January 2012 - Tarrant County Bar Association

Transcription

Tarrant County Bar Foundation
Celebrates
15 Years of Service
Bulletin
January 2012
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Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
Pro-bono legal services and clinics in
adoption, consumer, divorce, disability,
employment, bankruptcy, foreclosure,
landlord/tenant, and wills-&-directives law
Pro-bono legal services in monthly legal
clinics and participation in Veteran
activites and organizations
Tarrant County
Bar Association
Phone: (817) 338-4092
Fax:
(817) 335-9238
Website:
www.tarrantbar.org
E-mail:
tcba@tarrantbar.org
2011–2012 Officers
President..............................Robert E. Aldrich, Jr.
President-Elect ......................J. Benjamin Barlow
Vice President ............................Ann L. Diamond
Secretary-Treasurer .................. Michael J. Henry
2011–2012 Elected Directors
Lisa Callaghan
Karmen Johnson
Robert G. West
Christie Glenn
Rachel Moore
Daniel A. White
2011–2012 Appointed Directors
Walker Friedman
David Keltner
Immediate Past President
W. Bradley Parker
FORT WORTH-TARRANT COUNTY YOUNG
LAWYERS ASSOCIATION
Laura Docker, President
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Patricia Graham, PLS, CLAS
EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS
STATE BAR OF TEXAS DIRECTORS
Mark G. Daniel
Judge Jo Ann Reyes
ABA DELEGATE
Judge David Evans
BAR BULLETIN
Roger Simon, Editor
Tanya Pierce, Assistant Editor
Pat Leake, PLS, CLAS, Staff Editor
The Tarrant County Bar Bulletin is a
monthly publication of the Tarrant County Bar
Association. Articles, photos, and events for
the calendar, suggestions, or comments should
be directed to 1315 Calhoun Street, Fort
Worth, Texas 76102-6504
Deadline for submission is the 20th
day of the month, two months before the
date of the issue (e.g. April 20th for the
June issue). Items for publication may be
sent by fax to 817- 335-9238 or e-mail to
pat@tarrantbar.org in Word format.
Articles published in the Bar Bulletin
do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
the Tarrant County Bar Association, its
officers, or the Board of Directors.
Calendar listings, classifieds, advertisements, and feature articles should not be
considered an endorsement of any
service, product, program, seminar, or
event.
TCBA Bulletin
by Robert E. Aldrich, Jr.
Greetings:
ee, it is now 2012, and most of us have a lot of memories
for 2011. With record heat, drought, and wildfires, it
was not a “normal” year. The U. S. suffered natural disasters of
massive proportions—floods, earthquakes where earthquakes
weren’t known in the past, and a hurricane up the east coast. It
was a very unusual year, to say the least.
My term is now half over, but the best is yet to come. In January, the Tarrant
County Bar Foundation will celebrate fifteen years of service. The Foundation
and the Association are closely connected, aiding each other to provide service to
the community and to attorneys. Pages 4, 5, and 7 of this issue of the Bulletin
are dedicated to the Foundation and its services. Get updated on what there is to
offer and how TCBA links with community services. Congratulations, Food
Drive Committee, on a job well done. You met your goal, and then some.
February will open the registration for Bench Bar Conference XIX–Best of
the West, Part Deuce. Last year’s conference was fantastic–excellent CLE, golf,
and activities in the beautiful setting of Possum Kingdom Lake. Well, we’re
doing it again–Part Deuce. The committee, which has been meeting monthly,
has a lot of good ideas for CLE and activities. If you haven’t attended a BBC,
this one should be on your calendar for April 13-15, 2012. It is the annual event
at which attorneys and the judiciary can mix and mingle in a casual setting,
which is invaluable to your law practice. So many times, attorneys look at the
law very impersonally, but the law is administered by people, and knowing these
people is part of knowing the law.
March will be a great month, with the annual Blood Drive on Thursday,
March 22, the Foundation’s annual “Tarrant Tortfeasors” show on Saturday,
March 24, and the annual People’s Law School on Saturday, March 31. Save
your blood donation for the Blood Drive—you can’t give blood for 52 days
before your next donation. Giving blood is a quick and easy way to donate.
Last year was the first “Tarrant Tortfeasors” show, and it was greeted with some
skepticism—with amateur attorney performers, what kind of show was it going to
be? It was hilarious—great entertainment, professionally done, that spoofed our
profession with a lot of humor. Some skits reminded the audience of real-life
events in the practice of law, and it was all presented in great fun. The
community has always received People’s Law School as a way to learn things
about the law in a huge variety of topics. If you are interested in teaching a class,
please contact Committee Chair Brett Miller here at my firm, Gardner Aldrich.
April will bring the spring, with new leaves on the trees and flowers
blooming. It also brings the Bench Bar Conference and the FW-TCYLA Spring
Fiesta.
May is the month in which we honor outstanding members for their
dedication and contributions to the association and to the community. The
annual Law Day Dinner and Blackstone Award Ceremony will be on Thursday,
May 3, 2012. Please keep that evening open to come and celebrate national Law
Day—No Courts | No Justice | No Freedom.
June will close out the 2011-2012 term for the TCBA officers and board.
Keep in mind that those who serve are attorneys just like you. They have
volunteered their time to manage your association. The election for the new
term officers and board will be in April, so please support those who have
volunteered to run by casting your vote. Voting is part of your membership
privilege. It is like voting for your local, state, and national representatives—it
is a freedom on which our country was founded.
G
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
January 2012
Robert
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Tarrant County Bar Foundation
Celebrates 15 Years of Service
by Mike Sheehan, Chair
Foundation undertook a renovation
campaign that provided funds to further
enhance the building from the inside to
the parking lot. The current board is
proud to announce that, through
fellowships and generous donations,
the current balance of the renovation
loan is only $72,690. That amount will
be reduced through new fellowships
and donations directed to that purpose.
Over the years, the Foundation
strived to grow its endowment fund
through its fellowship program, and it
was able to provide grants for community-service programs to the TCBA
and other entities. Recently, the
Foundation has taken a new avenue to
expand its ability to better serve the
community and to become the leader of
providing various community-service
programs and projects to the Tarrant
County community. The Foundation
will provide the funds and TCBA will
provide the volunteers to continue the
many projects listed on this month’s
Bulletin cover. Because the Foundation is a non-profit charitable entity, the
legal community can make to it tax-
Association is proud of its member
participation each year. In the past
two years, the committee has secured
he Tarrant County Bar
door-prize donations, which have
Foundation is celebrating its
enhanced participation with an extra
15th year of service to Tarrant
incentive. The expenses of the drive
County. More accurately, the legal
are underwritten by the Foundation,
community of Tarrant County is
and, in 2011, the Foundation was proud
celebrating the 15th year of service to
to give a $2,000 contribution to Carter
Tarrant County through the Tarrant
BloodCare.
County Bar Foundation. The Foundation and its staff, board, and officers
Elder Law Handbook—This
can serve the community only through
community service has been well
the generous donations and efforts of
received since its inception in the late
the Tarrant County legal community.
1990s. The Association is currently on
its 4th edition, with a 2009 suppleA little history—Tarrant County Bar
ment. Many service organizations
Association past presidents clearly
have taken boxes of the handbooks to
remember what it was like before the
help the elderly, and the Association
TCBA had its own Bar Center. For
mails a handbook to each citizen who
many years, bar presidents passed the
requests a copy. Local newspapers
records of the Association from office
have postings in their publications for
to office. In 1995, the Association
citizens to request copies. Each year,
leased a small office in the Oil & Gas
committee members spend many long
Building. Then, in 1996, TCBA Prehours keeping the publication as up-tosident Louis Sturns was faced with the
date as possible. The costs of
task of finding a new space for the
publishing and distribution are
growing bar association, as its current
underwritten by the Foundation.
space was too small and another tenant
wanted the space to expand its offices.
LegalLine—This bi-monthly
Within 30 days, the current
service to the committee
location at 1315 Calhoun
offers free legal advice by
Y
OU
ARE
I
NVITED
TO
THE
was found and leased, and
telephone. On the second
the bar staff moved in everyFOUNDATION’S ANNUAL MEETING
and fourth Thursdays of
thing over one weekend.
each month, citizens with
T
UESDAY
,
J
ANUARY
24,
2012,
ON
Thus began the history of
legal concerns may call
the Tarrant County Bar
AT 5:30 P. M ., TARRANT C OUNTY B AR C ENTER from 6 to 8 p.m. and speak
Foundation.
with volunteer attorneys.
Many people are helped with the
TCBA President Walter Fortney
deductible donations for a specific
advice that they get; others are given
appointed a committee to incorporate
project or projects or for the Foundainformation so that they may contact an
and organize the Foundation. At the
tion’s general grant fund. The Founattorney or agency for representation.
committee’s first meeting, Tom Law
dation hopes that its new annual
For many years, law-firm sponsorships
was elected as the Foundation’s first
have covered LegalLine’s expenses, but
chair. To secure the Foundation’s non- fundraiser, Tarrant Tortfeasors ,
during the past year, the Foundation
profit charitable status, Mr. Law led the will provide funds sufficient to expand
community services without the need
has undertaken to underwrite the
organization through the maze of IRS
for multiple campaigns throughout the
expenses.
and other governmental requirements.
year. That can be accomplished only
Following his lead, Chair Sam Rosen
National Adoption Day—The
with the generosity of Tarrant County
secured financing for the bar center,
Association
has sponsored or colawyers and law firms.
and the Foundation purchased it on
sponsored National Adoption Day since
Below are short descriptions of
April 1, 1999.
its Tarrant County inception in 2000.
some
of the current programs and
Since then, hundreds of foster children
In 2004, Chair Chuck Noteboom
projects that are supported by the
have been adopted. Attorneys who
lead the campaign to enhance the
Foundation.
agree to take a case for presentation to
building through the Century Club,
and, in 2005, the exterior renovation
Tarrant County Bar Association the Court during National Adoption
Day attend a free training workshop.
was completed. Once Chair Dee Kelly
Carter BloodCare—The TCBA
The project’s aim is to speed up the
took the gavel, and with his continued
hosts an annual blood drive at the
adoption process for families and to
dedication to the community, the
Tarrant County Bar Center. The
T
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January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
call attention to the many children in
foster care who are waiting for the
stability of a permanent home. Each
year, at the Association’s Annual
Holiday Party, members are asked to
bring a stuffed teddy bear or a book for
the Bears & Books project to donate to
the Family Law Courts, so that they
may provide a bear or a book to each
child who is adopted.
