December 2014 Subpoena - San Antonio Bar Association

Subpoena
NEWSLETTER
Official newsletter of the
San Antonio Bar Association
December 2014
Vol. LXXXVV Number 5
in this issue
New Judge Investitures
SABA/SABF Holiday Luncheon
Advertise in the ‘15 Directory
SABA Lawyer Referral Program
SABA Brown Bag Lunch Series
SABA Paralegal Affiliate Program
Brown Bag CLE Speakers Wanted
Fun Run for Justice Photos
Texas Legal Name Change
Extreme Family Law Makeover
Dispute Resolution Programs
FBA Fiesta Medal Contest
BCWBF Holiday Party
Peacemaker Award Nominations
SA Lawyers Support Group
Ethics Follies Video Presentation
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4
5
12
13
15
15
16-17
19
19
20
21
21
22
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24
departments
President’s Message
SABA/SABF Officer Roster
Community Justice Program
Briefly Announcements
Committee Corner Reports
New Member Welcome
Tributes
Listings
December Calendar
www.sabar.org
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3
6-11
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25
26-27
Save the Date:
Celebrate the Season
with SABA & SABF,
and help support
Child Advocates of
San Antonio
Come enjoy some holiday cheer with the
San Antonio Bar Association and the San Antonio Bar Foundation at our annual holiday
luncheon on Thursday, December 11. The luncheon will feature Christmas carolers, a special
holiday meal and one of our favorite guest
speakers, the Honorable Edward C. Prado.
Attendees are encouraged to bring an unwrapped, toy, gift card or cash donation for
Child Advocates of San Antonio (CASA). For
children spending the holidays in foster care
away from their families, receiving a special
gift means a lot. Some great gift ideas are: dolls,
trucks, board games, sporting items, inexpensive jewelry, makeup and nail polish. Gift
cards are especially needed for older children
and teenagers. CASA requests that donors
please refrain from bringing toys that could be
considered aggressive or violent (such as toy
guns, nerf guns, swords, etc.). CASA and its
- continued on page 4 -
Last Day for RCL Portrait Appts., 12/5
Subpoena Deadline, 12/10
SABA & SABF Holiday Luncheon, 12/11
Ethics Follies Video Presentation, 12/17
SABA Brown Bag Lunch CLE, 12/18
Last Chance Videos, 12/18-19
Bexar County Holiday, 12/25
Bexar County Holiday, 1/1
New Judge Swearing In Ceremonies, 1/1
Swearing-in
ceremony
schedule for
newly elected
judges, Jan. 1
The San Antonio Bar Association will coordinate the swearingin ceremonies for recently elected
judges on Thursday, January 1,
2015 in the Bexar County Justice
Center’s Central Jury Room and the
Presiding Courtroom of the Bexar
County Courthouse. The agenda is
as follows:
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Newsletter
President’s Message
Most of you now know something
about my battle with alcohol and drugs
in the 80s. When I began my recovery
program for addiction issues in 1990,
I kept hearing the recurring message:
“Practice Gratitude and Change your
Life.” How does one have an attitude
of gratitude when there is so much
wreckage in their past, and their life has
become seemingly unmanageable? Then
I realized when the fog lifted that every
family has difficulties to address, and
hopefully, to overcome. My losses have
given me an inner compass by which
I live my life. I still cherish my good
friend Jim Rausch for reminding me to
include a passage in my granddaughter
Julia’s eulogy last year to “Be kind to
everyone you meet, because we are all
fighting a great battle.”
This is the season to count our
blessings and remember the sick, the
poor and the vulnerable. How many of
us have volunteered at the old Samm’s
Shelter or the newer Haven for Hope?
How many of us have volunteered for the
Elf Louise Christmas program to provide
gifts to our less fortunate neighbors here
in San Antonio. Do you know we have
2.5 million homeless children living
in the United States of which over half
attend our high schools.
“Get out of self and let self get
well” is another favorite phrase I have
been gifted over the years. Let us never
forget that authentic power is service. As
Father Augustine said at our Installation
Gala invocation “To those who have
been given much — much is expected!”
Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is
like wrapping a present and not giving
it. (Wm Ward).
In this spirit, I encourage each of
us to bring a toy to the SABA Holiday
Luncheon on December 11 to be given to
CASA children spending the holidays in
foster care away from their families (see
page 1 for details).
I’m also issuing a personal challenge
to each of our 3,000+ members to make
a $25 cash donation to the San Antonio
Food Bank (payable to the SA Food Bank)
ON BEHALF OF SABA. If every member
donated, we could raise over $75,000. I
will be very proud to present that check
on behalf of Jimmy Allison and our staff.
What a wonderful way to remember
Jimmy’s 50 years of service next year and
cement SABA’s legacy as an organization
that gives back and takes productive
action to EXPRESS THEIR GRATITUDE!.
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Newsletter
Swearing-in ceremony schedule (cont.)
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10:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Daphne Previti, 289 District Court
11:30 – 12:45 p.m.
Steve Hilbig, 187th District Court
th
Kevin O’Connell, 227th District Court
2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Stephani Walsh, 45th District Court
3:45 – 5:15 p.m.
Karen Crouch, County Court at Law #10
5:15 p.m.
Nico LaHood, Bexar County District Attorney
Presiding Court:
10:15 – 11:30 a.m.
Donna Kay McKinney, Bexar County District Clerk
11:30 – 12:45 p.m.
Jason Garrahan, County Court at Law #4
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.
2:15 – 3:45 p.m.
Thomas g. Keyser
President
James M. “Marty” Truss
President-Elect
Central Jury Room:
12:45 – 2:15 p.m.
OFFICERS
Crystal Chandler, County Court at Law #13
Jefferson Moore, 186 District Court
th
Celeste Brown (County Court at Law #8), Susan Skinner (County Court at Law
#14) and Tommy Stolhandske’s (County Court at Law #11) investiture ceremonies will take place in their respective courtrooms on Friday, January 2, 2015.
Bobby Barrera
Vice President
Beth Watkins
Secretary
Santos Vargas
Treasurer
DIRECTORS
Rosa Cabezas-Gil
Tom Crosley
Dave Evans
Dawn Finlayson
Steve Fogle
Hon. Laura Parker
Hon. Richard Price
Christine Reinhard
Rebecca Simmons
Immediate-Past President
Jimmy Allison
Executive Director
Jaime Vasquez
President
Mexican American Bar Assoc.
Patricia Rouse Vargas
President
San Antonio Young Lawyers Assoc.
Tiffanie Clausewitz
President
Bexar County Women’s Bar Assoc.
Stephanie Boyd
President
San Antonio Black Lawyers Assoc.
Sara E. Dysart
Andrew L. Kerr
Directors
State Bar of Texas
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Newsletter
SABA/SABF
holiday luncheon,
Dec. 11 (cont.)
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volunteers do a wonderful job providing
a voice for these children — please help
us make this SABA’s BEST toy drive yet!
As a special thank you, all attorneys
who volunteered to “Just Take One” pro
bono case through the Community Justice Program in 2014 are invited to enjoy a complimentary lunch at the holiday luncheon. In order to attend free of
charge, you must RSVP by December 10
to Amanda Reimherr Buckert at amandab@sabar.org and identify yourself as a
CJP volunteer attorney.
The luncheon will take place at the
Plaza Club, located on the 21st floor of
the Frost Bank Tower. The cost to attend
is $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Please register online at www.
sabar.org or telephone your reservation
to 210.227.8822 x99. Space will be limited,
so please RSVP early!
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Newsletter
How to take full advantage of the ‘15 SABA directory!
The 2015 SABA directory is in the
works! Be on the lookout for your Attorney Information Update forms.
Members will have the opportunity
to take a new directory photo between November 3 and 25 (see page 11 for full details). The professional photographs will
be taken at the SABA offices on the 5th floor
of the Bexar County Courthouse. There is
no cost for SABA members to participate.
Call RCL Portrait Design at 800.580.5562 to
schedule your appointment. If you already
have a portrait that you would like to use in
the upcoming directory, please send your
color or black & white photo with member
name in the subject line to Kim Palmer at
kimp@sabar.org (email is preferred) or to
the San Antonio Bar Association, Attn: Kim
Palmer, 100 Dolorosa, Ste. 500, 78205.
The deadline to submit changes or a
directory new photo is January 16, 2015.
In addition to the membership roster,
there are many other opportunities to get
noticed in the SABA directory. Read by over 3,000
Areas of Practice Packages
attorneys, the directory is
a frequently used resource
• GOLD PACKAGE - $200
in offices throughout the
Includes basic listing plus approx. 13-18 lines of adSan Antonio/Bexar Counditional text. (121-180 words)
ty legal community.
