A Place to Call Home

A Place to Call Home

Five Reasons to Support Our Home on Judges Hill

The Austin Bar Association has been located at 816 Congress Ave. since 2003. We’ve increased our budget to cover rising rents for 16 years. But when our lease is up in 2020, our rent will nearly double, costing an additional $200,000 per year. That would require us to raise membership fees and reduce community initiatives, grants, and scholarships. That’s not acceptable.

So, efforts are underway to pull up stakes and put down roots a few blocks north, at 712 West 16th Street.

We’ll be owners instead of renters. We’ll be able to devote resources to access-to-justice programs rather than rent. We’ll be investing in our future, our programs, and our community.

After 126 years, we’ll finally have a place to call home—Our Home on Judges Hill.

See Adam Schramek’s President’s Column on page 6, or visit ourhomeonjudgeshill.com, for more details about this exciting new chapter in the history of the Austin Bar.

PROVIDES A LASTING HOME FOR GENERATIONS TO COME

• Buying this house gives us a chance to invest in the future of the Austin Bar. This iconic, historic house will become synonymous with our organization and its mission. And we’ll be part of the historic Judges Hill neighborhood, which has been affiliated with the legal profession since its founding.

INCREASES OUR VISIBILITY IN THE COMMUNITY

• Austin Bar programs have a track record of service that’s impressive—but often unknown outside the legal community. A permanent location with street-level visibility will change that.

ENABLES US TO BUDGET SMARTER

• Raising membership dues to offset the higher cost of rent would be a necessity if we stay downtown. With a stable mortgage, the real estate market will never drive dues increases, and more money can be allocated for legal-related programs.

MEETS THE NEEDS OF OUR MEMBERS

• The new house has space for staff offices, small and medium-sized

group meetings, and lovely social gatherings. It is located just four blocks from the planned Family and Civil Courts Complex which will have ideal meeting rooms for larger gatherings and ample parking.

MOVES THE AUSTIN BAR OUT OF AUSTIN’S ESCALATING DOWNTOWN REAL ESTATE MARKET

• The rent in our current location will nearly double in 2020. We’ll be spending $200,000 more every year for office space—instead of on programs that provide value to our members and the community. Our bar gives vulnerable people across the community access to the legal system through programs such as Austin Adoption Day, the Veterans Assistance Programs, the Self-Represented Litigant Project, and the CANLAW Clinic. That’s where we want to focus our investment: on people and our community—not rent. AL

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Will You Be a Part of Our Home on Judges Hill?

It is a very exciting time to be a member of the Austin Bar Association. We are in the process of purchasing a new headquarters in the Judges Hill neighborhood that will provide a historic and iconic home for our bar association.

Our bar is over 125 years old and for the longest time did not have any office space. Then in 1977, we rented the Brizendine House, which is a historic home in downtown Austin. We next moved to the Chase Tower, and then to our current space at 816 Congress. During our entire history, we have been renters. We have never owned our own property. As most lawyers know, downtown rents have been skyrocketing in the past few years. We have been lucky to have a long-term lease at below-market

rates. However, our lease expires soon. In order for us to stay in our current location, we would have to pay an additional $200,000 per year starting next year. That translates into an additional $50 per member in annual dues.

That’s why, for the past two years, we have been searching for a property that we would be proud to own and call our home. A few months ago, we found it.

The historic home at the corner of 16th and West is perfect for the Austin Bar. It is about four blocks from where the new Civil and Family Courts Complex is being built at 17th and Guadalupe. The property is ideal for an association like ours. The beautiful historic home was meticulously restored a few years ago. There is ample space for our staff and meeting space in both the main house and nearby carriage house.

By owning our home and not having to pay downtown rent, we will be able to use more of our dues towards our programming and projects. We will be able to expand our pro bono offerings, community activities, and professional offerings like CLEs.

The property makes perfect financial sense.

We have kicked off a capital campaign to raise the funds necessary to purchase our home and complete minor renovations. The Lola Wright Foundation was our first significant contributor, providing a $100,000 gift in honor of its long-time board member and Austin Bar Past-President, Bill Hilgers. The Foundation will also match up to an additional $100,000 over the next year. We are very honored by this gift and will be calling our new home the Hilgers House.

I hope every Austin attorney is as excited as I am about Hilgers House. It will be more than a headquarters. It will be more than a place to gather for professional and social gatherings. It will be more than a place to stop in before or after court to catch up with friends and colleagues. It will be our home. Our home on Judges Hill. I hope you will join me in contributing to our capital campaign. Together, we will provide a lasting home for generations to come.

Visit ourhomeonjudgeshill. com to learn more and donate. AL