People’s Law School—This annual
community service, which began in
2005, takes place on a Saturday in the
spring of each year. Volunteer attorneys offer to the community various
courses that cover a variety of legal
subjects. The Association coordinates
with the Texas Wesleyan School of
Law to use the school’s classrooms and
conference halls for people to attend
the courses of their choice. Expenses
are underwritten by the Foundation.
Over the years, the local community
has received this service very well.
Tarrant Area Food Bank—For
many, the Association has sponsored a
canned-food drive to aid in the collection of food and monies for the Tarrant
Area Food Bank. The 2010 drive
netted $5,000 to the Bank, and the
2011 drive has surpassed that goal with
$6,000 in donations.
Trinity Habitat for Humanity—
The 2012 home will be the 9th home
for which the association has partnered
with the Foundation, the United Methodist Church, and the Trinity Habitat for
Humanity to build. The Foundation
offers the opportunity for Association
members to make tax-deductible
donations that will help with the financial needs of each build, and, over the
course of several “build” days, the
Association furnishes labor and food at
the building site. To their recipients,
these houses are more than homes—
they are sanctuaries, places where their
children can play and grow up.
Fort Worth-Tarrant County
Young Lawyers
NICA Christmas Gifts—Each
Christmas season, FW-TCYLA works
with the Northside Inter-Community
Agency, Inc., to see that approximately 60 children in need are adopted
and to provide them with Christmas
gifts. YLA members generously
donate both “wish” and “need” gifts, so
that the children will have something
special under the tree on Christmas
morning. These presents are given to
the families at an FW-TCYLA-hosted
TCBA Bulletin
Christmas party that includes food,
crafts for children, and pictures with
Santa Claus.
Back to School Roundup—During
the spring and throughout the summer,
FW-TCYLA raises funds, through the
Back to School Roundup, to sponsor
school supplies for Tarrant County
children. The Roundup is a
community-wide event each August,
and it costs just $25 to provide a full
school year's worth of supplies to a
student. FW-TCYLA also helps preregister students to attend the Roundup
and provides opportunities for
attorneys to volunteer at the event.
Each year, the Back to School
Roundup provides school supplies for
over 10,000 Tarrant County children.
Healing the Wounds: A Guide to
Navigating the Legal System After
Abuse—This is a program presented
by the FW-TCYLA to The Ladder Alliance, which is non-profit organization
whose mission is to empower women
victims of domestic violence and other
at-risk women to become selfsufficient. The program is designed to
explain how to navigate the legal
system through a divorce from or
protective orders against the abusers.
The event includes a dinner provided
by the FW-TCYLA, followed by a
video produced by FW-TCYLA , and
attorney volunteers then discuss legal
services available to women in need, as
well as the availability of forms and
other resources that can assist them if
they choose to proceed without an
attorney.
Wills Clinic—Earlier this year,
FW-TCYLA, with the assistance of the
local Paralegal Division, co-hosted a
Saturday-morning wills clinic at Legal
Aid of NorthWest Texas. FW-TCYLA
provided attorney volunteers to meet
with pre-qualified people who would
otherwise not have the resources to
obtain estate and end-of-life planning
services. Those who participated left
with complete wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives. This is an
initiative that FW-TCYLA hopes to
continue on a regular basis in the
future.
“They Had a Dream, Too”—
Earlier this year, TexasYLA produced a
moving video, titled "They Had a
Dream, Too," that highlights the impact
that students had on the civil-rights
movement. FW-TCYLA, in conjunction with the Texas Wesleyan School of
January 2012
Law, hosted 75 high-school seniors and
treated them to lunch while they
watched and discussed this moving
film. FW-TCYLA also invited speakers
to give local perspectives on the civilrights movement, from local heroes of
the 1960s to the status of the
movement today, as well as legal and
constitutional perspectives.
Pro-bono Bootcamp—This is a
four-hour CLE event that is free to
members of FW-TCYLA. The
program takes a practical approach to
pro-bono education, providing advice
and resources on various topics that
attorneys who accept pro-bono cases
are likely to encounter. This year, a
program highlight included a
presentation by the Texas Access to
Justice Foundation on the increased
need for pro-bono services, as well as a
presentation by Legal Aid of North
West Texas on how attorneys can get
involved in pro-bono services. The
goal of this program is to inspire
attorneys to increase their pro-bono
activities.
Cowtown 10K—Several members
of the FW-TCYLA are training to
participate in the Cowtown races on
February 25, 2012. For over 30 years,
Fort Worth has provided the Cowtown
races in order to promote good health
and fitness to the residents of the
greater Fort Worth area and beyond.
FW-TCYLA members who are not
planning to run the race will serve as
volunteers for the event on race day.
Access to Justice
The Foundation supports Access to
Justice.
Through grants to the Legal Aid of
NorthWest Texas and donations made
by the TCBA and TCBF members, the
Foundation provides funding to help
people of low-income status to secure
legal assistance.
In 2010, the Foundation adopted a
new State Bar program called Texas
Lawyers for Texas Veterans. This
program, through volunteer attorneys
of the TCBA, has developed a foundation from which to help low-income
veterans receive legal advice and legal
representation in matters other than
veteran claims and services furnished
by the U. S. Government. During the
first year of the program, 238
deserving veterans received a wide
variety of services, including legal
continued to page 7
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T ARRANT C OUNTY B AR A SSOCIATION S ALUTES I TS
2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2 “ 1 0 0 C L U B ” M EMBERS .
Adams Lynch & Loftin, P.C.
Albert Neely & Kuhlmann LLP
Bakutis McCully & Sawyer PC
Bank of America
Barlow Garsek & Simon, L.L.P.
Barrett, Daffin, Frappier, Turner & Engel, LLC
Beadles Newman & Lawler, PC
Beal Law Firm, The
Berenson Firm P.C., The
Bishop Payne Harvard & Kaitcer LLP
Blaies & Hightower, LLP
Blum Firm, The
Bodoin, Agnew, Greene & Maxwell, P.C.
Bourland & Kirkman, L.L.P.
Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.
Brackett & Ellis, P.C.
Law Office of Art Brender, The
Broude Smith & Jennings PC
Brown, Dean, Wiseman, Proctor, Hart & Howell, LLP
Bruner & Pappas LLP
Law Offices of Suzanne I. Calvert & Associates
Cantey Hanger LLP
City Attorney’s Office-City of Fort Worth
Colaneri Firm, P.C., The
Curnutt & Hafer, L.L.P.
Decker Jones McMackin McClane Hall & Bates, PC
Eggleston Flowers & King, LLP
Fears/Nachawati PLLC
Fillmore Law Firm, L.L.P.
Forshey & Prostok, L.L.P.
Frac Tech Services, LLC
Friedman, Suder & Cooke
Gardner Aldrich, LLP
Goodrich Postnikoff & Albertson, LLP
Griffith, Jay & Michel, LLP
Harris, Finley & Bogle, P.C.
Harrison Steck P.C.
Haynes and Boone, L.L.P.
Holland Johns & Penny, LLP
JP Morgan Chase Bank
Jackson Walker, L.L.P.
Johnston Legal Group, P.C.
Jose, Henry, Brantley, MacLean & Alvarado, LLP
K & L Gates LLP
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP
Kirkley & Berryman, LLP
Kobs, Haney & Hundley, LLC
Law, Snakard & Gambill, P.C.
Bob Leonard Law Group, PLLC
Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, L.L.P.
Loe, Warren, Rosenfield, Kaitcer, Hibbs, Windsow,
Lawrence & Wolffarth, P.C.
McDonald Sanders, P.C.
Mellina & Larson, P.C.
Moses, Palmer & Howell, L.L.P.
Murphy, Mahon, Keffler & Farrier, L.L.P.
Noteboom Law Firm
Padfield & Stout, LLP
Pope, Hardwicke, Christie, Schell, Kelly & Ray, L.L.P.
Ross & Matthews, P.C.
Second Court of Appeals
Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP
Smith & Cross, L.L.P.
Sproles Woodard LLP
Tarrant County Probate Court # 1
Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP
Texas Wesleyan School of Law
Thompson & Knight, LLP
Wallach & Andrews, P.C.
Watson, Caraway, Midkiff & Luningham, L.L.P.
Weaver and Tidwell, L.L.P.
Whitaker, Chalk, Swindle & Schwartz, PLLC
Whitley Penn, LLP
Wilson, White & Doby, LLP
Winstead PC
The Wolf Law Firm, P.C.
Law firms, government agencies, law schools, and corporate legal departments with 100% of their attorneys (four or
more) qualify for the “ 100 C LUB . ” TCBA is proud of the participation of these law firms and other groups in
2011-2012 Bar year. For information, contact Membership Director Cindy Rankin at 817-338-4092
or e-mail cindy@tarrantbar.org.
REHEARSALS have begun FOR THE SKITS.
B E A PART O F T HIS G REAT S HOW !
Mark your calendar for the show on March 24, 2012
For more information, contact director Rik Sehgal at rik.sehgal@gmail.com.
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January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
Foundation - continued from page 5
consultations at the monthly legal
clinics, assistance in completing
forms, and help with preparing estateplanning documents. Some veterans
who qualified financially received full
representation at court proceedings
concerning family-law matters,
misdemeanor-criminal matters,
expunctions, orders of nondisclosure,
and other civil matters.
Most recently, the Foundation has
formed a new Access to Justice
committee to explore and implement
ways for the Tarrant County legal
community to better serve the large,
general population of Tarrant County
citizens who are unable to afford
necessary legal services.