Once again you have
• SILVER PACKAGE - $150
an option to have your
Includes basic listing plus approx. 7-12 lines of adname listed in the Areas
ditional text. (61-120 words)
of Practice section under
the heading or headings of
your area or areas of spe• BRONZE PACKAGE - $100
cialties. The Areas of PracIncludes basic listing plux approx. 6 lines of additice section is a quick reftional text (up to 60 words)
erence section to list your
areas of expertise, so that
• BASIC PACKAGE - $50
you may be more easily
Includes attorney’s name, firm name, address, phone
found by those looking for
and fax number, and email (as printed in directory)
someone with your special
knowledge.
The SABA directory also offers a va- just about any marketing budget. Visit
riety of display ad sizes — from a half is.gd/SABAdirectory for complete rate
page to the spine banner to the back information, including deadlines and
cover — at prices that are respectful to mechanical requirements.
Business Service Section
• 1/2 Page (5.0” W x 4.0” H) - $750
• Full Page (5.25 W x 8.25” H) - $1,350
Speciality Pages
• Spine Banner (0.625” W x 4.0” H) - $2,750
• Front Side Color Tab (6.25 W x 9.5” H) - $1,950
• Back Side Color Tab (6.25” W x 9.5” H) - $1,750
• Lead In Full Page (6.245” W x 9.5” H) - $1,350
• (Includes a 1/2 page ad in Business Service section)
• Inside Front Cover (6.25” W x 9.5” H) - $2,950
• (Includes a 1/2 page ad in Business Service section)
• Inside Back Cover - $2,750
• (Includes a 1/2 page ad in Business Service section)
• Outside Back Cover - $3,750
• (Includes a 1/2 page ad in Business Service section
Judges Larry Noll, Laura Salinas, and Lori Valenzuela join family law mentors and volunteers
from Norton Rose Fulbright at the October Family Law Clinic at TRLA.
Thank You October CJP Volunteers!
FAMILY LAW CLINIC
TRLA CLINIC – October
Norton Rose Fulbright
Bill Sullivan
Kathy Grant
Lauren Ferrero
Katherine Tapley
Michael Parker
Jeff Webb
Ben Montanez
John Weber
Mike McTaggert
Kate Nanney
Steve Peirce
Ashley Dahlberg
Ron Smith
Troy Vancil
Mario Barrera
Steve Romero
Samantha Dyal
Jay Greathouse
Arnold Cantu
Daniel Jackson
Courtney Floyd
Charlie Deacon
Blake Stribling
Other Volunteer Attorneys
Eduardo Rendon
Jami Nance
Deborah Jackson
Beth Watkins
Dawn Finlayson
Lauren Williams
Michael Ezzell
Edward Garcia
James Rodriguez
Mark Laneman
Jeramie Gertz
Grant Quenstedt
Sherry Barnash
Mike DeNuccio
Cathleen Lockhart
Peter Henry
Mike Hedges
Steve Darling
James Palomo
Cassandra Ortiz
Mentors
Marcy Teveni
Charles Hardy
Jim Higdon
David Emory
Carmen Rojo
Stephanie Bandoske
Rachel Reuter
Karen Marvel
Ashley Butler
Rick Noll
Rosie Gonzalez
Longtime family
law mentors from
Higdon, Hardy
& Zuflacht David
Emory, Jim Higdon,
and Charles Hardy
along with Jimmy Allison and Judge Laura
Salinas at the TRLA
clinic in October.
Notaries and Support Staff
Charlene Carroll
Lisa Santos
Susan Cardenas
Mary Alice Ezzell
Landa Diaz
Emily Wurtenberger
Summer Greathouse
Evelyn Ivy
Dana Thompson
Kathy Williams
Kathleen McCarthy
Thelma Gracia
Analisa Gutierrez
Kim Decker
Rose Emory
Janis Rivera
Law Student Volunteers
Dannet Bock-Barnes
Laura Tanner Baum
Courtney Hall
Eric Michael Garza
Alicia Grant
Abasi Major
Allison Tipton
Tabatha Fuentes
Kimberly Graves
Billy Calve
Charles James
Kristine Gregg
Alvin Martin
Malori Cauley
Cynthia Olsen
Eric Michael Garza
Judges
Laura Salinas
Lori Valenzuela
Court Reporter
Glynn Poage
District Clerks
Irma Garza
Brenda Trujillo
Anna Morin
SABA Executive Director Jimmy Allison,
Judge Lori Valenzuela,
Judge Lisa Jarrett, Judge
Laura Salinas, Court
Reporter Glynn Poage,
and Judge Larry Noll
at the October Family
Law Clinic at TRLA.
CJP Honors Veterans Day
The Community Justice Program
is a recipient of generous grant funds
from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation. These funds help us to put on our
Veterans Clinics at the Audie Murphy
VA Hospital. In addition to our Veterans
Clinics, we wanted to honor Veterans Day
and give back to those who have served
us. As part of this effort, our partners at
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid and St. Mary’s
University School of Law participated in
the Veterans Stand Down event in downtown San Antonio. This incredible event
sponsored by the American GI Forum
provides basic necessities and service organization information to homeless veterans. In addition to free haircuts, toiletries,
and other clothing items, numerous orga-
nizations provided information on services available to veterans. TRLA and St.
Mary’s provided information on our Veterans Clinics and other legal resources.
The day before Veterans Day, representatives from the CJP held a Veterans
Outreach and Appreciation Day at the
Audie Murphy VA Hospital. Representatives from the VA received a CJP Directors
Award and a TRLA Partners in Justice
Award for their support and collaboration in conducting our monthly Veterans
Clinics. Following the awards presentation, the CJP ambassadors traversed the
hospital and passed out bags of candy
and informational fliers to thank both
the staff and veterans for their service, as
well as inform them of our clinic services.
Our motto is “Just Take One.” But what does that mean?
Well, it means that if every attorney committed to taking just one pro bono case
through the CJP each year, the CJP could exponentially expand its services to indigent residents of our community. We need dedicated volunteers who will commit to taking just one case each year and helping us staff our many clinics.
If you want to answer this call, then please see our 2015 calendar and let us know
what clinic you would like to attend. By receiving annual commitments from attorneys,
we can ensure that we can continue to meet the legal needs of our low-income clients.
The best way to keep our clinics staffed and operating is for firms, organizations, sections, committees, sub-bars or any legal group to commit to “adopting”
a CJP clinic each year. By adopting a clinic, your group will commit to a certain
number of volunteers for a particular clinic and be provided with free CLE credit;
exposure in the Subpoena newsletter and on our website; a great networking opportunity with other attorneys, judges, and legal professionals; and a way to engage in pro bono work in an easy, supportive, and efficient setting. We ask that
you please consider speaking to your colleagues and agreeing to participate with
the CJP each year as a group. Please contact Amanda Reimherr Buckert at amandab@sabar.org for more information or to adopt your clinic date.
CJP CO-CHAIRS
Judge Larry Noll & Judge Lisa Jarrett
CJP DIRECTOR
Amanda Reimherr Buckert
MANAGING ATTORNEY, SA OFFICE
Ann Zaragoza (TRLA)
PARALEGAL CLIENT COORDINATOR
Maria “Lulu” Villanueva (TRLA)
LAD COORDINATOR (TRLA)
Patricia Giuliano
St. Mary’s Clinic COORDINATOR
Mary Peña
QUARTERLY CLINIC COORDINATOR
Lisa Santos
Volunteers from the BAM law firm helped as family law mentors and paralegal support at
the October CJP clinic at TRLA.
Notary/Paralegal Coordinator
Susan Wilen (Veterans Clinics)
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
WILLS CLINIC
Thank You Habitat for Humanity Wills Clinic Volunteers!
Volunteer Attorneys
Molly Neck
Natalie Ceron
Stephanie Brown
Mike DeNuccio
Rebecca Jaroszewski
Lynelle Moore
Cecilia Hellrung
Ben Wallis III
Brandon Wong
Rachel Moreau-Davila
Karen Guenther
David Evans
Steven Lopez
Christine Reinhard
Allan DuBois
Brooke Waldrep
Cynthia Grimes
James Montgomery
David Stanush
Michael Ezzell
Gilbert Vara Jr.
