16 minute read
Law Day 2021 “Advancing the Rule of Law Now
CLECorner
TCBA Offers Free and Low Cost Online CLE to Its Members:
Section Webinars:
Section members can access free online CLE that is available on the section’s e-community. If you are not a member of a section and want to access a particular recorded CLE, visit www.tarrantbar.org/cleondemand or contact Lauren St. Clair at laurensc@tarrantbar.org to purchase the recording.
Appellate Law Section
Topic: Brain Break with the Fourteenth Court Houston Moderator: Jody Sanders, Kelly Hart Judicial Panel: • Justice Tracy Christopher • Justice Kevin Jewell CLE: .5 hour of Ethics (FREE to TCBA Members) Topic: Brain Break with the Fifth Court Dallas Moderator: Jody Sanders, Kelly Hart Judicial Panel: • Chief Justice Robert D. Burns III • Justice Cory L. Carlyle • Justice John G. Browning CLE: .5 hour of Ethics (FREE to TCBA Members) Topic: The Office of Solicitor General: Twenty Years of Representing Texas’s Interests Speaker: Kyle Hawkins, Solicitor General CLE: .75 hour
Appellate /Business Litigation Law Sections
Topic: Proof and Pitfalls in Seeking Recovery of Attorney’s Fees Speaker: Justice Mike Wallach, Second Court of Appeals CLE: 1 hour
Bankruptcy Law Section
Topic: Bankruptcy Court Procedures During Pandemic and Other Updates Panelists: • Bankruptcy Judge Mark Mullin • Bankruptcy Judge E. Lee Morris CLE: .5 hour (FREE to TCBA Members) Topic: General Order 2021-01, Ten Ways This Impacts Your Chapter 13 Practice Speaker: Mark French, The Law Office of Mark B. French CLE: 1 hour
Business Litigation Section
Topic: Top Ten Changes Under the New Amended Rules of Civil Procedure Speakers: Graigory B. Fancher and Brittany A. Weaver, Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. CLE: .5 hour (FREE to TCBA Members) 28 www.tarrantbar.org ▪ MAY/JUNE 2021
Business Litigation/Construction Law Sections
Topic: Zoom Trials - Lessons Learned in the First Fully Zoom Trial Speaker: Judge Nicholas Chu, Justice of the Peace, Pct. 5 Travis County, Texas CLE: 1 hour
Construction Law Section
Topic: The Intersection of Contracts and Technology Speakers: Christian Blomdahl, Suffolk; Grant Hagen, The Beck Group CLE: 1 hour
Topic: Issues in Commercial Construction Bankruptcies Speaker: Jason Kennedy, Harrison Steck, P.C. CLE: 1 hour
Corporate Counsel/Labor & Employment Law Sections
Topic: Arbitrarily Selecting Black Arbitrators for Employment Discrimination Disputes Speaker: Professor Michael Green, Texas A&M School of Law CLE: .75 hour
Criminal Law/Labor and Employment Sections
Topic: Cybersecurity: Emerging Threats and the Legal Landscape Speaker: Kathryn Childress, BakerHostetler CLE: 0.75 (FREE to TCBA Members)
Energy Law Section
Topic: Surface Conflicts in Oil & Gas Development – Accommodation Doctrine & Excessive Use Speakers: Graham Simms and Wesley D. Lloyd, Freeman Mills, P.C. CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Environmental Law Section
Topic: State and Federal Environmental Agency Update Speakers: James MGuire, Regional Counsel for EPA Region 6 and Erin Chancellor, Director for the TCEQ Office of Legal Services CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Fort Worth Business & Estate Section
Topic: Estate Planning, Probate Administrations, and Previous Representations – Can I Do It All? Speaker: Judge Brooke Allen, Probate Court No. 2 CLE: 1 hour
Topic: Economic Update with COVID-19 and Post-Election Speaker: Lauren Goodwin, CFA®, Director of Portfolio Strategy at New York Life Investments CLE: 1 hour
Topic: The Riley Case: A Comprehensive Charitable Estate Planning Case for a Business Owning Family Speaker: Phil Cubeta, CLU, ChFC, CAP, AEP, The Wallace Chair in Philanthropy at The American College of Financial Services CLE: 1 hour
Topic: Recent Developments in Estate Planning Speaker: Professor Stanley Johanson, The University of Texas at Austin School of Law CLE: 1 hour
Topic: Hot Topics in Estate Planning Speakers: Steve Ackers, Bessemer Trust; Mike Bourland, Bourland Wall & Wenzel, P.C.; John Porter, Baker Botts, LLP; Lee Schwemer, Former Supervisory Attorney (Estate Tax), IRS; Current Lecturer - UTA CLE: 1 hour
Topic: National Economic Update Speaker: Joe Tracy, Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor to the President - Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas CLE: 1 hour
Real Estate Section