L AW Y E R R E F F E R A L & I N FO R M AT I O N S E RV I C E U P DAT E
he Lawyer
Referral &
Information Service
(LRIS) Committee met
in December to plan advertising for
2012. The committee wants to
publicize LRIS to the community so
that more viable referrals can be made
to the member attorneys. It was a great
meeting, and the members discussed
the changes and future plans for the
LRIS. Thanks to all the committee
members who attended!
T
LRIS Administrator Carolina Ibarra
attended the annual LRIS ABA meeting
in October and came back with a great
idea! LRIS members may now use the
TCBA facilities to meet with their
clients (by reservation and based on
availability of space) at NO CHARGE!
That’s huge! It is a great benefit,
available only to LRIS members!
Thanks, Carolina! Please contact
Cindy or Carolina for more information
and room availability.
Musal, Joy NeSmith, Dustin Payne,
Anthony Pettitt, Will Pruitt, Aleed
Rivera, David Robinson, Karen
Schroeder, Chad West, and Ty
Wilson.
The LRIS ended 2011 with over
$50,000 paid to the program in referral
fees, and the attorneys made 85% of
the net legal fees earned (on fees over
$750) on cases that they accepted from
the LRIS program. The attorneys
receiving the benefit of additional case
revenue last quarter include Neal
Callaway, David Cook, Todd
Durden, Joan Durkin, Margaret
Fonvielle, Carlos Galliani, Crystal
Gayden, Andrew Gore, Earl
Hargrave, Rob Henry, David
Jansky, Michael Johnston, Scott
McKnight, Caleb Moore, Rick
If you need clients and more case
revenue, join the Tarrant County Bar
Association’s Lawyer Referral &
Information Service. For information
on the program, call Cindy at 817- 3384092 or email cindy@tarrantbar.org.
Note! If you are giving clients
the LRIS phone number, please give
them 817-336-4101, rather than the
main number to TCBA. LRIS is
under a different telephone system to
better service the clients with referrals, so clients must use the 817-3364101 in order to receive a referral.
TRANSITION TO PRACTICE BEGINS
NEW 2012 YEAR
he 2012 Transition
to Practice Mentor
Program is kicking off its
new year with a CLE
program on Wednesday, January 25. This program
will be the first luncheon of the year for the mentors
and mentees, who have been paired by the committee
for the 2012 year, to meet. There will be an orientation,
a review of the program’s purpose and goals, a
presentation of the scheduled meetings for the year, and
a discussion of the commitment needed from both
mentors and mentees to make the program a success.
The CLE program will feature Judge Bonnie
Sudderth presenting the Local Rules (including civil,
T
D ON ’ T F ORGET B ROWN B AG S EMINAR
January 20, 2012
“Five ‘Hot Topics’ and Tips
from Judicial VIPs”
See registration insert in December issue or on website.
TCBA Bulletin
family, and criminal courts). This topic is especially
important to newly licensed attorneys who are beginning their practices, and the mentors are also encouraged to attend and to meet and encourage their mentees
at the start of the new year.
The Transition to Practice luncheons and CLEs are
sponsored by the TCBA. If you know a newer lawyer,
licensed three years or fewer, who may be interested in the program, encourage him or her to join
TCBA and the program. Or if you are a seasoned
attorney who has not participated in the past as a mentor
but would like to help with the program, let us know!
For more information on the program, contact Cindy
Rankin at 817-338-4092 or email cindy@tarrantbar.org.
Bench Bar Conference XIX
coming April 13 - 15, 2012
Watch for February issue
with brochure and registration.
Best of the West, Part Deuce,
Deuce
will be even better than the first.
January 2012
7
SPOTLIGHT ON D I V E R S I T Y
Constance
Mims
The Diversity Committee is committed to the inclusion of all people
in the legal profession. Through its projects, it strives to enhance
employment and economic opportunities for all minority and women
attorneys and to promote the involvement of minorities and women in
the Tarrant County Bar Association. One diverse member of our Bar is
spotlighted each month. If you know of someone who would make a
great subject, please contact the chair of the 2011-2012 Diversity
Committee, Antoinette Bone, at antoinette@abonelaw.com.
Constance Mims, Attorney at Law
1. What is your philosophy about practicing law?
Though I did not grow up to be the civil-rights super
lawyer I had originally intended to be, I have found a
career in family law that is just as fulfilling. In family law,
I consistently try to help my clients protect their children
and themselves, get financial support, and reach
settlements in their cases that benefit them, their spouses,
and their children. My philosophy about practicing law is
to always remember that my clients are people, not
paychecks, and that they have come to me with a problem,
and it is my responsibility to help them find a solution.
2. What is your best advice to a new attorney?
“If any man thinks that he knows anything, he
knows nothing yet as he ought to know.” 1 Corinthians
8:2. Knowing what you don’t know is the first step to
being an awesome attorney. The second step is getting
those answers in the law. If you practice law this way,
you will gain courage and confidence, and you will earn
the respect of judges, colleagues, and, not the least of
all, your clients.
3. How does your life experience influence your
practice?
For as long as I can remember, circa L.A. Law, I
have wanted to be a lawyer. When I was around
twelve years old, I remember daydreaming about
winning a big case in front of the U.S. Supreme Court
after fighting for someone’s civil rights. Civil rights
meant a lot to me then as well as now.
I was born mix-raced. Because my skin color was
not the same as my mother’s, countless times, right in
front of me, strangers asked my mother who she was
babysitting for, was she my nanny, etc. That is too
much for a child to go through. I also was consistently
treated differently than classmates by teachers and
teased by classmates about the color of my skin and
my parentage. What is even worse, when I was in high
school, I was actually discouraged from pursuing a
career in law by my school counselor!
I would not be discouraged, however. Because of
everything I have endured in my lifetime, I have the
patience and the courage to tackle any obstacle, which
leads to having the ability to think outside the box and
provide my clients with real-life practical legal
solutions to their problems.
Law in June 2007 and was licensed to practice law in
Texas in November 2007. I earned my Bachelor of
Science in Political Science at Texas Christian University.
I practice at the BEAL LAW FIRM, at our principal
office, located at 2920 W. Southlake Blvd., Ste 140,
Southlake, Texas 76092. You may contact me at 817-2614333, you can reach me via facsimile at 817-281-0086, or
you can check us out at www.DFWDIVORCE.com.
D iversity
C ommittee
P resents
A One-Hour CLE
“A TTORNEY A DVERTISING ”
January 18, 2012
12 to 1 p.m. at the
Tarrant County Bar Center
$25 per person, includes lunch
Presenter:
Contact information
I received my J.D. from Texas Wesleyan School of
8
Randy Johnston,
from the State Bar of Texas, Dallas office.
He will speak on the “Do’s and Don’ts of
Attorney Advertising.” With Facebook,
Twitter, and other social-media advertising
in our world today, it’s important to know
the State Bar Rules on advertising.
What rules apply to social media?
Or do they apply?
Is that ad that I have on Facebook legal?
Come to the CLE to find out.
January 2012
RSVP to Cindy Rankin at
cindy@tarrantbar.org
TCBA Bulletin
r, A
ORT
ORTH
ELEBRATES
ke CYL
c
H Do -T
W
S
UBLIC ERVICE
P ura nt, F
e
A
legal-rights education to women
raising efforts have been outstandN y Laresid
affected by abuse and providing civiling, TCYLA members excelled in
b P
A A
L
O
F
T
Y
S
s an organization, the Fort
Worth —Tarrant County Young
Lawyers Association (FW-TCYLA)
has two primary goals: to serve our
attorney membership and to give back
to our community. As I look back on
the 2011 FW-TCYLA year, I am truly
humbled by the outstanding efforts of
our members in accomplishing the
latter. None of our community-service
efforts would have been possible
without the strong leadership of our
project chairs and numerous volunteers. I extend a heartfelt “THANK
YOU” to all of you who gave your
time and resources to support the
TCYLA and for your commitment to
community service.
A
Through our golf and softball
tournaments, FW-TCYLA raised
$8,000 for Legal Aid of NorthWest
Texas in 2011. Although our fund-
W
P
our community-outreach efforts as
well—this year, our members worked
with Legal Aid to increase participation by young lawyers in local probono efforts through Celebrate Pro
Bono Week. We co-hosted a Saturday
morning wills clinic with the Paralegal Division to provide estate
planning documents to low-income
families. We also hosted a Pro-Bono
Bootcamp, a free four-hour CLE
designed to provide attorneys with the
practical skills necessary to enable
them to take on pro-bono cases.
Our most popular event of the year
was our annual Spring Fiesta held at
Joe T. Garcia’s. Spring Fiesta is an
event designed to raise funds to support our service projects, and this year
we exceeded our fundraising goals! We
were able to put those funds to work
through many of our community
service activities, such as providing
-TCYLA C
S
rights education to high-school seniors.
Just this month, we also completed our
annual holiday toy drive, in which
members of the FW-TCYLA and
TCBA provided Christmas-wish
presents to 60 underprivileged families
from the north side of Fort Worth.
These gifts were presented at a
Christmas party hosted by the FWTCYLA, which included food, crafts
for children, and pictures with Santa.
All of these events require countless hours from volunteers working
behind the scenes to make them
successful. I am proud to be a part of
this group of people so willing to give
of themselves in order to allow the
FW-TCYLA to continue its mission of
serving our community. Of course,
none of our successes would be
possible without the assistance of the
staff at the TCBA bar offices. We are
thankful for all that you do for us!
People’s Law School
n behalf of the People's
Law School Committee,
I am pleased to inform you that the annual "People's Law
School" event will be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at
Texas Wesleyan School of Law in downtown Fort Worth.
The People's Law School is conducted by local lawyers
and is designed to provide the community with free, basic
legal information covering various topics. This year's
topics will include family law, criminal matters, property,
wills, and elder law.
As we approach this year's event, please help spread the
word to those who may be interested in attending. Our
only limitation is space, so we encourage attendees to preregister by printing and completing the registration form
from the Bar's website at www.tarrantbar.org.