Ryan Moe
Rhonda Boyles
Ann Marie Matonak
Kathleen Church
Thomas Lew
Mark Laneman
Carmen Samaniego
Paul Fletcher
Magdalena De Salme
Stephen Ahl
Michael Baird
Barrett Shipp
Mentors
Carl Werner
Tanya Feinleib
Raymond Karam
Joe Rubin
Gina DeGennarro
Kevin Kennedy
Bill Leighner
Henry Amen
CJP Staff and Support
Judge Lisa Jarrett
Hon. Phylis Speedlin
Amanda Reimherr Buckert
TRLA Staff
Ann Zaragoza
Rosie Rodriguez – notary
and translator
Lu Renteria – notary and
translator
Maria “Lulu” Villanueva –
notary and translator
Amy Salinas – translator
Joseph Resurreccion – IT
Orlando Gutierrez – IT
Habitat for Humanity Staff
Natalie Griffith
Blanca Salazar
Annette Escobedo
Richard Solorzano
Chelsea Coleman
Morayma Barragan
Strasburger Support Staff
Lupe Flores – support
services
Tony Salas – support services
Sabrina Lewis – marketing
Tracy Aguilar – office
manager
Cindy Mora – IT
Mary Eckert – notary
Translators
Ben Davila
Robert Marin
Eddie Martinez
Michael Aguilar
Monica Rivera – Habitat
Dolores Sandoval – Habitat
Notaries
Rosie Trujillo
Loretta Rodarte-Garcia
Krystal Perez
Laura Aguilar
Jeanette Aranas
Charlene Carroll
Landa Diaz
Elizabeth Miller
Shannon Pinette
Lisa Santos
Becky Wahl
Pamela Zanotelli
Irma Alcala
Mary Eckert
Patti Giuliano
Brenda Key
Wendy Peacock
Mary Pena
Gina Villagomez
Lisa Santos
Law Students
Bianca Aguilera
Dannet Bock-Barnes
Kerriann Britt
Maean Byers
Stephanie Galy
Maricela Garcia
Andy Guei
Michelle Hamlin
Brooke Holland
Nathan Janis
Abasi Major
Sean Menendez
Reid Renken
Nadine Rodriguez
Bethbiriah Sanchez
Chris Schalk
Eric Yoon
Sarah Bassler
William Calve
Hillary Garcia
Nicole Grey
John Johnson
Natalie Karge
Courtney Laskowski
Luis Medina
Alicia Stoll
Danielle Rushing
Landry Redding
Claudia Galan
Jonathan Mason
Bailiffs
Eddie Maldonado
Hebel Sanoguet
Mike Helton
Refreshments
Provided by Vendors
Preferred Counsel – Morgan
Matson and Jenny Marshall
US Legal Support – Kathy
Stratton
DepoTexas – Rodney Magee
Kim Tindall & Associates –
video recording services
On Saturday, November 15, the CJP held the inaugural Habitat for Humanity Wills Clinic at the
Strasburger law offices. The CJP partnered with
Habitat to provide wills and ancillary documents
for 40 Habitat homeowners. Through the hard work
of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid; Habitat for Humanity; St. Mary’s University Law School students;
dedicated notaries, paralegals, and translators; and
many CJP partners and volunteers, this clinic was a
huge success. We would like to extend a very special
appreciation to Strasburger management and staff
— especially Strasburger attorney Cynthia Grimes
— for allowing us to use their beautiful offices for
this event. The folks at Strasburger opened up their
space to us and provided staff and support to make
the day so wonderful. Another sincere thanks goes
to all of our mentors that assisted with putting this
day together — especially Tanya Feinleib. Tanya,
a probate attorney for Langley & Banack, worked
tirelessly to help prepare the necessary documents
for this clinic, she prepared all of the clients’ ancillary documents, and conducted our advance CLE
to prepare volunteers. We are beyond grateful for
Tanya’s time and expertise in assisting us with this
new endeavor. Throughout the day, there was almost 200 people that were at the clinic. The following vendors donated food and refreshments for the
CLE and the clinic: US Legal Support, DepoTexas,
and Preferred Counsel, Kim Tindall & Associates
offered video recording services for our CLE. We
also want to extend our appreciation to our dedicated paralegal coordinators who always assist the
CJP in everything we do: Patti Giuliano, Lisa Santos, Susan Wilen and Mary Pena. A huge thanks
to law students Eric Michael Garza, Alicia Grant
and Danielle Rushing for their huge support and
assistance. This incredible clinic would not have
been possible without the teamwork of every single
person involved. We are proud to have been a part
of serving the clients of Habitat for Humanity and
assisting these hardworking families with the necessary advanced planning documents they need.
Volunteer attorney Natalie Ceron (left) and CJP Paralegal
Coordinator Lisa Santos discuss a client’s case at the CJP
Habitat for Humanity Wills Clinic.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid staff members helped to assist clients
and volunteers at the inaugural Habitat for Humanity Wills Clinic on
Nov. 15, 2014 at the Strasburger law offices.
Probate experts Kevin Kennedy (left) and Carl Werner
served as mentors to volunteer attorneys at the Habitat
for Humanity Wills Clinic.
CJP Co-chair Judge Lisa Jarrett and St. Mary’s University School of Law
students help greet volunteers at the Habitat for Humanity Wills Clinic
along with Habitat Homer.
CJP Co-founder Hon.
Phylis Speedlin, Habitat
Board Chair and SABA
Director David Evans,
and Habitat President
Natalie Griffith at the
first CJP wills clinic
serving Habitat for Humanity homeowners.
TRLA staff members attended
the annual Veterans Stand Down
serving homeless
veterans where
they provided
socks and basic
care items, along
with legal advice
and information
about services.
CJP Logo Contest!
In honor of Veterans Day, the CJP conducted a veterans outreach
and appreciation event at the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Hospital.
Judge Lisa Jarrett (second from left), Veterans Clinic Paralegal Coordinator Susan Wilen (far right), and TRLA Managing Attorney Ann
Zaragoza (not pictured) present awards to VA Hospital representatives in appreciation for their partnership in the CJP Veterans Clinics.
The Community Justice Program is getting a facelift! After more
than 12 years, it is time for a new look. In 2015 we will launch a new
website and reveal other exciting changes. A critical component of
this rebranding is the need for a new logo! We are looking for submissions for a new logo that represents what the CJP is all about.
A $500 prize will be given to the winning submission. To unveil
this new look, the logo will be debuted on our 2015 Fiesta medal.
The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2015. Email Amanda Reimherr Buckert at amandab@sabar.org for full contest details and
submission criteria.
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Newsletter
Right: The Fall 2014 AT&T
Excellence in Pro Bono
Scholarship winner is St.
Mary’s Law School student
Eric Michael Garza (left).
He accepted his award
from AT&T attorney Len
Briley at the October 2014
SABA luncheon. Pictured
with Judge Lisa Jarrett, and
Judge Larry Noll.
Langley & Banack attorney Tanya Feinleib
was chosen as the 2014 Excellence in
Pro Bono Award winner for her tireless
support of wills services through the CJP.
Left: On behalf of SABA Board of Directors and President Tom
Keyser, Director Dawn Finlayson presented CJP Advisory Committee Chair Steve Darling with a SABA President’s Award for
his great work with the committee and CJP during the past year.
Right: Cox Smith
attorney Dan Harkins
accepted the award for the
2014 Outstanding Firm/
Organization of the Year.
Left: The 2014 Outstanding
Volunteer Attorney Award was
given to Jami Nance for taking
25 pro bono cases through the
CJP during the past year.
Community Justice
Program seeking an
Administrative
Assistant
Any interested parties can
contact Amanda Reimherr
Buckert at amandab@sabar.org
for additional information.
Subpoena
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Newsletter
2014 CJP Pro Bono Awards
In honor of the Community Justice Program’s 12th anniversary and National Pro
Bono Week Oct. 20-24, 2014, the CJP bestowed its 2014 Pro Bono Awards. These
awards are given to the attorney who took the most cases during the past year,
the firm or organization that took the most cases, and our Excellence in Pro Bono
Award for a person or organization that has demonstrated extraordinary efforts
to furthering pro bono services in our community. We celebrated these awards,
our birthday, and National Pro Bono Week with delicious cupcakes and good fellowship at the October SABA luncheon at the Plaza Club. Congratulations to all of
our winners for supporting the CJP and pro bono efforts in the San Antonio area.
2014 Outstanding Volunteer Attorney of the Year – Jami K. Nance
Jami K. Nance has been volunteering with the CJP since she was a law student at
St. Mary’s. As a solo practitioner focusing on family law, Jami found the time to
take 25 pro bono cases through the CJP during the past year. We can always count
on Jami to help the CJP and are amazed that she was able to help so many CJP
clients while running her solo practice.
2014 Outstanding Firm/Organization of the Year – Cox Smith Matthews
The law firm of Cox Smith Matthews volunteered as a group at a CJP clinic and
took 21 pro bono cases. Cox Smith has volunteered every year since the CJP was
created and has always helped to fully staff at least one CJP clinic each year. We
appreciate the continued support and dedication of every attorney, paralegal, legal assistant, and the staff of Cox Smith. We also want to express our appreciation
for Cox Smith allowing us to use their lovely conference space for CJP meetings
and CLE seminars.