Topic: The Crossroads of Real Estate and Personal Injury Law Speaker: Kris Landrith, Landrith & Kulesz, L.L.P. CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Real Estate and Securities Law Speaker: John R. Fahy, Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz PLLC CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Lessons Learned Related to Water in a Real Estate Transaction Speaker: Mark McPherson, McPherson Law Firm, PLLC CLE: .75 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Evictions in the Era of Covid-19 Speaker: Sam Johndroe, Johndroe Law, PLLC CLE: .75 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Intersections of Real Property and Family Law in Texas Speaker: Martin Garcia, Simplified Title Company CLE: .75 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Intersections of Real Property and Immigration Law in Texas Speaker: Shae Armstrong, Partner, Stinson LLP CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Topic: Real Estate and Bankruptcy: Issues that May Arise in light of Covid-19 Speaker: Machir Stull, Cantey Hanger LLP CLE: 1 hour (FREE to TCBA Members)
Missed a Brown Bag CLE?
Check out the recordings below and watch at your convenience. Visit www.tarrantbar.org/cleondemand or contact Lauren St. Clair at laurensc@tarrantbar.org to purchase the recording.
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Probate CLE: 3.5 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Angel Williams, Assistant Criminal District Attorney • Judicial Panel (Judge Chris Ponder, Probate Court 1;
Judge Brooke Allen, Probate Court 2) • Heirships (Sue Allen, Allen Law Firm) • TROs, TIs and Ancillaries (Kathy Roux, Law Office of Kathy
Roux) • Alternatives to Administration (Jerry “JC” Brooks, JC
Brooks Law Firm) • Beneficiary Management Strategies–for the Executor and
Trustee (Natalie Brackett, Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C.)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Federal/Procedural CLE: 3 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Thomas Williams, Haynes and Boone, LLP • Removal and Remand (Philip Vickers, Cantey Hanger LLP) • Scheduling and Pre-Trial Process for Civil Cases (Honorable
Paul D. Stickney, Judge, United States District Court, Northern
District of Texas) • Summary Judgments in Federal (Jibril Greene, Quilling,
Selander, Lownds, Winslett and Moser, P.C.) • Federal Court Criminal Practice – The Basics (Cody Cofer,
Cofer Luster Law Firm, P.C.; Douglas Green, Greene Law
Firm, P.C.) • Practicing before Magistrate Judges in the Fort Worth
Division (Honorable Jeffrey L. Cureton, Judge, United
States District Court, Northern District of Texas) • Practicing in the Fort Worth Division (Honorable Mark
T. Pittman, Judge, United States District Court, Northern
District of Texas)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Appellate Law CLE: 4 hours Presentations include: Handling Appeals in an Unappealing Time Moderator: Jeanette E. Walston Strange, ACDA, Post-Conviction, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office • Real Appeals of Virtual Trials (Judge Emily Miskel, 470th
District Court, Collin County) • Covid-19 Writ Litigation in the Court of Criminal Appeals (Michael Falkenberg, Supervising Attorney, Post-Conviction
Writs Section Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas) • Lights, Camera, Appellate Record: Preserving Error at Remote Hearings (Moderator: Alex Wilson Albright,
Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP (Austin); Panelists: Bill
Boyce, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP (Houston); Kirsten
M. Castañeda, Alexander Dubose & Jefferson LLP (Dallas)) • On the Lege: A Preview of the 87th Legislature (Jerry
Bullard, Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C.) • Lawyer Wellness in the Age of the Coronavirus (Chris MAY/JUNE 2021 ▪ TCBA BULLETIN 29
Ritter, Director, Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program) • The Impact of Covid-19 on the Texas Courts: Challenges and Opportunities (David Slayton, Administrative Director,
Texas Office of Court Administration) • Zoom Oral Arguments in Texas Appellate Courts (Blake
Hawthorne, Clerk, Supreme Court of Texas)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Bankruptcy and Real Estate CLE: 3 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Brian Singleterry, Cantey Hanger LLP • Construction Project-Owner Bankruptcy: Lien Priorities and Other Issues (Jason Kennedy, Harrison Steck, P.C.) • Intersections Between Bankruptcy and Real Estate (Machir Stull, Cantey Hanger LLP) • Claims that Survive Bankruptcy (Mike McBride, J.