O
TEXAS LAWYERS
onthly legal
clinics are
M
still operating and
seeing between 28 to
32 veterans each
month. These veterans
have needs in a wide range of legal
matters and are appreciative of the help
that they receive. Even if they do not
qualify as low-income, they still have
the opportunity to visit with attorneys
at the clinic, and, many times, they are
given information sufficient to resolve
their problems.
TCBA Bulletin
FOR
This year we are also
undertaking a new project in
which we will send lawyers to speak to students at local
junior-high and high schools. We've already had a request
from Ferguson Junior High in Arlington, and we hope to
connect with many other schools throughout the year. The
Committee believes that this will be a great outreach
program for the Bar, as it will both educate young adults in
the community and increase the Bar's impact outside of the
courtroom.
If you have any suggestions for the Committee or either
of these programs, please email me at bmiller@gardner
aldrich.com or Trisha Graham at trisha@tarrantbar.org.
Brett F. Miller , Chair
TEXAS VETERANS--TCBA Chapter
For those who qualify financially,
their cases are assigned to attorneys,
either through the Legal Aid of
NorthWest Texas veterans’ pool or the
TCBA pool. This is where we
need your help -- we need more
attorneys to volunteer to take at least
one pro-bono case per year. The case
would be in your field of practice, and
you would have the opportunity to
review it before accepting it.
Please help a veteran who has
served you and your country by vol-
January 2012
unteering as a pro-bono attorney in the
program! The form is on the TCBA
website, in the right-hand pane, by
double-clicking “volunteer.” Or you
can email Pat Leake at pat@tarrantbar.org, and she will forward you a
copy of the form and give you more
information.
Remember, if you join the Legal
Aid of NorthWest Texas veterans’
pool, you do not have to have professional-liability insurance in order to
take a pro-bono case through the
program.
9
L AWYER ON THE L OOSE -S POTLIGHTING M ILLI L. J ACKS
ten months in the “Lil'
Alive and Kickin'
Dragons” program, I
ife is full of surprises – some
good, some bad. I am happy to
report that I have been surprised for
the good. Ten years ago, I was kneedeep in diapers, baby food, and as far
away as possible from the practice of
law, with no intent to return to it.
Little did I know what awaited me in
the not-so-distant future. When I
became pregnant with my first child
in 2000, I decided to say “goodbye” to
lawyering after seven years of practice
and “hello” to being a full-time stayat-home mom. Instead of shutting the
door on the practice of law altogether,
I opted for “inactive” status. In
October 2000, my precious David was
born, and sweet Laura followed in
September 2002.
Fast forward six years. . . Once
both of my kids were in school fulltime, my husband and I decided that it
would be best for our family that I
return to work part-time, and returning
to law made the most sense. Through
a wonderful and providential series of
events, I was introduced to some topnotch oil-and-gas-title examiners, and
a new career was born. I became the
first associate at Judd & Vural,
P.L.L.C., in September 2008, and I
became a partner in January 2009.
Rewind two years before that . .
. When my oldest was five, we
decided to start looking for an activity
for him that would promote character
development, physical strength, coordination, and confidence. We were
introduced to the wonderful instructors at Karate Works in Benbrook,
Texas, and knew that training at their
studio was the perfect fit. After
watching my son on the mat for about
L
decided that it was
time for me to give
the martial arts a try. I began as a
white belt in May 2007. Because my
son, who was then a yellow belt, had
incredible focus and a gift for explaining the various techniques that he had
learned thus far, his added instruction
helped me to quickly progress through
my first two belts. By October 2007,
we were testing together for our
Yellow/Black belts. About a year later,
my daughter decided to join the
martial arts, and Tae Kwon Do
officially became a family affair for
the Jacks.
My time at home raising my
children was the best decision that my
family could have ever made. In
some ways, however, I felt like I had
lost a little bit of myself during those
early years of child rearing. There is
not a lot of room or time for individual achievement when one is consumed with changing diapers, wiping
runny noses, etc., but nothing compares to being able to be the one to
teach your children the foundational
lessons of life and being able to see
all of the “firsts.” As a martial artist, I
was being challenged at every training
session and had a goal in sight—
whether that was my next stripe, my
next belt, or even executing my next
move. Being challenged and
“stretched” is a good feeling, and
having a goal to achieve gives one a
new purpose in life.
Tae Kwon Do has been a great
confidence builder for me. In fact, I
credit Tae Kwon Do and my family at
Karate Works to a great extent in
playing a major role in my decision to
return to the
working world
as a lawyer.
Facing the workforce again after an
eight-year break was much easier with
a blue belt around my waist. I also
credit my friends and co-workers at
my law firm in playing a major role in
my testing for Black through their
constant encouragement.
Fast forward to the present . . .
My son and I tested for our Black
belts on September 9, 2011, and are
now First-Degree Black Belts.
Achieving that goal is a wonderful
feeling, and doing it with my son
makes it even more special. Not only
do I feel better prepared were I to be
attacked, but I am convinced that I am
physically and mentally stronger and
sharper than I would have been had I
never taken the plunge into the martial
arts. I recommend this “plunge” to
anyone who is looking for an exciting
and challenging way to “shake things
up”—both mentally and physically—
in his or her life.
I am now in the “not-so-distant”
future (from ten years ago) with a
Black belt around my waist, practicing
oil-and-gas-title examination (parttime at that!) as a senior partner at
Judd & Jacks, P.L.L.C. (now 26
attorneys strong), and loving every
minute of it. To say that I am pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. I guess that you could say
that I have finally found my niche . . .
and, after all these years, I am still
alive and kickin'!
Milli
Announcing A New TCBA Section
Business Litigation Section
Join this section by mailing dues of $30 to Sherry Jones at TCBA
or pay your dues at the first meeting.
with new
First Meeting January 11, 2012, Noon, Petroleum Club $15
membership.
$25 for nonmembers. RSVP to sherry@tarrantbar.org.
Next Meeting: April 11, 2012
Petroleum Club
$25 for members.
10
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
JU
C
DI
IA
L
JUDGE N ANCY B ERGER , 322nd District Court
PR
I
OF
LE
udge
J
Nancy
Berger has
presided over
the 322nd
District Court since
first being elected in
2006. Her
background as a
certified public
accountant is often
useful in the court,
which hears familylaw cases.
Early Years in West Texas
Judge Berger grew up in west
Texas, where her father was a
department-store manager and her
mother was a schoolteacher. Judge
Berger has an older brother and a
younger sister. As early as third
grade, Judge Berger, together with the
other members of her family, helped
her father in the department store at
inventory time. Her mother was a
Methodist minister's daughter and was
determined to give her children many
opportunities for educational
enrichment. By the time tht Judge
Berger graduated from Abilene High
School, she had studied piano and
music theory under a teacher from
Julliard and ballet, tap, and toe under
a teacher from the American School
of Ballet. She studied and taught
competitive baton twirling and
ballroom dancing. She and her sister
called square dances on television in
Amarillo.
Attending college on a clarinet
scholarship to McMurry in Abilene,
Judge Berger studied business and
accounting with an eye toward
eventually going to law school. She
never made less than 100% on a math
test and attributes that success to her
studies of music theory.
Early Career and Law School
Following college, Judge Berger
worked as an accountant for several
oil companies. She passed the CPA
exam and was one of the first female
CPAs in the Oklahoma City office of
Arthur Andersen & Co. While
working full-time for EDS in Plano,
and with three kids still in college,
TCBA Bulletin
By LYNN KELLY, Lynn Kelly Law Firm PC
Judge Berger went to law school at
night as a member of the first class of
Texas Wesleyan University School of
Law. To make the best use of her
time, she listened to instructional
tapes for school during her commute.
Judge Berger was in two car accidents
and for six months had to fit physicaltherapy appointments into her already
overly full schedule. She recalls that
one of her professors, Dean Fred
Moss, pulled her aside outside of class
and encouraged her not drop out of
law school. She said that his kindness
and insight had a huge impact on her.
Most Rewarding/Most Difficult
Aspects of Her Job
Judge Berger says that she likes all
aspects of being a judge. "It is very
satisfying to help families and kids in
crisis." She feels that her background
and years of life experience make her
an understanding judge. She says tht it
is disturbing and disheartening to hear
some of the stories of families in
crisis. She also points out that Tarrant
County is fortunate to have many
organizations that assist families in
crisis, such as Texas Wesleyan School
of Law's pro-bono clinic, Safe Haven,
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and
many church organizations that
understand the needs of the
community.
Advice to Attorneys
Judge Berger advice is that the
experience gained by volunteering for
law clinic is invaluable. She also
recommends that new attorneys seek
out a mentor for practical and
procedural advice and spend some
time watching proceedings in the
courtroom. New attorneys should
diligently prepare for every hearing
and keep in mind that talking to court
staff can save time and prevent
heartaches.
Although she comments that most
attorneys in her court do well, she
reminds attorneys to review the
paperwork carefully with the client
before to the hearing to make sure that
it is current, correct, and complete.
She says that it is also important for
attorneys to ask their clients just
before a prove-up hearing whether
January 2012
there are any bankruptcy
filings that might impact the case.
Trends in the Family Courts
Recently, Judge Berger has noticed
many more pro-se litigants. She
attributes this fact not only to the
economy, but also to the increased
ability of "do it yourself" legal forms
on the internet. She notes that
although she cannot give pro-se
parties legal advice, these cases often
require more of the court's time. Judge
Berger points out that the forms do
not explain legal rights, cannot substitute for legal advice, and may result in
inequitable divisions because all of
the relevant facts and circumstances
may not be revealed by the forms.
Wedding in Chambers
As with other judges, Judge Berger
is sometimes asked to perform
wedding ceremonies. Late one
afternoon, a couple requested lastminute nuptials, and the bride commented that she had hoped to carry
flowers "down the aisle." Judge
Berger and her staff quickly improvised, gathering a potted aloe vera and
flowering kalanchoe plant, which the
bride happily carried into the judge's
chambers in the traditional step-pausestep manner. A few days later, the
bride and groom sent a gorgeous
flower arrangement to the court for all
to enjoy.