2014 Excellence in Pro Bono Award – Tanya Feinleib
Tanya Feinleib, a probate attorney at Langley & Banack, was nominated and chosen as the 2014 Excellence in Pro Bono Award winner. Tanya has spent countless
hours supporting the CJP and our various clinics and efforts. She has revised our
wills clinic documents, provided mentorship and expertise to volunteers at our
wills and veterans clinics, and was instrumental in the planning of our Habitat for
Humanity Wills Clinic. She created and presented the CLE prior to that clinic and
is an active member of the CJP Advisory Committee. Volunteers like Tanya not
only help make the CJP the success that it is, but are the reason behind that success.
CJP Directors Award
A Community Justice Program Directors Award was given in honor of National
Pro Bono Week to our CJP partners at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. The CJP is the
joint pro bono project between the San Antonio Bar Association and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Our friends and partners at TRLA are half of all that we do at
the CJP and we wanted to recognize their hard work and efforts on all things CJP.
The TRLA staff handles all of the screening, intake and file preparation for clients that are accepted into the CJP. The volume of calls and inquiries that TRLA
receives about CJP services is incredibly high. In addition, TRLA provides their
offices for our family law clinics and works with everyone involved with the
CJP on all of our existing projects and plans for the future. We are grateful for
this continued partnership and could not do this without our other half! A very
special thanks to San Antonio Office Managing Attorney Ann Zaragoza, Clinic
Coordinator Maria “Lulu” Villanueva, and IT Professionals Joseph Resurreccion
and Orlando Gutierrez.
Fall 2014
AT&T Excellence
in Pro Bono
Scholarship Winner
Every semester,
AT&T generously
provides $2,500 in
scholarship funds to
a law student from
St. Mary’s University School of Law
as part of the AT&T
Excellence in Pro
Bono Scholarship Program. Along with
the CJP, AT&T selects a student who has
demonstrated academic excellence and
a commitment to pro bono work as the
winner of the scholarship. In exchange
for the scholarship funds, the student
will give 60 hours during the semester
to working with the CJP.
The outstanding law student who
was selected as the Fall 2014 AT&T Excellence in Pro Bono Scholarship is Eric
Michael Garza. This incredibly deserving law student is a 2L at St. Mary’s and
has been very active in pro bono work
throughout his time in law school. Eric
Michael has volunteered at dozens of
CJP clinics and is one of the student
coordinators for the TRLA family law
clinic. He also serves as the law school’s
Pro Bono Promotional Organizer. Eric
has proven to be an asset to the CJP already. He has been eager and willing to
help with any tasks necessary and done
so with humbleness and enthusiasm.
We want to thank AT&T for partnering with the CJP on this scholarship and
for deeming it worthy of receiving the
benefit of this program. AT&T attorneys
Paul Drummond and Len Briley have
remained committed to this scholarship program and supporting students
of St. Mary’s who value pro bono work.
We thank Paul and Len, as well as all of
AT&T, and look forward to many more
years of rewarding partnership.
Subpoena
12
Newsletter
Expand your client base with the
San Antonio Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service
The San Antonio Bar Association’s
Lawyer Referral Service is a valuable
source of clients for our members, and
it needs competent lawyers in all fields
of law to handle the increasing number
of client calls.
Attorneys who participate in the
LRS are not obligated to accept any case
that is referred to them by the service,
and the clients are told from the outset
by LRS staff that the attorney services
are not free. The calls are screened first
by the staff, and the clients are then referred to attorneys on a rotation basis
according to the following criteria: area
of law, geographical location, and language preference. The LRS is funded by
annual member dues of $200 and by a
10 percent fee paid by the member to
the LRS from any fees the lawyer re-
ceives in any referred case.
Not only does the SABA Lawyer Referral Service help our members expand
their client base, it also provides a valuable service to the community by assisting those persons who have legal issues
or questions but who do not know where
to turn to find a lawyer who is knowledgeable in the area in question.
For additional information on registration and membership requirements,
contact Sylvia Hernandez, Lawyer Referral Director, at 210.227.8822 x15, or at
sylviah@sabar.org.
Subpoena
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Newsletter
SABA Brown Bag Lunch Series presents
‘When Medicine meets Law: Capacity & Elderly Clients’ Dec. 18
The San Antonio Bar Association is
pleased to continue its 2014 Brown Bag
Lunch Series: “The SABA Sampler: Everything You Wanted to Know About...”
which focuses on a different area of law
each month.
The December Brown Bag Seminar
will take place on Thursday, December
18. Elder Law attorney Dominic Negrón
will talk about the complexities of representing elder law clients in a presentation entitled “When Medicine meets
Law: Capacity and Elderly Clients.”
How can we ensure that we take on
clients that have capacity to seek our representation and to express their wishes adequately? What is capacity in the context
of choosing whether to represent a client,
and what level of capacity is acceptable?
What level is unacceptable? What role do
loved ones and family members play, if
any, in this stage of the process? How do
we deal with competing and conflicting interests when these interests come from the
caretakers and providers for our potential
clients? Certainly, the consequences of not
proceeding carefully in determining these
issues can adversely affect the outcome of
our representation, and ultimately undermine our client’s wishes. Attendees will
come away with a thorough understanding
of these issues and, more importantly, wellequipped to handle these scenarios should
they arise in their respective practices.
The seminar will be held at 12 noon
in Judge Pozza’s 407th District Courtroom on the 4th floor of the Bexar County
Courthouse (100 Dolorosa). The course
has been accredited for 1.0 hour of participatory CLE credit. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lunch. If
you don’t want to brown bag it, there are
The Association of Attorney-Mediators
San Antonio Chapter
www.attorney-mediators.org/SanAntonioChapter
Committed to the mediation process, each of our member lawyers is devoted
to the ethical practice of law. Recommended by judges and their fellow attorneys,
AAM mediators have conducted over 25,000 mediations since 1989. A model of
responsible dispute resolution, as a group we have over 850 years’ experience in the
practice of law. Each of our members are covered by the A-A-M group arbitrators
and mediators professional liability insurance policy. With this much talent and
experience, why consider any other mediation source?
Areas of Practice
Appellate
Bankruptcy
Business/Commercial
Civil Rights
Condemnation
Construction
Consumer
Education
Employment & Labor
Entertainment
Family
Farm & Ranch
Health Care
Insurance
Intellectual Property
International
Medical
Oil & Gas
Personal Injury
Professional Liability
Real Estate
Securities
Taxation
Title Insurance
Wills, Trusts & Estates
For Information about individual members and chapter activities, visit the local
website at:
www.attorney-mediators.org/SanAntonioChapter
Many of our members have online scheduling functionality.
Contact the San Antonio Local Chapter:
Don Philbin
don.philbin@adrtoolbox.com
MEMBERS
Dick Alcala
Judith Blakeway
John Boyce
Leslie Byrd
Ben Chappell
Leif Clark
Karen Crouch
Michael Curry
Allan DuBois
John Franco
Otto Good
Charles Hanor
Reese Harrison
Chris Heinrichs
Ronald Hornberger
Nan Hundere
Richard Ihfe
Gary Javore
Doug Ketterman
Jerry King
Daniel Kustoff
William Lemons
Valarie Miller
Dan Naranjo
B.F. Pennypacker
David Person
Gale “Pete” Peterson
Robert Pfeuffer
Don Philbin
Vick Putman
Richard Reed
Leslie Sachanowicz
Wade Shelton
John Skogland
Tommy Smith
Phylis Speedlin
William Towns
plenty of to-go options in and around
the Courthouse.
The Brown Bag Lunch Series, which
is usually held on the third Thursday of
every month and offers at least 1.0 hour of
CLE credit, is FREE to current members
of the San Antonio Bar Association. You
heard that right — that’s a minimum of
12 hours of FREE participatory CLE credit toward fulfilling your annual State Bar
requirements! Just for being a member of
the San Antonio Bar Association! The cost
of attendance to nonmembers is $25.
Stay tuned for more valuable CLE
opportunities on the SABA website
www.sabar.org and in future SABA Happenings email blasts.
SABA Brown Bag Lunch Series
When Medicine
meets Law:
Capacity &
Elderly
Clients
Thursday, December 18
407th District courtroom
(4th floor of the Bexar County Courthouse)
MCLE: 1.0 hr.
FREE to SABA members
$25 to nonmembers
Walk-ins are welcome!
Subpoena
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Newsletter
q S. Blaire Wiersig has been named as
an associate at The Brewster Law Firm.
She will work with the firm’s litigation,
transaction and probate clients. 13526
George Rd., Ste. 210, San Antonio, TX
78230. 210.437.1232.
q The Mexican-American Bar Association of San Antonio is pleased to announce that MABA-SA president Jaime
Vasquez has been chosen as one of 14 lawyers to be recognized by the San Antonio
Business Journal in its 2014 edition of the
Outstanding Lawyers Awards program.