Michael McBride, P.C.) • Bankruptcy Court Updates and Practice Tips (Honorable
Mark Mullin, Judge, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Northern District of Texas) • The Landlord/Tenant Relationship Within the Bankruptcy
Context (Katherine Hopkins, Kelly Hart) • Tips and Tricks with Frequently Used Real Estate Documents (Robert Ginsburg, McDonald Sanders, P.C.)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Ethics CLE: 3 hours of Ethics Presentations include: Moderator: Brian Singleterry, Cantey Hanger LLP • Tips and Traps to Avoid Malpractice (Robert Tobey, Tips and Traps to Avoid Malpractice) • Law Practice Disruptions (Charles Awalt, Charles H.
Awalt Law Office; Dwayne Smith, Gardner & Smith, PLLC) • Diversion Program Ethics (Leon Reed, The Law Office of
Leon Reed, Jr.) • Professional Ethics (Honorable Hal R. Ray, Jr., United
States District Court, Northern District of Texas) • Technology Ethics (Miles Brissette, The Law Offices of
Gill & Brissette - not a partnership; Bob Gill, The Law
Offices of Gill & Brissette - not a partnership)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Quick Hits for Navigating Covid-19 CLE: 3.25 hours, including 1 hour ethics Presentations include: Moderator: Brian Singleterry, Cantey Hanger LLP • Employment Issues (Caroline Harrison, Pham Harrison,
LLP; Jason Smith, Law Office of Jason Smith) • Virtual Mediations and Ethical Implications (Jennifer
Caldwell, Jennifer M. Caldwell, P.C.) • Bankruptcy Issues (Mark French, Law Office of Mark B. French) • CARES Act – Small Business Incentives (Professor William
Byrnes, Texas A&M School of Law; Professor Neal Newman, 30 www.tarrantbar.org ▪ MAY/JUNE 2021
Texas A&M School of Law) • Judicial Panel (Judge Brooke Allen, Probate Court 2; Judge
Patricia Bennett, 360th District Court; Judge Kimberly
Fitzpatrick, 342nd District Court; Judge Chris Wolfe, 213th
District Court)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: Real Estate, Construction, Planning and Zoning CLE: 3.0 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Mary Barkley, Cantey Hanger LLP • Texas Ad Valorem Property Tax Litigation (Preston J.
