federal Court
Practice seminars. We will also be developing new programs to address the needs of young lawyers and
Texas citizens, including:
• Forming a Military Affairs Committee to design, develop, and implement programs for
assisting active military personnel and veterans;
• Developing programs to increase awareness of elder abuse and fight its growing trend;
• Focusing on access to justice through the development of mediation tools for Texas’ three
legal aid organizations and low income Texans; and
• Designing, developing, and implementing programs to educate the public about the
importance of the justice system and its role as an equal branch of government, including
how their participation in the jury system makes our system of justice work.
I hope that you will join TYLA in these efforts. The Texas Young Lawyers Association is a great place
to make friends for life, meet other lawyers from across the state, enhance your skills as a lawyer, and
actively make a difference in the lives of Texas students and citizens. Take a minute and look at all of
the different programs TYLA has to offer at www.tyla.org. We would love to get you on board!
Very truly yours,
Bill Miller
2007-08 President, Texas Young Lawyers Association
GUIDING LAW STUDENTS
TYLA has a vested interest in ensuring that law students know about its outstanding programs and
opportunities for service. As law students become lawyers they also automatically become members of
the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Professionalism, camaraderie, public service, and practice
development are all areas where TYLA excels at helping its members.
To introduce law students to TYLA and the legal profession, TYLA attends the orientation events for
first-year law students at each of the nine Texas law schools. TYLA speaks to the students about the
challenges of law school, life as a young lawyer, and the promising future that they have embarked
upon. In addition, TYLA works with local young lawyer associations (known as local affiliates) and the
State Bar of Texas Law Student Division to provide opportunities for law students to become involved
in their local communities, such as the 2006 Triple Play Charity Softball Tournament.
To help law students enter the practice with greater advocacy skills, TYLA annually partners with the
American College of Trial Lawyers to host the National Trial Competition. This year, a record 288
teams participated from 148 schools in the competition nationwide. Twenty-six teams advanced to
Nationals in Houston.
The annual Moot Court Competition brings teams from Texas’ law schools together during the State
Bar Annual Meeting. These programs are planned, coordinated, and staged by Texas young lawyers.