What You Might Not Know About
Her
Judge Berger and her husband, Art,
met on a blind date and were married
three months later. Art is also a CPA.
They have been married for 39 years,
and together they have five children
and nine grandchildren. Judge Berger
made her daughters’ costumes for
twirling and pageants, including one
piece for which she attached intricate
ruffles with fishing line and six
thousand hand-set rhinestones. She is
a lifetime member of the PTA and a
strong supporter of the arts, among
other things, serving as the financial
coordinator of the Arts Council of
Tarrant County. She has also had a
solo practice as a CPA and as an
attorney.
11
N A T I O N A L A D O P T I O N D A Y A T TCBA
C E L E B R A T I N G 12 Y E A R S
n 2000, Judge
Jean Boyd
asked the Tarrant
County Bar
Association to
undertake a new
project that provided
legal services to families adopting children who had been
placed with Child Protective Services. Since its inception,
the Tarrant County National Adoption Day program has
assisted in the adoption of hundreds of children. At the
2011 event held on Friday, November 18, 41 children were
adopted by 30 families. The Family Law Center was full of
laughter and giggles as these families celebrated their new
beginnings. Each adopted child was presented with a
necklace provided by Kubes Jewelers, a book, stuffed toy
animals, and the book “Keep Dreaming,” signed by local
author Jake Brittain and local illustrator Scott Dykema.
Each mother was presented with roses provided by the Bob
Leonard Law Group.
This outstanding project would not be possible without
the assistance of so many who give their time, support, and
donations.
Thanks to the attorneys who provided the legal services
and mentored the Texas Wesleyan School of Law students:
Frank Adler, Lee Barrett, Shannon Boyd, Eric Freeby, Fred
Howey, David Joyce, Vanessa Kelley, Abbey Kirby,
Michael Maxvill, Thomas McKenzie, Shane O’Dell,
Heather Ogier, Belker Paschall, Brandon Rasley, Aleed
Rivera, Renee Sanchez, Kellye Swanda, and Craig
Woodcook. Thanks to the law students who participated
in the adoption cases: Antonio Allen, Ryan Clay, Chris
DeLisio, Sonia DeOchoa, Jennifer Fjerestad, Kimberly
Grant, DeAndrea Jackson, Keeton Monahan, Daniel
Monte, Chad Richwine, Rusty Roeger, Cheryl Schwarzer,
Zainah Shafi, Clara Soto, and Charles Tibbels. Thanks to
I
he committee says “Thank
you” to the TCBA members.
We surpassed the goal of $5,000,
reaching $6,000 plus a donation
made on behalf of TCBA by Frost
Bank. We also collected 78 pounds
of canned food.
The committee was very proud of
the participation by law firms and their
staffs. The largest donations were
$500 donations made by the firms of
the Law Office of Art Brender;
Gardner, Aldrich; and Whitley Penn,
LLP.
Firms making donations of
$250 included Michael & Linda
Bourland of Bourland, Wall, &
Wenzel; Friedman, Sudder & Cooke;
Lanter Westerman; Law Offices of St.
Clair Newbern; Mr. Stavinoha of
Perdue, Brandon, et al; and Mr.
the judges who participated: Judge Nancy Berger, Judge
Cynthia Mendoza, Judge James Munford, Judge Mike
Sinha, Judge Judith Wells, and Judge Terri White.
Also, thanks to the sponsors of the 2011 National
Adoption Day: CASA of Tarrant County, Department of
Family & Protective Services, Eldon B. Mahon Inn of
Court, Family District Courts of Tarrant County, HALO,
Juvenile Court of Tarrant County, Tarrant County Bar
Association, Tarrant County Bar Foundation, Tarrant
County Family Bar Association, and Texas Wesleyan
School of Law.
Thanks to the Donors, All Church Home, Bob Leonard
Law Group, Jake Brittain, Scott Dykema, HALO, Haynes
and Boone, LLP, Kubes Jewelers, Southlake Kiwanis Club,
Tarrant County Bar Foundation, and District Clerk Tom
Wilder and his staff.
A special “THANK YOU” to Chair Karen C. Denney
and her committee, Frank Adler, Kimberly Bielski, Cory
Bishop, Judge Jean Boyd, Shannon Boyd, Lea Ann Blum,
Gil Daley, Stephanie Daley, Gladys Demus, Eric Freeby,
Deatra Gills, Brenda Lund, Mitzi Meyer, Courtney
Richards Leaverton, Patricia Nolan, Susan Paquet, Ruth
Ann Patsel, Reeti Raisinghani, Karla Reese, Renee
Sanchez, Judge Ellen Smith, Kellye Swanda, Patti
Gearhart Turner, Judge Judith Wells, Cindy Williams, and
TCBA staff member Sherry Jones, for all of their time and
support in the planning and coordinating of the
celebration!
T
12
Swindle of Whitaker
Chalk. Many other donations ranging
from $5 to $155 were received from
Beadles, Newman & Lawler, PC, and
$150 from Moses, Palmer & Howell,
LLP. All of these efforts made this
Food Drive a great success. Your
donations will go a long way to help
the hungry—especially the children.
Thanks for the hard work by
Committee Chair Tawanna Gray,
Chair-Elect Courtney Key, and
members Ronnie Hall, Greg Kubes,
Brooke Mixon, and TCBA staff
member Pat Leake, who got the
January 2012
brown bags out and picked them up.
Food Drive
Committee Chair
Tawanna Gray.
Bo Soderbergh, executive
director of Tarrant Area
Food Bank, receiving
Foundation check for
$6,000 from TCBF Chair
Mike Sheehan.
TCBA Bulletin
Santa Claus did come to TCBA
and what a blast!
hanks to the planning and
efforts of the holiday-party
T
committee, everyone had a
fantastic time, saw Santa (aka
David Farris), and had his or her
picture taken. The food was
fabulous—thanks to the planning
of Theresa Copeland. The
wonderful decorations were
gathered and placed by chair John
Corbin, Wendy Hackler, Patricia
LaRue, Jane Fritz, Dan Sullivan,
and TCBA director-liaison Karmen
Johnson.
TCBA members did a come’n’ Lori Spearman—Mavs tickets;
go on Thursday, December 8, for James Foley—$50 cash; and
Nancy Gordon—$50 cash.
the annual holiday party. Most of
the members brought stuffed aniTCBA wished eveyone a wonmals, which were placed under the derful holiday season, and wishes a
tree and will be donated to the
prosperous New Year to all.
Tarrant County Family Law Courts
for use during proceedings involving children.
A special thanks to the holidayparty sponsor Bank of Texas,
which has been a loyal sponsor of
this event for many years. Also,
thanks to John Doyen of Lexis
Nexis for furnishing Maverick
tickets for door prizes. What a
Charlie Powell and Pam Drenner of Bank of
treat! The door-prize winners were Texas with Robert Aldrich, TCBA president
Committee
members
Committee
Chair John
Corbin
Karmen
Johnson
Theresa
Copeland
Ho, Ho, Ho
Santa was
kept busy
with
judges,
members
and families
wanting
to share
in the
holiday joy. Thanks,
Santa, for a job
well done.
Happy Holidays to all.
TCBA Bulletin
January 2012
13
F
ROM
THE CIVIL SIDE
NEW CRIMES THAT YOU MAY (OR
MAY NOT) NEED TO KNOW ABOUT:
A private autopsy facility is
required to post a notice stating that
“a person may file with the Texas
Medical Board a complaint against a
physician who performs autopsy
services.” Tex. Health & Safety Code
§ 671A.002. It is now a criminal
offense for such a facility to fail to do
so. Tex. Health & Safety Code
§671A.003.
DID YOU KNOW ?
In the late 1700s, many houses
consisted of a large room with only
one chair. Commonly, a long, wide
board folded down from the wall and
was used for dining. The “head of the
household” always sat in the chair,
while everyone else ate while sitting
on the floor. Occasionally, a guest
(usually a man) would be invited to
sit in this chair during a meal. To sit
in the chair meant that the person was
important and in charge. The one
sitting in the chair was called the
“chair man.” Today, in business, we
use the expression or title “chairman”
or “chairman of the board.” [Thanks
to Harold Carter for this item.]
A SK J UDGE B OB :
Judge Bob, are
there any three- or
five-year limitations
periods in Texas?
Yes—for adverse
possession. “A
person must bring
suit to recover real
property held by
another in peaceable
and adverse possession under title or
color of title not later than three years
after the day the cause of action
accrues.” Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem.
Code §16.024. “A person must bring
suit not later than five years after the
day the cause of action accrues to
recover real property held in
peaceable and adverse possession by
another who: (1) cultivates, uses, or
enjoys the property; (2) pays
applicable taxes on the property; and
(3) claims the property under a duly
registered deed. Tex. Civ. Prac. &
Rem. Code §16.025.
14
BY J USTICE
B OB M C C OY , 2nd Court of Appeals
ASK THE DANES:
Cleo
and
Ramses,
can people
in Texas
own wild
animals such
as lions?
People may own dangerous wild
animals such as lions only in counties
that have adopted regulatory provisions under the Dangerous Wild
Animal Act (chapter 822 of the Texas
Health & Safety Code) and only after
the owner has met all requirements,
passed inspection, and obtained
insurance. Such possession is
prohibited in counties that haven’t
adopted the regulatory provisions.
THE DANES’ QUOTE OF THE MONTH:
“If you want a friend in Washington,
get a dog.”
-Harry S. Truman
ITEMS OF INTEREST
1. Independent Contractor
“An independent contractor who is
put in control of the premises by the
owner is under the same duty as the
owner.” Foreman v. Allen Keller Co.,
343 S.W.3d 428, 431 (Tex. App.––San
Antonio 2009) (mem. op.) (citation
omitted), rev’d on other grounds, 343
S.W.3d 420 (Tex. 2011).