These are some of the men and women
who are making a difference and who are
serving as an example and as an inspiration to others in the legal industry. Jamie
and the other honorees will be recognized
at an awards luncheon on Thursday, November 20 at the Westin Riverwalk. Contact Arlinda Villecas at avillecas@bizjournals.com or 210.477.0855 for information
on attending the luncheon.
q Abby Johanson joins Branscomb | PC’s
Real Estate Law Group. She received her
undergraduate degree from Texas State
University in 2009 and her J.D. from St.
Mary’s University School of Law in 2014.
She is a member of State Bar of Texas, San
Antonio Young Lawyers Association, San
Antonio Bar Association, and CREW-San
Antonio. Abby may be reached at ajohanson@branscombpc.com or 210.598.5400.
q The Law Office of Lisa A. Vance, P.C.
is pleased to announce that Brooke Irey
has joined the firm as an associate attorney. Brooke is a 2007 graduate of South
Texas College of Law. Steven Lopez has
also joined the Firm as a contract attorney. Steven is a 2012 graduate of Baylor
University School of Law.
q Effective December 1, 2014, the Law
Office of Kim M. Pettit will relocate to
10101 Reunion Place, Ste. 600, San Antonio, TX 78216. The telephone number 210.558.4572 and the fax number
210.531.8977 will remain the same.
Attention
Legal
Administrators!
The Alamo Chapter
of the Association of
Legal Administrators
invites you to attend
our monthly Chapter
luncheons on the 3rd
Thursday of each month.
Please visit our website at
www.alamoala.org
for more information.
Subpoena
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Newsletter
SABA Affiliate
Program for
Paralegals and
Legal Assistants
is.gd/SABAparalegal
SABA is pleased to announce that
Paralegals and Legal Assistants now
have the opportunity to become Affiliates of the San Antonio Bar Association. Affiliates will enjoy many of the
same benefits as members including:
•
•
•
•
•
invitation to attend all SABA functions including luncheons, CLEs,
and networking events;
receive all SABA emails;
receive one SABA membership directory;
receive one electronic subscription
to the award-winning publication,
the San Antonio Lawyer; and
receive one electronic subscription
to the award-winning publication,
the Subpoena.
We hope you will take advantage of
this opportunity and become an Affiliate
of SABA. We also hope that you will share
this information with any other Paralegals or Legal Assistants you work with
or know so that they can become a SABA
Affiliate too. Affiliates will need to download and complete the application from
is.gd/SABAparalegal and pay the $75 annual fee. Please make checks payable to
the San Antonio Bar Association. Please
mail your application and payment to:
San Antonio Bar Association
100 Dolorosa, Suite 500
San Antonio, TX 78205
If you have any questions, please
contact Bret Peters at 210.227.8822 or
bpeters@sabar.org.
Attn: SABA members!
‘Brown Bag Lunch’ CLE speakers
wanted for free noon lecture series
The San Antonio Bar Association
prides itself on its diverse attorney membership spanning all disciplines of law. We are
seeking CLE speakers for future “Brown
Bag Lunch” CLE presentations. Do you have
an hour-long presentation that might be of
interest to your fellow SABA members? We
want to hear from you! Please email a sum-
mary of your proposed presentation to Kim
Palmer at kimp@sabar.org.
The monthly Brown Bag Lunch
CLEs are a member benefit offered to
current members of the San Antonio Bar
Association at no cost. Speakers who are
members of the San Antonio Bar will be
given priority.
And they’re off! The race frontrunners take off through the picturesque
city of Olmos Park.
Congratulations to Fun Run winner, Omar Trevino, who ran a seemingly
effortless 15:31-minute 5K. Tanya Clark (right) won first place in the
women’s division, clocking in at and impressive 20:08.
We are thankful for your continued participation in the Foundation’s fundraising efforts, benefiting a variety of charitable
causes in Bexar and surrounding counties. We would like to
especially thank our title sponsor, Langley & Banack, and everyone who participated in the
23rd Annual Fun Run for Justice.
Probate Court #1 Judge Polly Jackson
Spencer and her daughter Carrie are
regular participants in the annual Fun
Run for Justice.
Fun Run participant JD Boswell sets a good example and
leads the kiddos in warming up for the Junior Jog for Justice.
Attorney Sara Dysart and her legal assistant Stella Delgado cross the finish
line. Sara (1804) placed second in her
divison, just after Maggie Priesmeyer.
Junior Jog for Justice sponsor
Judge Toni Arteaga and Judge
David Canales hand out medals
to the Junior Jog participants.
Amigos in Mediation (AIM) students show off their matching “Keep Calm and Mediate” T-shirts.
If you participated and would
like to see your results, go to
iaapweb.com and click on the
results for Fun Run for Justice.
A great big
THANK YOU
to our 2014
Fun Run sponsors!
TITLE SPONSOR
Langley & Banack Incorporated
GOLD SPONSORS
Former SABA President Gary Hutton crossed the
finish line at 30:53, placing second in his division, just after 1st place winner, George Spencer.
Curl Stahl Geis
Davis Cedillo & Mendoza, Inc.
Higdon, Hardy & Zuflacht
St. Mary’s Law Alumni Association
JUNIOR JOG FOR JUSTICE SPONSOR
Judge Toni Arteaga
SILVER SPONSORS
All smiles, Judge David Canales was the first
judge to cross the finish line and placed first
in his division!
Barton, East & Caldwell, PLLC
Beirne Maynard & Parsons
Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, L.L.P.
Cavaretta Katona & Francis
Cox Smith Matthews Incorporated
Frost National Bank
Haynes and Boone, LLP
Hornberger, Sheehan, Fuller & Garza
Law Office of Gilbert Vara, Jr.
Don Philbin/Pictured It Settled
Negotiation Software
SABA Real Estate Law Section
The Honorable Rebecca Simmons
Judge Polly Jackson Spencer
State Bar of Texas
Judge Cathy Stryker
The Gardner Law Firm
Tinsman & Sciano
Uhl, Fitzsimons, Jewett & Burton, PLLC
BRONZE SPONSORS
The race’s first Princess Elsa crossed the finish
line at an impressive 31:22!
Allen, Stein & Durbin P.C.
Justice Patricia Alvarez
Justice Karen Angelini
Barkhurst & Hinojosa, P.C.
Justice Marialyn Barnard
Benjamin, Vana, Martinez & Biggs
Judge David A. Canales
Cantu McCutcheon Norman LLP
Judge Sol Casseb
Castillo & Snyder
Justice Luz Elena D. Chapa
C. Lee Cusenbary, Jr.
Sara Dysart
Ecke & Poling, PLLC
David Evans
Goldstein, Goldstein & Hilley
Goode, Casseb, Jones, Ricklin,
Choate & Watson P.C.
Gunn, Lee & Cave, P.C.
Al Hartman
Houston Dunn, PLLC
Law Offices of Morton W. Baird
Linebarger Goggan Blair & Simpson,
L.L.P.
Martin & Drought
Dan Naranjo
Mexican American Bar
Association, San Antonio
Judge Larry Noll
Polunsky Beitel Green, L.L.P.
Preferred Counsel Legal Placement
Judge Peter Sakai
Judge Laura Salinas
SABA Consumer Law Section
SABA Family Law Section
Carl Robin Teague
The Law Office of Clem Lyons
The Unger Law Firm, PC
The Uresti Law Firm
Judge Tina Torres
Valdez, Jackson & Trevino, PC
SPECIAL THANKS
Tom Keyser
Subpoena
18
Newsletter
Committee
Corner
District Courts COMMITTEE
The District Courts Committee (DCC)
met on Thursday, November 6. Eight
people attended.
The Courtroom Technology Subcommittee, chaired by Etan Tepperman, now
has six members. This is enough to start
its task of studying each of the courtrooms and making suggestions to the
county for features or items that lawyers
would like to see in the courtrooms. The
county is doing long-range planning for
courtroom renovation over several years,
even for those courtrooms that were
once considered “hi-tech”. This committee hopes to be able to make most of its
recommendations in the early stages of
planning and budgeting; although, since
the program will take several years, there
should be some planning flexibility as
the renovations progress. The DCC does
not have a formal say in the planning,
but it only makes sense that the trial bar
should have input. We plan to accomplish
this either by direct participation, or by
relaying our ideas/requests through the
judges, who do have formal input.
The DCC is still looking into eFiling issues in Bexar County, or whether
any even exist. Jimmy Carter is handling this. If you have an issue to point
out, please contact Jimmy Carter, of this
committee. Also, this is a reminder that
lawyers can contact our District Clerk,
Donna Kay McKinney, directly with any
questions or problems that need solving.
She has indicated her willingness to help
solve any problem.
Joe Gamez, the lone member of the
subcommittee for improving life in Presiding for trial lawyers, is still working
on identifying areas that can be improved and how this might be done.