Dugas III, Preston Dugas Law Firm, PLLC) • Planning and Zoning Law (Justin Light, Pope, Hardwicke,
Christie, Schell, Kelly & Taplett, L.L.P.) • Emerging Issues in Real Estate Drafting (Suzanne Frossard,
M. Suzanne Frossard, P.C.) • Texas Lien Law Summary (Stephen D. Harrison, Harrison
Steck P. C.) • Updates on Texas Construction Law (Cara Kennemer,
Underwood Law Firm)
Brown Bag Seminar (Webinar)
Topic: “Pot-Pourri” CLE: 3.0 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Sherry Armstrong, The Law Office of Sherry R. Armstrong • Cannabis Law Issues (Benson Varghese, Varghese Summersett
PLLC-Defense) • Cannabis Law Issues (David Alex, Tarrant County Criminal
District Attorney’s Office-Prosecutor) • “Growing the Texas Cannabis Market: State and Federal
Cannabis Legislation Now and Tomorrow” (Leslie Ritchie
Robnett, Kelly Hart) • Trademark Registration Issues for Businesses (Lee Hunt,
Brackett & Ellis, P.C.) • Landlord/Tenant (Veronica Chavez Law, Brackett &
Ellis, P.C.) • Judicial Panel (Judge Mollee Westfall, 371st District Court;
Associate Judge Lindsay DeVos, 231st District Court)
Appointment Wheel CLE (Webinar)
Topic: Juvenile Law CLE: 4.0 hours Presentations include: Moderator: Angel Williams, Assistant City District Attorney • Departmental Overview and Specialty Program (Tarrant
County Juvenile Services) • Public Access to Juvenile Proceedings (Brian Willett,
Willett Law Office, PLLC) • Evidence in Juvenile Cases (Lane D. Thibodeaux, Law
Office of Lane D. Thibodeaux) • Determine Sentencing & Juvenile Certifications (Kevin
Boneberg, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s
Office; Zane Reid, Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s
Office) • The Importance of Youth Voice in Court (Dylan Moench,
Supreme Court of Texas Children’s Center Commission) • Juvenile Dispositions (Frank Adler, Frank Adler Law Office)
Lessons Learned From 157 Zoom Mediations: Maximizing Your Effectiveness in Your Next Zoom Mediation
Presenters: Beth Krugler and John Brookman CLE: 1 hour
Free to TCBA Members:
CLE: 2 hours Moderator: Kim Naylor, TCBA Task Force Board Liaison and 2020-2021 TCBA President-Elect Judicial Panel: • Judge Jesse Nevarez, Jr. (231st District Court) • Judge Kenneth E. Newell (233rd District Court) • Judge James Munford (322nd District Court) • Judge Jerome S. Hennigan (324th District Court) • Judge Judith Wells (325th District Court) • Judge Patricia Baca Bennett (360th District Court) • Judge Cherami Jenkins (IV-D Court No. 2)
CLE: 2 hours Moderator: Nick Bettinger, TCBA Task Force Co-Chair and TCBA Past President (2017-2018) Judicial Panel: • Judge David Evans (48th District Court) • Judge Don Cosby (67th District Court) • Judge Susan Heygood McCoy (153rd District Court) • Judge Josh Burgess (352nd District Court) • Judge Mike Hrabal (County Court At Law No. 3)
CLE: 2 hours Moderator: Sherry Armstrong, 2020-2021 TCBA Board Director Judicial Panel: • Judge George Gallagher (396th District Court) • Judge Robb Catalano (Criminal District Court No. 3) • Judge Brent Carr (County Criminal Court No. 9) • Judge Deborah Nekhom (County Criminal Court No. 4) • Judge David Cook (County Criminal Court No. 1)
Transition to Practice Webinar
Topic: Thinking, Going, Gone Solo: Considerations for Every Stage of the Journey CLE: 1 hour with .5 hour Ethics
SBOT Rules Vote 2021
Presenters: • Lewis Kinard, Chair of the Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda (CDRR) • Claude Ducloux, CDRR Member • Brad Johnson, CDRR Staff Attorney • Vincent Johnson, CDRR Member CLE: .5 hour
Other Online Seminars Available (with no CLE) Solo & Small Firm Section Webinar
Topic: Turning Attorneys into Wildly Effective Sales Rainmakers Speaker: Mark Steele, Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association Webinar
Topic: Busy World, Calm Mind: Using Mindfulness to Alleviate Stress and Live with Purpose Speaker: Dr. Kathryn Soule, PhD, LPC, Soule Therapy
Wellness Connections Committee Program
Topic: Start the New Year with Danielle Vaughn Speaker: Danielle Vaughn, Life Coach and Meditation Teacher Topic: Attorney Wellness – Mindfulness Meditation Speaker: Mary Colchin Johndroe, Of Counsel, Cantey Hanger LLP Topic: The Art of Saying No Speaker: Kate Casey, JD, LPC, Autumn Ridge Counseling and Wellness in Southlake
Topic: Office Workshop – Pilates at Your Desk Speaker: Laura West Strawser, Pilates Instructor at the School for Classical and Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University
Topic: Cooking Demonstration & Menu Planning Speaker: Ed Soto, Culinary Director at Fount Board and Table in Dallas’s Uptown neighborhood
Covid-19 Task Force
Topic: Remote Working Tips Speakers: Nick Bettinger, McDonald Sanders, P.C. Jim Zadeh, Law Office of Jim Zadeh, P.C.