2. Mandatory Forum-Selection
Clause
“When a party seeks to enforce a
mandatory forum selection clause, a
court must determine whether the
claims in question fall within the
scope of that clause. The court bases
this determination on the language of
the clause and the nature of the claims
that are allegedly subject to the
clause.” Stokes Interest, G.P. v. SantoPietro, 343 S.W.3d 441, 445 (Tex.
App.––El. Paso 2010, no pet. h.)
(citations omitted).
3. Parole Evidence Rule
“The parole evidence rule does not
bar evidence of a collateral agreement.” Gail v. Berry, 343 S.W.3d
520, 523 (Tex. App.––Eastland 2011,
pet. struck) (citation omitted).
January 2012
4. Easement
“An easement is
the privilege to use another tract of
land for some limited purpose.”
Goodenberger v. Ellis, 343 S.W.3d
536, 541 (Tex. App.––Dallas 2011, no
pet. h.) (citation omitted).
5. Easement By Estoppel
“Although easements are typically
evidenced by a writing or deed, an
easement by estoppel is an exception
to the statutes requiring a writing.
Under the doctrine of easement by
estoppel, the representations of the
owner of the alleged servient estate
may estop that owner from denying
the existence of an easement when
those representations have been relied
on by the owner of the alleged dominant estate. The elements of easement
by estoppel are: (1) a representation,
either by word or action, to the promisee; (2) the representation was
believed; and (3) the promisee relied
on the representation. Id. (citations
omitted)
6. A Little Criminal Law
“Reasonable suspicion to stop and
detain a person for the purposes of
investigating possible criminal behavior requires only that the officers
have specific and articulable facts,
which taken together with rational
inferences from those facts reasonably
warrant the intrusion. This is a lesser
burden on the officers than probable
cause which requires that the totality
of the circumstances form a conclusion that there is a fair probability of
finding contraband or evidence at a
particular location.” Ortega v. State,
343 S.W.3d 556, 559 (Tex. App.––
Amarillo 2011, no pet. h.) (citation
omitted).
7. A Check
“It is settled law that a check—as a
type of negotiable instrument—is a
formal contract, a rule established not
only in treatises but also the common
law of this state and other states.” 1/2
Price Checks Cashed v. United Auto.
Ins. Co., 344 S.W.3d 378, 383-84
(Tex. 2011) (footnotes omitted).
TCBA Bulletin
8. Medical Malpractice
“In this case we consider whether claims against a
nursing home regarding a patient's death alleged to have
been caused by a brown recluse spider bite are health care
liability claims (HCLCs) that required an expert report to
be served. The trial court and court of appeals held that
they were not. We disagree.” Omaha Healthcare Ctr.,
LLC v. Johnson, 344 S.W.3d 392, 393 (Tex. 2011)
9. The Hughes Doctrine
“The Hughes doctrine provides that when an attorney
commits malpractice in prosecuting or defending against
any claim that results in litigation, the statute of limitations is tolled until all appeals on the underlying claim are
exhausted . . . The Texas Supreme Court later expanded
on Hughes to include situations [in which] the lawyer’s
underlying malpractice occurred in a non-litigation
setting.” Edwards v. Dunlop-Gates, 344 S.W.3d 424, 431
(Tex. App.—El Paso 2011, pet. filed) (citations omitted).
10. Declaratory Relief
“It is an abuse of discretion to award attorney’s fees in
connection with a claim for declaratory relief when the
statute is relied upon solely as a vehicle to recover
attorney’s fees.” Poole v. Karnack Indep. Sch. Dist., 344
S.W.3d 440, 445 (Tex. App.—Austin 2011, no pet. h.)
(citations omitted).
11. Penalty
“In order to enforce a liquidated damages provision
and determine [that] the provision is not a penalty, ‘the
court must find: (1) that the harm caused by the breach is
incapable or difficult of estimation, and (2) that the
amount of liquidated damages called for is a reasonable
forecast of just compensation.’” GPA Holding, Inc. v.
Baylor Health Care Sys., 344 S.W.3d 467, 475 (Tex.
App.—Dallas 2011, no pet. h.) (citations omitted).
12. Official Immunity
“Good faith for official immunity is not measured by
the official’s subjective intent.” Tex. Dep’t of Pub. Safety
v. Rodriguez, 344 S.W.3d 483, 489 (Tex. App.—Houston
[1st Dist.] 2011, no pet. h.) (footnote omitted).
13. Governmental Immunity
“[B]ecause [Texas Health & Safety Code section
101.106 (‘Election of Remedies’)] involves governmental
immunity and because under Subsection (f) the Legislature has provided a specific thirty-day window within
which it permits the State’s immunity to be pierced upon
timely compliance thereof by both dismissing the governmental unit’s employee and naming the governmental unit
as a defendant, we conclude that parties are not permitted,
under [Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 11 (‘Agreements To
Be in Writing’)] or otherwise, to extend the thirty-day
period within which the State’s waiver of immunity
exists.” Tex. Tech Univ. Health Sci. Ctr. v. Williams, 344
S.W.3d 508, 514 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2011, no pet. h.).
for the first time on appeal.” Werley v. Cannon, 344
S.W.3d 527, 536 (Tex. App.—El Paso 2011, no pet. h.)
(citation omitted).
15. Statutory Construction
“We are not free to rewrite [Texas Government Code
section 2110.226 (‘Texas Department of Criminal Justice
and Texas Board of Criminal Justice’)] in the guise of
construing it.” Foster v. Tex. Dep’t of Criminal Justice,
344 S.W.3d 543, 548 (Tex. App.—Austin 2011, pet.
denied) (citation omitted).
LEGAL QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Give a wise man an honest brief to plead / and his
eloquence is no remarkable achievement.”—Euripides,
The Bacchae (c. 405 B.C.), trans. William Arrowsmith
OLD NEWS—Ordinance 92
On December 26, 1876, the Fort Worth City Council
passed Ordinance 92, which prohibited males from
“riding, walking or promenading” in public areas of the
city with any “prostitute or woman of ill fame,” subject to
fines ranging from ten to twenty-five dollars. The legal
issue of who was a prostitute was to be determined by
“general reputation” or “prima facie evidence.” Public
outcry and the questionable legal standard led, in
February 1877, to an amendment stating that only “riding
or driving” with such women between the hours of 4 a.m.
and 9 p.m. was prohibited.
T AX
E STATE
P LANNING S ECTION
is pleased to announce that its section
luncheon will host the
C ANNON 2012 E STATE P LANNING
T ELECONFERENCE S ERIES
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Sponsored by
Mid-Winter’s Hottest Estate Planning
Recent Developments
• Additional reminders of our risks in trust administration
and fiduciary liability
• More from the world of retirement assets
• Intriguing valuation developments
• IRS guidance regarding charitable giving
• Important developments regarding what is includible
in a decedent’s gross estate
Petroleum Club
14. Affidavit
“[A]n objection that an affidavit is conclusory is an
objection to the affidavit’s substance, and may be raised
TCBA Bulletin
&
January 2012
1.5 hours of CLE
$10 for section members;
$15 for non-section/guests/walk-ins
RSVP by noon on January 20 to
Eva Joness at 817-870-8757 or
ejoness@hfblaw.com
15
invites you to be our guest as we
celebrate our 60th Anniversary
1951 Fort Worth Bar Association Officers and Directors
Our journey began 60 years ago, when 11
lawyers decided that legal advice and aid
should be available to anyone, regardless of
ability to pay. From that vision came Legal Aid
of NorthWest Texas, the fifth largest legal
services program in the United States.
Please join our Chief Executive Officer, board
members, attorneys, volunteers and members
of the comunity in celebrating the vision of our
founders.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Ashton Depot
1501 Jones Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
This is not a fundraiser
RSVPs appreciated
Jane Fritz
fritzj@lanwt.org or 817.339.5309
16
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
I N M EMORIAMS
James L. Bearden
Jim Bearden passed away on
November 9, 2011, at the age of 60,
in Fort Worth. He was born on
August 20, 1951, in Dallas. As an
adult, he started his career working
for the United States Central
Intelligence Agency. Thereafter, Jim
started a private investigative agency
in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that is still in existence
today. Jim had a long career in private investigation and
security and worked on a number of high-profile cases.
He returned to school later in life, earning his law
degree from Texas Wesleyan School of Law in
Cecil E. Munn
Cecil E. Munn died on November 18, 2011, at the
age of 88. Mr. Munn was born in Enid, Oklahoma.
After he graduated from the University of Oklahoma,
Mr. Munn obtained his law degree, with honors, from
Harvard Law School.
In 1947, Mr. Munn began practicing law in Enid but
later joined the law department of Champlin Petroleum
Company (which later became known as Union Pacific
Resources and now is Anadarko Petroleum). In 1960,
he joined Cantey, Hanger, Johnson, Scarbrough &
Gooch, which soon became Cantey Hanger Gooch
Munn & Collins. Mr. Munn handled complex
commercial litigation in federal and state courts
throughout the United States, including appearing before
various federal agencies in Washington on behalf of
James A. McMullen, III
James A. McMullen, III, passed
away on November 19, 2011, at the
age of 82. He was born in 1929, in
Lufkin, Texas. He received his
undergraduate and law degrees from
the University of Texas in six years,
entered military service, and served
proudly as a captain in the JAG Corps.
In 1958, he moved to Fort Worth to practice law with
Stone, Agerton, Parker, and Snakard. In 1960, he was
elected president of the Fort Worth Junior Bar, and he
later served as a director of the State Junior Bar
Association and was nominated by the Fort Worth
Junior Bar for the Outstanding Lawyer in Texas award.
In 1973, he opened his own law practice and a
branch office of Rattikin Title Company. AFter being
licensed in 1954, he practiced law for a total of 57
December 2001 and opening up his practice in
Arlington. Before that, he graduated from the
University of Texas at Arlington with a political-science
degree.
Jim was past president of the Texas State Museum of
History, general counsel to the Texas Association of
Licensed Investigators, and a member of many other
professional organizations. He was a resident of
Arlington since 1972, and he was active in his church,
St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church, and many other
community organizations. He was a longtime member
of the Tarrant County Bar Association, the Dallas
County Bar Association, the American Society of
Industrial Security, and the Texas Criminal Defense
Lawyers Association.
companies such as American
Airlines, Shell Oil, Champlin/Union
Pacific, Ken Davis Industries, and
General Motors Corporation.