Finally, the committee discussed at
length the issue of partisan judicial elections, which affects us as trial lawyers,
and affects our clients. This discussion
was prompted by two recent newspaper
editorials, the first being in the New York
Times (11/3/14) citing a study on the effects of contributions to campaigns for
judges, especially at the state supreme
court level, in light of the Citizens United
decision. It states that as TV ads rise —
ads that often target justices as “soft on
crime” — justices are less likely to vote
in favor of criminal defendants. Another
study also found that supreme court justices who depended for re-election on
voters from one party or another tended to support the policies of that party
in their decisions. The second editorial
prompting this discussion was in the Express-News (11/6/14). It complained about
the last several election cycles sweeping
out and sweeping in judges from one political party or another. It cited 2008 as
the year for Democrats, 2010 for Republicans, 2012 for Democrats, and 2014 for
Republican judicial candidates, and said,
“This revolving door at the courthouse
is not good for the justice system.” The
Express-News called for the legislature to
investigate a merit-based selection system to insulate the judiciary from partisan waves at the polls.
The question discussed by the DCC
was whether lawyers had a moral duty
to their clients, or a duty to the profession, to seek change in our current system. The committee reached consensus that this should be looked into and
discussed further. Several attempts at
change have been led over the years or
decades by prominent lawyers and jurists. It seemed to us that the best way
to achieve change, assuming lawyers can
agree what change is needed, is by a unified bar. Our own Allan Dubois, president-elect of the SBOT, has indicated that
he feels this concern is worthy of remedial legislation proposed by interested
reform advocates, including various Sections of the State Bar of Texas.
Our next meeting will be held on
Thursday, December 4.
— Jeff Akins, Committee Chair
Subpoena
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Newsletter
Texas Legal
Protection Plan
changes name
to Texas Legal
Texas Legal, founded by the
State Bar of Texas and the Texas Legislature in 1972, offers comprehensive
legal coverage for every stage in life
such as adoptions, divorces and estate
planning. The company was formerly
known as “Texas Legal Protection
Plan.” Membership covers legal expenses much like health insurance covers medical expenses. A low monthly
fee gives members access to a network
of attorneys throughout the state.
According to a study conducted
by the Research Intelligence Group,
58 million Americans sought an attorney during 2012, and 110 million have
sought legal counsel at least once in
their lives. This underscores the importance of having a legal plan in place
to help consumers remove the uncertainty about seeking legal services.
Texas Legal provides legal insurance for companies, groups and
individuals throughout the state. It
is the only nonprofit legal insurance
company in Texas that offers plans
for individuals who are not part of
a group plan.
The policy for one year for a family costs about the same as one hour
of an attorney’s time and can be used
for a wide variety of legal issues, including estate planning, adoptions, divorce, foreclosure, identity theft, traffic tickets, bankruptcy and more. The
member can choose his/her attorney
from a network of attorneys across the
state and can use different attorneys
depending on the issue they are facing. Texas Legal members also have
unlimited access to a free legal hotline.
To learn more about Texas Legal
or to become a member, please visit
www.texaslegal.org.
\
San Antonio Bar Association Family Law Section’s
Extreme Family Law Makeover XIII
Stay in Touch
with Your Ex
The marriage may
not have been magic,
but the divorce can be.
February 27, 2015
The Stanley and Sandra Rosenberg Skyroom
University of the Incarnate Word
4201 Broadway • San Antonio
Course Co-Directors: William (Doug) Bineham, Carmen Rojo, Crista Branch Marichalar,
Stephanie Bandoske and Aida R. Rojas Editor-in-Chief: Arthur J. Rossi, Jr.
Subpoena
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Newsletter
Mediation, dispute resolution programs are community assets
By Dan Naranjo
Reprinted with permission
from the Express-News
Last month in San Antonio volunteers and lawyers honored the service of
Marlene LaBenz-Hough, retiring executive director of the Bexar County Dispute
Resolution Center (BCDRC).
Under Marlene’s guidance, the center has led efforts in combating violence
in San Antonio public schools by working in partnership with the San Antonio
Bar Foundation (SABF). The BCDRC was
awarded a Criminal Justice Department
grant to develop and implement the “Amigos in Mediation” (AIM) Peer Mediation
Program. Now in its 15th year, the AIM
program helps schools establish their
own peer mediation programs by teaching school faculty and students ways to
resolve conflicts without violence.
With the assistance of peer mediators, students gain the skills required to
resolve interpersonal conflicts without
the intervention of school staff. Peer mediation fosters increased self-esteem, encourages creative collaborative problem
solving and helps students understand
the viewpoints of others. Furthermore,
this program allows school personnel
to focus on their primary roles as educators. Due to its commitment to peaceful
dispute resolution and to the youth of
Bexar County, the SABF has continued to
provide financial support to help maintain the AIM program.
There are 145 schools with active
peer mediation programs supported by
AIM. Since the AIM program’s inception,
more than 20,000 student mediations
have been conducted with an agreement
rate of 99 percent.
Moreover, the center has made great
strides to make mediation of community
disputes available to a wider range of
citizens in every sector of Bexar County.
In an average year, the BCDRC processes approximately 7,000 intakes and sets
2,500 cases for mediation. The BCDRC
maintains an 80 percent agreement rate
for all cases mediated.
In 1998, the BCDRC expanded its
services to the justice of the peace courts.
Since the parties in JP courts frequently
represent themselves in small claims disputes, the BCDRC began scheduling volunteer mediators to mediate these cases
on-site. Judges routinely give parties the
option of mediating first rather than arguing their case before the court. Any
cases which do not settle at mediation
are returned to the judge for a hearing
and final judgment the same day.
The JP courts have expanded the
scope of mediations to include eviction
cases. This program has assisted the
community by offering a win-win alternative for persons to settle disputes
themselves, rather than relying on a
judge to decide which person “wins”
and which person “loses.”
Texas law mandates that abused
and/or neglected children who have been
removed from their homes and placed in
temporary foster care by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) must be placed in a permanent home within 12 months. To provide
relief from an overburdened court docket
and facilitate moving foster children to a
permanent home in a more timely manner, the children’s courts initially created
an informal system of assigning these
cases to private mediators on a pro bono
basis. While the usefulness of mediation
was immediately recognized, so was the
need to formalize the scheduling process
and training of mediators. The BCDRC
worked in conjunction with Judge John
Specia and Judge Peter Sakai to develop
and introduce a Children’s Court Mediation Program in 1998.
Since 1998, over 2,800 cases have
been ordered to mediation at the BCDRC,
with 79 percent of these cases reaching
agreement. This program saves Bexar
County an estimated $800,000 each year
by resolving cases prior to trial. By far
the largest TDFPS mediation program
in Texas, the BCDRC’s Children’s Court
Mediation Program has been recognized
statewide as a model program!
The BCDRC speakers bureau is avail-
able to conduct presentations and staff
displays for community groups, civic organizations, businesses, and schools.
Congratulations
&
WELCOME
to the NEWEST
members of the
San Antonio Bar Association!
Jameson Baker
Steven K. Cannon
Adelita Cavada
Alfred A. Cortez
Leigh R. Cutter
Daniel E. De La Garza
Reynaldo L. Diaz, Jr.
Karen Guenther
David E. Irwin
Jobe S. Jackson
Abigail B. Johanson
Jason Nitz
Joseph G. Patton
Selina Saenz
Corey Stewart
Abbey Ulsh
Brittany Weil
William D. White
Adrea R. Yoss
Subpoena
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Newsletter
FBA Fiesta
medal contest
deadline Dec. 10
The FBA San Antonio Chapter is holding its 1st annual FBA Fiesta Medal Contest! Fiesta Medal Designs will be accepted
through the end of the December 10th member luncheon. You do not have to be a member of the FBA San Antonio Chapter to participate. Please design for a 1.5-inch medal
with a limit of six colors (gold or silver
background does not count toward the color
limit). Designs will be reviewed by the Fiesta
Medal Design Committee, and the winner
will be announced at the January 14 member luncheon. The lucky designer will have
the satisfaction of knowing his or her design
will be worn throughout San Antonio. The
FBA will also throw in two tickets to NIOSA
and a feature in The Whole Enchilada. Entries or questions may be sent to Kelle Acock
at kelle_sutton@yahoo.com. Entries may
be submitted in word, pdf, or jpg formats.
Subpoena
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Newsletter
The San Antonio Bar Foundation
welcomes your nominations
for the 2015 Peacemaker Awards
Established in 1995, the San Antonio Bar Foundation’s Peacemaker Awards recognize
and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding individuals, organizations and companies who have promoted non-violent resolutions to conflicts and have demonstrated
outstanding service to our community.