Lanham Act 75th Anniversary: The Life and Legacy of Fritz Lanham
Frederick “Fritz” G. Lanham (1880-1965) Texan, Author, Editor, Playwright, Lawyer, Congressman
This is a portrait of Frederick “Fritz” Garland Lanham, one of the most notable U.S. Congressmen and lawyers you have likely never come across unless you are a practicing attorney in the field of trademark law. Even today, regular IP practitioners are just now learning about the significant impact this individual had on the current federal trademark statute and the primary vehicle brand owners continue use today to secure protection and enforce their rights 75 years after the statute was enacted. Even if intellectual property is not your primary practice area, as an in-house lawyer you have undoubtedly handled or come across a trademark issue on behalf of your company. The importance of trademark protection for companies and brand owners cannot be understated. It provides the consuming public with confidence and assurance that the goods and services being sought are genuine and of a high-quality and have emanated from the legitimate source identified by the trademark or service mark. Recent figures place the value of intangible assets and goodwill at an estimated 84% of the S&P 500’s total value, or more than $20 trillion in value. Trademarks are the chief representation and embodiment of a company’s reputation and serve to create a powerful emotional relationship between brand owners and consumers. Quite literally, without trademarks and trademark protection our economy and the ability to effectively and efficiently market and sell goods and services would not be possible.
Although a significant contributor across a wide scope of federal legislation and other notable projects, Fritz Lanham is most known for his influence in the field of United States federal trademark law, the primary statute of which bears his name, the “Lanham Act,” and which Congressman Lanham championed for 18 years as a U.S. Congressman until its adoption in 1946. 2021 marks the 75th anniversary of this significant piece of legislation that governs the way in which trademarks and the legal rights of brand owners are uniformly protected in our country under federal law. The Lanham Act governs federal trademark registration, trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising in the United States. This landmark piece of legislation enables consumers to confidently identify and differentiate between the hundreds of thousands of brands inundating the marketplace every day and to distinguish, with confidence, as to the nature and quality associated with the products and services we enjoy in our daily lives. The Act was signed into law by President Harry Truman in 1946 and took effect on July 5, 1947. Today the U.S. Trademark Office receives more than 500,000 applications annually and issues on average about 350,000 federal registrations each year. Since its enactment, the Lanham Act has been cited by the United States Supreme Court in 57 decisions and by federal and state courts across the country in over 34,000 decisions.
Before his illustrious career as a U.S. Congressman, Lanham earned a B.A. from the University of Texas in 1900 and pursued graduate studies in law at the University until 1903. Although he never completed his law degree, Lanham was admitted to the Texas Bar in 1909, where he practiced in his hometown of Weatherford. While at Texas, Lanham was more than just a student; he became the first editor of The Texan, the school newspaper (now known as The Daily Texan), beginning in the fall of 1900, and he held the job until early 1901. In his first editorial, Fritz said the paper’s goal should be “ultimately to please the student body.” While he acknowledged there were always two sides to every issue, he said The Texan should present only “the proper one.” Lanham wrote most frequently about the extracurricular topic that was most important to the University community—football.
Congressman Lanham wore many hats throughout his successful life as a student and alumnus. He was an author, newspaper editor, and playwright and founder of The Alcalde, the alumni publication of the University of Texas, one of the most successful and widely circulated publications of its kinds today.
Fritz had deep ties to Texas history and politics. He was one of eight children of Samuel and Sara Lanham. His father, Samuel Lanham, served as the 22nd Governor of the State of Texas and as a United States Congressman from Texas. It was Fritz’s father, while serving as Texas governor, who convinced him to take a year off prior to attending law school and serve as the governor’s personal secretary. It was Fritz’s introduction into the word of politics.
In 1919, Lanham won a special election to Congress in Texas’s 12th congressional district (encompassing Fort Worth and Weatherford), succeeding fellow Democrat James Clifton Wilson, who resigned to accept a federal judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