He was a former chairman of the
Natural Resources Law Section of
the American Bar Association and a
fellow in the American College of
Trial Lawyers. He was a longtime
member of TCBA, and, in 1992, he
received the Blackstone Award from the Association
(its highest recognition) for exemplifying the highest
attributes of the legal profession.
Mr. Munn was devoted to his family, friends,
and law firm. He was known for his keen intellect, his
brilliant writing style, and his wit. He was consistently
respectful of lawyers and the profession that he loved.
years. He specialized in real-estate, probate, and
corporate law, with an additional specialization in
interstate land sales. He was instrumental in the
development of the De Cordova Bend and Pecan
Plantation developments on Lake Granbury. He
successfully handled numerous appellate cases,
including Calvert v. Fort Worth National Bank, 356
S.W.2d 918 (Tex. 1962) and Van Zandt v. Fort Worth
Press, 359 S.W.2d 893 (Tex. 1962). During his practice
in Fort Worth, he and his wife, Mary Louise, organized
and hosted the Blackstone Award Dinner for the Tarrant
County Bar Association for over 25 years. In 1999, he
received an award for his bar association membership
and service.
He also served as a longtime editor of the Fort
Worth Bar News, and he frequently wrote freelance
articles for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jim proudly
served his country in the Judge Advocate Generals
Corps, U.S. Army, as defense and trial counsel in over
contnued to page 18
TCBA Bulletin
January 2012
17
contnued to page 18
300 General Court Martial proceedings. He was very
politically active, running several local campaigns over
the years. Jim loved the practice of law and had a very
strong work ethic, as evidenced by the fact that he was
still actively working with his clients up until a week
William P. “Pat” Weir
William P. “Pat” Weir passed away on November 28,
2011, at the age of 71, following a long battle with
cancer. Born in Hobbs, New Mexico, Mr. Weir and his
family moved to the metroplex area when he was a
young child. Mr. Weir graduated from Southern
Methodist University School of Law, earning his B.A. in
1962 and his LL.B. in 1964. He was a member of Phi
Alpha Delta fraternity and served as treasurer from
1963-1964. Mr. Weir was admitted to practice law in
1964.
Having spent much of his teenage years working for
his father’s roofing-and-sheet-metal company, and
learning firsthand the ins and outs of the construction
industry, Mr. Weir chose to specialize in construction
law. He began his career with the firm of Tuchin &
Jackson, which later became Tuchin & Weir. In 1979,
he formed his own law firm—Law Offices of William P.
18
before he passed away. Jim was fond of reminding
lawyers that, in his opinion, the practice of law was an
honor and a privilege, not a right, and because of that,
as lawyers we should all give freely of our talents not just
to the bar, but to the community as a whole.
Weir, Inc.
He was licensed to practice in
the state of Texas, the Northern
District of Oklahoma, the Fifth
Circuit Court of Appeals, the Texas
Supreme Court, and the United
States Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit. Mr. Weir was a
longtime member of the Tarrant
County Bar Association, the State
Bar of Texas, the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, the
American Bar Association, and the Association of Trial
Lawyers of America. He also regularly volunteered as a
mediator during Tarrant County Settlement Week.
Mr. Weir was an active member and elder of First
Presbyterian Church Fort Worth, where he taught an
adult Sunday school class for many years. He will be
greatly missed by his loving family and friends.
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
Law Offices of
Steven C. Laird, P.C.
C ONTINUING
TO BE YOUR
TRUSTED COLLEAGUES FOR
Wrongful Death - Personal Injury
Referrals
We wish to extend the Tarrant County Bar Foundation a
Happy 15th Anniversary
*
Wrongful Death
*
Trucking Accidents
*
Car Wrecks
*
Workplace Injuries
*
Oil and Gas Field Injuries
*
Premises Liability
*
Construction Accidents
*
Select Individual and
*
Crane Accidents
Business Litigation
V isit
our website to see who
we are, what we do, and
how we can help your clients,
family, and friends.
www.texlawyers.com
817-531-3000
EXPERIENCED LAWYERS
SERIOUS CASES
TCBA Bulletin
January 2012
FOR
19
TCBA
TCBA
members
may
take
MEMBER
advantage of discounts provided
B E N E F I T S - by the following vendors:
VENDOR
ABA Retirement Funds program provides full-service 401(k) plans to
LIST
benefit the legal community. To learn more, contact local rep. Jacob
Millican at 817-451-5020 or visit www.abaretirement.com.
AMO Office Supply offers TCBA members the lowest price guaranteed on office supplies, with next-day delivery and
free shipping! Call 800-420-6421.
Mobile Phone Services
AT&T offers members a discount on all purchased mobile-phone equipment, plus 8% off on monthly service
applying to new & current AT&T customers.
Sprint offers 15% off the monthly service. For info, contact cindy@tarrantbar.org or 817-338-4092.
Falcon Litigation Solutions offers discounts on copying, litigation displays, trial boards, etc. Call 817-870-0330.
Fort Worth JSB Co., Inc., offers a 10% discount to TCBA members on printed materials--business cards, letterhead,
envelopes, business forms, brochures, flyers, and more. For a quote, call 817-577-0572.
New UPS - TCBA has signed an agreement with UPS for TCBA members to receive discounts on shipping. The discounts
vary according to the type of shipment, but check out UPS for your needs. www.ups.com or 1-800-PICK-UPS.
For IT help:
Juris Fabrilis-Cool Tools for Lawyers offers members discounted rates on web-based tools to help you
manage your law practice. 817-481-1573 ext. 101.
For Shredding and Document Disposal:
Magic Shred. It is a secure shredding business that shreds your documents on-site. Magic Shred offers a 10%
discount to TCBA members.
Expanco is N.A.I.D. AAA-Certified document-destruction service offering 40% off to TCBA members. Call TCBA
office for details on both.
20
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
TARRANT MEDIATION CENTER
Scheduling Mediations Daily
LL E I GN A EL
TCBA SALUTES OUR VOLUNTEERS,
THE REAL STARS OF LEGALLINE
Civil & Family Law Mediations
Available
Full- or half-day at
competitive rates
Experienced mediator
in a comfortable setting
and convenient location
Complimentary parking
*Denotes Staff Volunteer
November 10, 2011
No December
Joseph Colvin
Lauren Lockett
James Saint
Brad Shaw
LegalLines
*Carolina Ibarra
I’m ready, willing and qualified to help you
resolve your conflicts ! Call Now !
To volunteer for LegalLine, call Carolina Ibarra at
J. Kevin Clark
Attorney-Mediator
C New Location B
817.338.4092 or email carolina@tarrantbar.org.
777 Main Street, Suite 600
Fort Worth, TX 76102
817-348-6723
Fax: 817-377-9893
www.lawyers.com
fÑxv|tÄ g{tÇ~á to the Tarrant County Bar
Foundation for covering the costs
of a light dinner for our LegalLine volunteers
during the November clinic.
HAPPY
NEW YEAR!
New Year’s is a time to reflect on the year past. It is also a
time to set goals for the future, and Edward Jones can help
you do just that. We’re in your neighborhood and available to help you take steps now to help meet your longterm financial goals.
Call today to set up a complimentary portfolio review.
Robert J Holman, CFP®
Financial Advisor
.
3426 S University Dr
Ft Worth, TX 76109
817-922-8934
www.edwardjones.com
TCBA Bulletin
January 2012
Member SIPC
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FUTURE EVENTS
A NNUAL B LOOD D RIVE , TCBA offices
TARRANT T ORTFEASORS S HOW, W. E. Scott Theater
B ENCH B AR C ONFERENCE XIX, The Cliffs Resort, PK Lake
L AW DAY AWARDS D INNER , Fort Worth Club
OTHER ASSOCIATIONS’ NEWS & INFORMATION
FW-TC YLA 2011-2012 Bar Year
began a new term on September 1,
2011. If you need an application or
meeting information, call 817-338-4092,
e-mail cindy@tarrant bar.org, or go to the
website at tcyla.org.
Arlington Bar Association meets on the
3rd Wednesday of each month. For
location & information, contact President
Donna J. Smiedt at 817-572-9900 or email
donnasmiedt@smiedtlaw.com.
MABA (Mexican American Bar
Association) meets on the last Thursday of
each month at Santa Fe Cafe, 2400
Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, 76106. For
more information, contact President Eloy
Sepulveda at 817-332-1285.
Northeast Tarrant County Bar
Association (NETCBA) meets for CLE
luncheons on the 3rd Tuesday of each
month at LaHacienda Restaurant, Hwy.
22
121. Contact President Kate Smith at
817-479-0562 or katesmithesq@msn.com.
Tarrant
County
Black
Bar
Association meets on the 3rd Tuesday of
each month at 6:00 p.m. For more information, contact President Loren Green at
817-265-7000.
Tarrant County Criminal Defense
Lawyers Association (TCCDLA) meets
every 2nd Thursday at Joe T. Garcia's,
2201 N. Commerce. For more information, contact President Scott Brown at
817-810-0400 or sb@scottbrownlawyer.com.
Tarrant County Family Law Bar
Association meets on the last Tuesday of
each month. For more information, contact Matthew Riek at 817-548-5696 or
email matthewriek@arlingtonfamilylaw.
com.
Tarrant County Trial Lawyers
Association meets on the 4th Wednesday
January 2012
of each month at Joe T. Garcia’s. For
more information, contact Ken Kraatz at
817-335-5525 or email mhcorn75@
hotmail.com.
Tarrant County Probate Bar
Association meets on the 1st Thursday of
each month at the Petroleum Club—
members free, guests $25. For more
information, contact Kathy Roux, 817874-8877or Kathy@kathyrouxlaw.com.