The San Antonio Bar Foundation is currently
accepting nominations for the following 2015
Peacemaker Awards:
1. Peacemaker Award: recognizing an individual or entity who has promoted non-violent resolutions to community conflicts;
2. Corporate Community Service Award: recognizing a business entity
or member of the business community for fostering and performing community service;
3. Community Service Award: recognizing a lawyer who has demonstrated outstanding service to our community.
If you would like to nominate an individual or company to be considered for the
2015 Peacemaker Awards,
please download the nomination form at bit.ly/Peacemaker2014 or contact Katie
Kinder at katiek@sabar.org
to have a nomination form
emailed to you.
Please email or mail completed nomination forms to:
Kim Palmer
San Antonio Bar Foundation
100 Dolorosa, Ste. 500
San Antonio, TX 78205
Email: katiek@sabar.org
Nomination forms must be
received on or before Friday January 31, 2014. The
awards will be presented at the 2015 Peacemaker Awards Gala in March.
SAN ANTONIO
LAWYERS SUPPORT
GROUP, Dec. 2
One of our Own will share his
inspiring mental health story
What: A confidential monthly education and support group for lawyers
seeking support while healing from job
stress, anxiety, depression, addiction
and other mental health issues.
When: Every first Tuesday of the month
from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Where: Alamo Heights United Methodist
Church, Room W105, 825 E. Basse Road.
Park and enter on west side.
Format: 60-minute presentation from
an expert from the mental health field
and 30 minutes of peer support and
open discussion.
Contact: The Texas Lawyers Assistance
Program (TLAP) has teamed up with San
Antonio Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
to provide this program. TLAP support
is from cameron.vann@texasbar.com at
800.343.8527
Tributes
In
memory of
Samuel & C.B. Biery
father and mother of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Bill and Nancy Biery
Clara Biery
mother of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Joe Casseb
Clara and Samuel Biery
mother and father of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Karen and C.E. Cantrell
Samuel Biery
father of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Hon. Philip and
Mrs. Mayela Martinez
Samuel Biery
father of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Henry Paup
Samuel Biery
father of Hon. Fred Biery
- from Kay and Bobby Myers
Visit is.gd/SABFtributes to submit a
Tribute online (credit card required)
Subpoena
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Newsletter
Subpoena
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Newsletter
Got Ethics? Next 2014 Ethics Follies
Mia Culpa! video presentation, Dec. 17
Ethics Follies uses music and comedy,
performed by local attorneys, physicians,
judges and actors to raise awareness of
the business and legal ethics issues, and
it’s now available to view monthly at the
San Antonio Bar Association! If you missed
the live performance in November, this is
your opportunity to see Ethics Follies: Mia
Culpa! on DVD! The video is shown on the
5th floor of the Bexar County Courthouse on
the last Wednesday of every month, with
exceptions in November and December to
accommodate holidays. The morning video
presentation will begin promptly at 9 a.m.
and the afternoon video begins at 2 p.m.
The 17th Annual Ethics Follies heads
to Greece for a parody of the hit Broadway show and movie Mama Mia with the
2014 musical ethics CLE Mia Culpa!. A
mix of 65 attorneys, judges, doctors, ac-
countants and professional actors makes
the show fun to watch and the ethics issues memorable since they weaved into
great songs from Mamma Mia!, Disney’s
Frozen, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, The Book of Mormon and many more.
The South/Central Texas Chapter
of The Association of Corporate Counsel
has hosted the ethics conference for 17
years in San Antonio. A substantial portion of the registration proceeds are donated to the Community Justice Program.
Ethics Follies provides over half the CJP’s
annual operating budget each year.
Registration is $60 to SABA and ACC
members and $100 to nonmembers. Attendees will receive 2.0 hours of the most
enjoyable, entertaining ethics CLE credit
available! RSVPs to amyl@sabar.org are appreciated, but walk-ins are always welcome.
Subpoena
Subpoena (USPS #010728) (ISSN #1073-5135)
is published monthly at the annual rate of $30
by the San Antonio Bar Association,
Bexar County Courthouse, Suite 500,
San Antonio, Texas 78205.
Periodicals postage paid at San Antonio, TX
POSTMASTER send address changes to:
Subpoena, San Antonio Bar Association,
Bexar County Courthouse, Suite 500,
San Antonio, Texas 78205.
Press releases, calendar announcements and
inquiries about the Subpoena must be sent by
the 10th of the month preceding publication to
the attention of:
Kimberly Palmer, Editor
email: kimp@sabar.org
210.227.8822; Fax: 210.271.9614;
SABA website: www.sabar.org
SABA office hours: Monday-Friday 8-5 p.m.;
Closed weekends and County holidays
Office space
Office space
VIRTUAL OFFICE SPACE AVAILABLE
Includes address for receiving mail, receptionist, conference room. Fax and copying
services also available. Call Kathy Hoffman
at 210-212-6700 or 210-736-3555.
The de la Riva & Associates
Legal Team is moving to a beautiful building off 1604 and 281 (Afton Oaks). The
space is on the first floor with ample parking and amenities. There is a separate area
in the large space we are leasing with 3-4
offices and a large conference room. If interested, we can include a receptionist that
can assist with your phone calls. A copier/
fax/scan/printer will also be available at
a low cost. Let me know if you are interested – we are flexible with dates and with
the spaces available. Isabel de la Riva at
idelariva@delarivalaw.com or 210-224-2200.
OFFICE SPACE —
RIVER NORTH/DOWNTOWN.
Great location 709 E. Quincy. Two offices and
reception space available. Includes free parking, conference room, kitchen, utilities, copier,
and security. Call Yvonne or Debbie. 475-9306.
One or two offices for lease
in historic building with modern updates –
419 S. Presa. Great location, walking distance
to courthouse, furnished or unfurnished.
Lease includes conference room, utilities,
coffee bar, janitorial, security, refrigerator,
landscaped outdoor patio and parking.
Potential referrals from other attorneys in
the building. Call Ashley at 210-225-6649
or email yourlawyerfriend@yahoo.com.
Smoking and pets are not allowed.
OLMOS PARK EXECUTIVE OFFICES.
Excellent location. Receptionist, 2 large
conference rooms, 2 copier/fax machines,
postage meter, secretarial space available,
free parking, phone system, law library,
kitchen and outdoor garden area. Call
Craig White or Peter Susca at 829-7183.
Lincoln Center
7800 I.H. 10 West, Suite 800
Beautiful attorney offices with fantastic
views from the top floor. Includes two
conference rooms, receptionist, voice mail,
utilities, kitchen, janitorial, security, covered
parking, internet ready. Other lawyers there
include Bob Ulman, Jeff Gately, Phil Collier,
Jerry Rosson, Kate Soulsby and Steve Johnson. Contact email: collier@pclaw.us.
“Turnkey” Legal Offices—
Best All-Inclusive Rate in San Antonio
Includes use of three conference rooms,
personalized voice mail/remote messaging,
bilingual receptionist, internet service, multiple copier machines, fax machine, mail
equipment/supplies, kitchen and janitorial
service. Possible referrals and mentorship
from established attorneys. Access to Hwy
281/ 410/Airport. Contact: Maria Trevino
210.225.6666/info@chuliemanagement.com
Services
Civil Engineer Expert –
Master of Science in Civil Engineering. Texas
PE. 28+ years of professional experience.
Drainage, hydrology, hydraulics, flooding,
moisture control, dams, subdivisions, streets,
utilities, and site work. Reviews, studies, depositions, trials. Call David G. at 210-342-3564.
KALISKI INVESTIGATIONS
(SERVING TEXAS FOR 40 YEARS)
Court Approved Criminal Investigators.
Forensic expert in house. Sex abuse cases,
murder/death investigations, background
checks, pre-marital checks, surveillance and
more. Call us if you are not happy with your
current investigator! 210-545-7955 or on the
web www.KaliskiPI.com
PEDEN INVESTIGATIONS
210-491-9567 * www.pedenpi.com *
email: bob@pedenpi.com;
Investigations by former FBI agents throughout the US. Surveillance, database
searches, witness location, interviews, fraud
investigations, still & video photography,
criminal history, court searches, security
analysis and background information.
Aguirre Legal Nurse Consulting
Let a certified legal nurse consultant review
your next medical related case quickly and
cost-effectively. Our experts can assist your
firm in understanding the subtleties and inner workings of the healthcare system. For
more information visit www.AguirreLegalNurseConsulting.com. Please contact Erika
Aguirre (443) 598-2562 or email AguirreLegalNurseConsulting@gmail.com
EMPLOYMENT
APPEALS WANTED
Licensed since 1971, I have been consistently
a TRIAL LAWYER who did his own appeals. I
will sit through trial, assist in preserving error
or pick up the pieces after the trial is done.
CIVIL OR CRIMINAL STATE OR FEDERAL.
It is all I do now other than Real estate Law
and I will work with you on the costs if necessary. Call and we can discuss your needs.
vonHoffmann Hatcher PC 822 W. San Antonio, Lockhart, TX 78644 Cell: 512-995-1059
Law firm with thriving trust,
estate, ranch, and business practice seeks
attorney. Tax experience or CPA preferred.
Competitive compensation and benefits.
Please send resume’ to rubin@lawcpatax.
com (Law Offices of Joseph P. Rubin, PC).
MEDIATION
Civil Appeals
Litigation Support
Do you need a “law” lawyer to assist with the
preparation/defense of your case? Experienced attorney handles all aspects of appellate
process, from error preservation and charge
conferences, to briefing and argument. Dispositive motions written and argued. Appellate Mediation. References available. Call Jeff
Small @ 210.496.0611 or jdslaw@satx.rr.com.
H. Paul Canales, Retired Judge
Mediation & Arbitration Services
22 years experience on the bench
Cell: 210-602-3621; Fax: 210-247-9335
Email: judgecanales@gmail.com
MICHAEL CURRY, Atty-Mediator
AAM Certified
700 Lavaca St., Ste. 1400
Austin, TX 78701 • 512-474-5573
Full-time mediator since 1994
Email: mcmediate@msn.com
Website with calendar: www.mcmediate.com
No travel charge for San Antonio mediations
December Calendar
2
Bexar County Women’s Bar Monthly Luncheon. Club Giraud (707 N. St. Mary’s). 12 noon. Speaker/topic: T.B.A.
MCLE: 0.75 hrs. Cost: $25 members; $$30 nonmembers. RSVP: Events@bexarcountywomensbar.org.
San Antonio Lawyers Support Group. Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, Rm. W105 (825 E. Basse Rd.) 6:308 p.m. Topic: “One of our Own will share his inspiring mental health story.” INFO: cameron.vann@texasbar.com;
800.343.8527.
3
Association of Corporate Counsel - South/Central Texas Chapter Lunch & Learn. Oak Hills Country Club (5403
Fredericksburg Rd.) 12 noon - 1:30 p.m. Speaker/topic: Mario Barrera and Steve Romero, Norton Rose Fulbright. “When
the Fired Employee Reacts: Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario.” MCLE: 1.0 hr. Cost: FREE for ACC members. RSVP:
accasouthcentral@yahoo.com; 830.336.2049.
4
South Texas Organization of Paralegals, Inc. (STOP) Holiday luncheon. The Embassy Suites (7750 Briaridge). 11:30
a.m. - 1 p.m. Cost: $21/$24. RSVP: rsvp@stopweb.org.
5
MABA-SA Pachanga, benefiting the Pete Torres Memorial Scholarship Fund. Marriot Plaza (555 South Alamo). 6:30
p.m. INFO: richmatt107@hotmail.com.
9
Bexar County Court Reporters Association Monthly Meeting. Rosario’s, San Pedro. 5:30 p.m. Mixer; 6 p.m. Meeting.
INFO: 210.392.7576.
MABA-SA Membership Meeting. The Palm (233 E. Houston). Networking at 11:45 a.m.; Program at 12 noon. Speaker/
topic: T.B.A. INFO: paul@torreslawpc.com; 210.737.2672.
Alamo Area Paralegal Association Holiday Luncheon. Alamo Café 281 Location. 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. No CLE. Free to
members, limited seating will be available. Must RSVP in advance. INFO: www.alamoparalegals.org.
10
FBA Monthly Luncheon Meeting. Quarry Golf Clubhouse. 11:45 a.m. Speaker/topic: Judge Henry Bemporad. “The
Civil Rights Act at 50: Sexual Orientation Discrimination and Title VII.” Cost: $20 members; $25 nonmembers. MCLE:
0.75 hrs. RSVP: www.fedbarsatx.org.
San Antonio Black Lawyers Association monthly meeting. 6th Floor Boardroom, Bexar County Courthouse. 12 noon.
MCLE: 1.0 hr. Cost: Free to members; $10 to nonmembers. INFO: ijackson@irjlaw.net.
FBA Fiesta Medal Contest Deadline. INFO: kelle_sutton@yahoo.com.
Deadline for Submissions to the January Subpoena. INFO: kimp@sabar.org; 210.227.8822 x20.
San Antonio Young Lawyers Association Annual Holiday Party. Cured at the Pearl Brewery. 5:30 p.m. INFO: kreddy@
pgtxlaw.com.
11
San Antonio Bar Association and Foundation Holiday Luncheon. The Plaza Club (Frost Bank Building). 12 noon.
Speaker/topic: Judge Edward C. Prado. Cost: $25 SABA & Plaza Club members; $30 nonmembers. NO CLE. Please bring
an unwrapped toy or cash donation for our CASA toy drive! RSVP: 210.227.8822 x99.
SABA Natural Resources Section Meeting. The Petroleum Club. 12 noon. Speaker/topic: T.B.A. MCLE: 0.75 hrs. Cost:
$20 members/$30 nonmembers. RSVP: kathryn.gentry@gmail.com.
December Calendar
12
SABA International Law Section Luncheon. Padgett Stratemann (100 NE Loop 410, Ste. 1100) 12 noon. Speaker/topic:
Jose María Lujambio Irazábal, Cacheaux, Cavazos & Newton, LLP. “The Mexican Energy Reform.” MCLE: 1.0 hr. ethics.
RSVP: nceron@ccn-law.com.
Collaborative Professionals Association of San Antonio Meeting. The Petroleum Club (8620 N. New Braunfels, Ste.
700). 12 noon. Speakers/topic: T.B.A. New members are welcome. RSVP: harry@munsingerlaw.com.
BCWBF Annual Holiday Party. Mariott Plaza San Antonio (555 S. Alamo). 12 noon - 1 p.m. RSVP: Events@bexarcountywomensbar.org.
16
SABA Family Law Section Luncheon. The Palm (233 E. Houston). 12 noon. Speaker/topic: Judge Barbara Nellermoe.
“A Look Back.” MCLE: 1.0 hr. Cost: $16/$20. A special holiday dessert will be served! RSVP: janis@sadivorceattorney.com.
San Antonio Estate Planners Council Monthly Luncheon. San Antonio Country Club, 4100 N. New Braunfels. 12 noon.
Speaker/topic: Gary L. Flotron, MBA, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP®. “Risk Management and the Evaluation of Life Insurance
Policies For the Professional and Amateur Trustee, And Anyone Else Who is Interested.” INFO: www.sanantonioepc.org.
17
2014 Ethics Follies Video Presenation of Mia Culpa! 5th floor, Bexar County Courthouse. Morning: 9 a.m.; Afternoon: 2
p.m. Walk-ins welcome. MCLE: 2.0 hrs. ethics. Cost: $60 SABA and ACC memebers; $100 nonmembers. RSVP: amyl@
sabar.org. Walk-ins are welcome!
18
San Antonio Trial Lawyers Association CLE Luncheon. The Palm (233 E. Houston). 12 noon. Open to members and
invited guests. Speaker/topic: U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett. “2014 Congressional Recap.” Cost: $20 members/$30
guests. RSVP: ldorn@ttla.com; 210.224.8852.
SABA Brown Bag Lunch Series. 407th District Courtroom (4th floor, Bexar County Courthouse). 12 noon. Speaker/topic:
Dominic Negrón. “When Medicine meets Law: Capacity and Elderly Clients.” MCLE: 1.0 hr. Cost: FREE to SABA members/ $25 to nonmembers. First come, first served seating. RSVP: kimp@sabar.org. Walk-ins are welcome!
Last-Chance Videos: Adv. Estate Planning and Probate 2014 (Part 1). 5th floor, Bexar County Courthouse. 8:30 a.m. Applies to the College of the SBOT and the TBLS in Estate Planning and Probate Law and Tax Law. Walk-ins welcome. MCLE:
7.5 hrs.; 1.25 hr. ethics. Cost: $75 members/$125 nonmembers per day. RSVP: amyl@sabar.org. Walk-ins are welcome!
19
Last-Chance Videos: Adv. Estate Planning and Probate 2014 (Part 2). 5th floor, Bexar County Courthouse. 8:30 a.m.
Applies to the College of the SBOT and the TBLS in Estate Planning and Probate Law and Tax Law. Walk-ins welcome.
MCLE: 6.75 hrs.; 1.0 ethics. Cost: $75 members/$125 nonmembers per day. RSVP: amyl@sabar.org. Walk-ins are welcome!
SABA Environmental Law Section Meeting. SAWS Cafeteria. 7:30-9 a.m. MCLE: requested. RSVP: 210.299.3704.
25
1
Bexar County Courthouse closed in observance of Christmas Day.
Bexar County Courthouse closed in observance of New Years Day.
Swearing In Ceremonies for Newly Elected Judges. Bexar County Justice Center’s Central Jury Room and the Presiding
Courtroom of the Bexar County Courthouse. Beginning at 9 a.m. (see page 3 for complete schedule).