Texas Wesleyan School of Law Library
The Dee J. Kelly Law Library welcomes
bar members! Hours for January 2012
Monday-Thursday
7:30am - midnight
Friday
7:30am - 8:00pm
Saturday
9:00am - 8:00pm
Sunday
10:00am - midnight
Exceptions: January 1-closed; January 27, 9am-5pm-closed to public, bench, &
bar; January 16-closed. Guests need photo
ID; Alumni need school ID. FMI email
reference@law.txwes.edu.
TCBA Bulletin
O
C
F
A
L
E
E
V
N
D
E
A
N
R
T
S
To make reservations for any of these events, contact Sherry Jones at 817-338-4092 or sherry@tarrantbar.org.
For more upcoming events, visit www.tarrantbar.org.
January 2012
MONDAY, January 2
TCBA offices closed for New Year Holiday
FRIDAY, January 6
11:45am
Women Attorneys Section Luncheon
Petroleum Club, $25 members; $28 guests
MONDAY, January 9
4:30pm
TCBA Board Meeting, TCBA offices
City Club, $30 guests
FRIDAY, January 20
12:30Brown Bag Seminar - Appellate Law
3:45pm
2-5pm
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans Legal Clinic
VA Outpatient Clinic, 2201 S.E. Loop 820
TUESDAY, January 24
11:30am
Tax & Estate Planning Section Luncheon
Cannon Estate Planning Teleconference Series
Petroleum Club, $10 section; $15 non-section
WEDNESDAY, January 11
Noon
Business Litigation Section
New Petroleum Club, $15 members; $25 guests
THURSDAY, January 12
6-8pm
LegalLine - TCBA office; light dinner
WEDNESDAY, January 25 Members of program only
Noon
Transition to Practice Mentor Program
Tarrant County Bar Center-RSVP to Cindy
Rankin at cindy@tarrantbar.org
MONDAY, January 16
TCBA offices closed for MLK Holiday
TUESDAY, January 17
Noon
Real Estate Law Section Luncheon
City Club, $20 members; $25 guests/walk-ins
WEDNESDAY, January 18
Noon
Diversity Committee CLE Luncheon
11:30am
Fort Worth Business & Estate Section
6-8pm
TUESDAY, January 31
1-4pm
Last Tuesday CLE - Ethics -- TCBA Office
$80 members; $105 non-members
4:30pm
Solo & Small Firm Section Mixer @ William
Fitzgerald’s office, 1200 W. Magnolia Avenue,
Suite 100 - 817-806-4501
February 2012
WEDNESDAY, February 1
Noon
Corporate Counsel Section Luncheon
Tarrant County Bar Center, $17 members; $20 guests
THURSDAY, February 2
8:30am
Fifth Annual All-Star CLE Program
4:50pm
“Combining Legal History with the Cutting Edge”
6.75 hours of CLE - see registration on website
MONDAY, February 20
TCBA offices closed for Presidents’ Day
TUESDAY, February 21
11:30am
Tax & Estate Planning Section Luncheon
Cannon Estate Planning Teleconference Series
Fort Worth Club, $10 section; $15 non-section
Noon
Labor & Employment Law Section Luncheon
Petroleum Club, $23 members; $25 guests/walk-ins
FRIDAY, February 3
11:45am
Women Attorneys Section Luncheon
Noon
Energy Law Section Luncheon
6-8pm
6-8pm
MONDAY, February 13
4:30pm
TCBA Board Meeting, TCBA offices
11:45am
CLE Membership Luncheon
Fort Worth Club, $23 members; $25 guests/walk-ins
9am—
Court Coordinator CLE Seminar
5pm
11:30am
Fort Worth Business & Estate Section Luncheon
City Club, $30 guests
TCBA Bulletin
FRIDAY, February 17
12:30—
Brown Bag Seminar - Trial Practices
4:30pm
2 to 5pm
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans Legal Clinic
VA Outpatient Clinic, 2201 S.E.Loop 820
FRIDAY, February 24
9am—
Diversity Committee Business Forum
4pm
MONDAY, February 27
Noon
Bankruptcy Section Luncheon
Petroleum Club, $20 members; $23 guests/walk-ins
1-4pm
Last Tuesday CLE - Ethics -- TCBA Office
$80 members; $105 non-members
4:30pm
Solo & Small Firm Section Mixer, location TBA
January 2012
23
TARRANT C OUNT Y L AW L IBRARY
ACQUISITIONS
NOVEMBER 2011
Books:
• Damages in Civil Litigation, 2011;
State Bar of Texas
• Fundamentals of Texas Trial Practice –
Civil and Criminal, 3rd ed.; Juris
• Texas Rules of Evidence Trial Book, 2nd ed.; Juris
The Tarrant County law library was established in 1944
following the enactment of a Texas statute that created a
county-law-library system. In 1983, the library was
moved to its present quarters on the fourth floor of the
County Courthouse. In 1979, the law library was named
the Dell Dehay Law Library of Tarrant County, in honor
of Mrs. Dehay, who served as librarian from 1962 until
1979.
Sharon Wayland, Law Library Director
Peggy Martindale, Assistant Law Library Director
Tarrant County Courthouse
100 W. Weatherford, 4th floor
Voice: 817-884-1481
S K I P RSk
EYNOLDS
AT T O R N E Y
AT
L AW
Civil Trials and Appeals
l
Business
Disputes
l
Insurance
Disputes
l
Contract
Disputes
l
Professional
Liability
l
General Civil Litigation
www.attorneyreynolds.net
8 17. 3 9 0 . 0 3 0 0
Consultation or Representation
24
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
LAWYERS
L ANew
WMembers
YERS
on the move & in the news
J. ANDREW NORMAN has joined the law firm of Brackett &
Ellis, 100 Main Street, Fort Worth 76102, as an associate. Mr.
Norman is from Beaumont, Texas.
PATRICK D. SHERIDAN has joined the law firm of Harrison
Steck, P.C., 512 Main Street, Suite 1100, Fort Worth 76102, as an
associate. He can be reached at 817-348-0400 or psheridan@
harrisonsteck.com.
KAREN SCHROEDER AND ROBYN ACCIPITER announce the
opening of the firm of Schroeder & Accipiter, LLP, with a
new location for each attorney at 1701 Highway 287 North,
Mansfield 76063. Karen’s telephone is 817-842-0220 and
email ks@KarenSchroederLaw.com, and Robyn’s telephone is
817-453-7597 and email Robyn@rsa-lawoffice.com.
he annual Court Staff
T
Outstanding Court Staff, Civil
(district/county courts at law/probate);
TCBA Bulletin
Associate Members
Kamryn Caldwell
Andrew Howell
Marshall Jacobini
David M. Jordan
Kenneth Newell
Patrick Sheridan
Chad Smith
Raven Willis
Christopher Price
Student Members
Heidi Angel
Outstanding Court Staff,
Criminal;
Family; and
Federal.
Appreciation Reception
will be held on Thursday,
March 29, 2012, at the
Tarrant County Bar Center from 5
to 7 p.m. Balloting is now open
for TCBA members to vote for
outstanding court staff 2012.
There are four classifications for which to vote:
Attorney Members
For a ballot form with the rules and regulations on it,
email Sherry Jones at sherry@tarrantbar.org. Ballots
must be received at the Bar office by midnight,
March 1, 2012.
January 2012
25
CLASSIFIED
ADVERTISING
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE
EXECUTIVE SUITES EXCLUSIVELY FOR ATTORNEYS.
Receptionist, conference room, telephone system,
parking, etc. One block from Family Law Center. 400 E.
Weatherford. Call 817-336-4451 or come by.
No postings this issue
O FFICE S UITES -- Office Space, Adjacent Civil Criminal - Family Courts. Fax - Xerox - Conference
Rooms - Kitchen. 111 N. Houston or Wells Fargo North
Main. Call 817-429-2000 - Dale.
S ERVICES
Raúl Cáñez for assistance with your immigration
issues in English or Spanish.
Raúl Cáñez para ayuda con sus asuntos sobre la
inmigración en español o inglés.
Raul.Canez@CanezLaw.com 817-886-0651
Address Labels Available
Classified Ad Rates
Have you moved? Do you want to send an
announcement? Purchase membership mailing
labels for professional announcements, changes of
address, etc. For more information, contact the
Bar offices at (817) 338-4092 or email
carolina@tarrantbar.org.
Members only: The first 15 words are $30 plus $1
per word thereafter for the Bar Bulletin. The same
text to the website classifieds, which gets over
5,000 hits per month, is $20 per month. For a
complete quote, contact Pat at email
pat@tarrantbar.org.
S PA C E I N B A R C E N T E R
AVA I L A B L E F O R R E N T
Not enough room for a large mediation,
arbitration, or deposition?
Remember the
Tarrant County Bar Center!!
With over 3,000 square feet in the Bar Center, it offers
a great forum for large meetings and seminars. The
26
ARLINGTON’S HISTORIC DISTRICT - Professional Office
Space and Executive Suites available midway between
Dallas and Fort Worth. 220 to 2,171 square feet available
with street-level parking. Email Christy Jordan at
cjordan@realtyappreciation.com or call 817-861-8442
ext. 2002.
Center can be divided into three sections for mediations
and arbitrations, or use just one section for your smaller
meetings, luncheons, or study groups.
Also available for rent is the large boardroom or a
small conference room.
For information, contact
Tressia Graham at 817-338-4092 or tressia@
tarrantbar.org.
January 2012
TCBA Bulletin
Trust
your transactions
to the only
merchant account
recommended by over
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bar associations!
Member Benefit
LawPay
866.376.0950
credit card processing
www.tarrantbar.affiniscape.com
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TCBA Bulletin
January 2012
27
BAR BULLETIN - January 2012
TARRANT COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION
1315 CALHOUN STREET
FORT WORTH, TEXAS 76102-6504
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
PRESORTED
STANDARD
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
FORT WORTH, TX
PERMIT 1807
If any of your contact information is incorrect, please submit your
corrected information to the TCBA office at (817) 338-4092, fax to (817)
335-9238 or e-mail to tcba@tarrantbar.org.