Bulletin May/June 2020
Congratulations 2020 Law Day Honorees
Michael P. Heiskell Blackstone Award
Justice Sue Walker Silver Gavel Award
Katherine T. Hopkins Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
Rick G. Sorenson Professionalism Award
Gregory W. Monroe Outstanding Mentor Award
Steve Laird
Steve Laird is one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Texas* There’s a Reason
It takes years to establish a good reputation Handling Personal Injury Wrongful Death & 18-Wheeler Cases *Texas Super Lawyers, Top 100 (2005-2013, 2015-2019) - Thomson Reuters
Now One of Only 9 Texas Lawyers Board Certified in Truck Accident Law by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.
l aw
O ffi ces
o f
S t e v e n C . L a i r d, P. C . 817.531.3000
1119 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, FORT WORTH, TX 76104
www.texlawyers.com
President’s Page
A
Unity Is Our Strength
s I write my last president’s page for the 2019-2020 bar year, this proverb comes to mind: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”1 What those words have always meant to me is that a true “brother” (or sister) sticks with you when adversity strikes because that is what famby JOHN CAYCE ily does. We prove that we care about our friends and colleagues when times are bad. In the last bulletin, I praised our bench and bar as the “greatest on earth.” This praise rings more true today than ever before. In nearly 40 years as a member of the legal profession, I have never witnessed such unity and comradery among my colleagues. In fighting to overcome the Covid-19 crisis, the Tarrant County bar proved that it is “family” in the true sense of the word, and I could not be more proud, or feel more blessed, to be a part of it. I am confident that with the united strength of our membership, we will transcend the present difficulties that the Covid-19 pandemic has presented and emerge from the crisis even stronger. Of the countless volunteers who deserve our gratitude for going above and beyond in helping others during this crisis, a very special thanks goes to the members of the TCBA Covid-19 Task Force. The TCBA Board of Directors created the task force to identify and assess the needs of the legal profession, TCBA members, and the public arising from the Covid-19 pandemic; make recommendations to address those needs; and help mobilize relevant TCBA committees, volunteer lawyers, and other legal professionals to implement those recommendations. Since late March, the task force members led by co-chairs Kim Naylor and Nick Bettinger have been fulfilling that mission by meeting each week, and, with input from many of you, provising invaluable resources and guidance to the legal profession and the public. I also want to thank the extraordinary TCBA staff for the important work they have done remotely to make sure that the business of the TCBA continues despite the pressures and challenges created by the pandemic. Megan talks more about this effort in her message on page 3. Needless to say, nothing we have achieved as an organization over the last several weeks could have been done without the able assistance of the TCBA staff. One of the disappointing consequences of the Covid-19 crisis was the postponement of our Bench Bar Conference to August 27–30. But thanks to the hard work and resilience of our Bench Bar Committee led by Steve Laird, I expect that
the program be as good, if not better, than originally planned. More information about the conference will be forthcoming in the days ahead. Another unfortunate result of the crisis is the postponement of the annual Law Day Dinner. In addition to honoring our distinguished award recipients, we had hoped to celebrate the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. The show will go on in some form at a future date. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please email Law Day committee chair Joe Cleveland, or Megan at megan@tarrantbar.org. And, congratulations to each of our award recipients. Well deserved! Despite the challenges that Covid-19 has presented, this has been an incredibly successful bar year with so very much to be thankful for. For example: • After its formation last year, the Law & Civics Committee has provided a number of resources to help us all better inform the public about the role of the judiciary and what we can do to protect its independence. The committee, chaired by Judge R.H. Wallace, boldly spoke out against the attempts of a prominent political advocacy group to influence our local judiciary when making a difficult administrative decision affecting CPS cases. The committee’s statement is published on page 7 of the March/April bulletin. • The Elder Law Committee, chaired by Lori Varnell, updated the Elder Law Handbook. The updated version will be distributed throughout Tarrant County. This is a valuable resource to our community that is routinely requested by the public. Many thanks to the Elder Law Committee for their tireless work on this important project. • The upgrades to the TCBA website and membership database have finally been completed. Among other benefits, the upgrades include many new features to help you track your TCBA involvement, committee and section happenings, and upcoming TCBA events and CLE. The website will also allow you to access and exchange information with other members and search a member directory by area of practice. One of the many rewards of being bar president is the opportunity to work with an amazing board of directors. I am going to miss that more than anything. Come July, I will be passing the President’s Gavel to my good friend, Gary Medlin (hopefully in person). It has been a joy and privilege to work alongside him and the other TCBA officers and directors. In closing, I mentioned in my first president’s page how our volunteers’ commitment to service has been the key to keeping the TCBA “vibrant and strong.” I cannot imagine a bar year when that spirit of volunteerism was more evident, or more important. Together we did make a difference. Our unity was, and will continue to be, our greatest strength! I look forward to seeing each of you face-to-face very soon! g __________________ 1 Proverbs 17:17 (NIV).
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 1
Contents
21
Features 13 25 30 32
Law Day 2020 TCBA Forms Covid-19 Task Force
Departments 1 President’s Page 4 Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans 5 Calendar of Events 6 100 Club 8 Vendor List 9 Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services 10 Judicial Profile - Conner v. Tarlton 12 Lawyers on the Move & in the News 12 Membership Report 19 LegalLine 20 Benefits of Membership 26 Wellness Connections Committee 28 Snippets
817.338.4092 ▪ Fax 817.335.9238 website: www.tarrantbar.org email: tcba@tarrantbar.org
2019–2020 Officers President................................................John Cayce President-Elect...................................Gary Medlin Vice President...............................Kimberly Naylor Secretary-Treasurer..................Karen Denney
New Site & New Features Covid-19 Community Page
Tarrant County Bar Association
33
Directors Term Ends 2020
Director.........................................Cody Cofer Director.................................Veronica C. Law Director..............................................Lu Pham
Term Ends 2021
Director..............................Sherry Armstrong Director.............................Katherine Hopkins Director......................................Scott Lindsey
2019–2020 Appointed Directors Appointed Director..........................Sue Allen Appointed Director......................Steve Hayes Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association Fall 2019 President....................Martin Garcia Fall 2020 President..................Andrea Palmer
Immediate Past President..................Lance Evans Executive Director..........................Megan Cooley Ex-Officio Members State Bar of Texas Director.......................................Steve Naylor Director................................Jason C.N. Smith Bar Bulletin Editor..............................................John F. Murphy Graphics/Production..................Elizabeth Banda
Advertisers' Index
Autumn Ridge Counseling and Wellness......................11 BPW Law....................................................................27 Deborah Adame...........................................................8 Dispute Resolution Services.........................................24 Edward Jones.............................................................18 Juris Fabrilis...............................................................25 Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C.......Inside Front Cover LawPay..................................................................24 Parker Law Firm.........................................................22 Pyke & Associates, P.C..................................................7 Stephens Law.............................................................23 Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange.............................11 Tindall Square Office Complex.....................................8 2 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
The Tarrant County Bar Bulletin is a bi-monthly publication of the Tarrant County Bar Association. Articles, photos, suggestions or comments should be directed to: elizabeth@tarrantbar.org 1315 Calhoun Street ▪ Fort Worth, TX 76102-6504 Deadline for submission: December 1........................................January/February February 1...................................................March/April April 1...............................................................May/June June 1.............................................................July/August August 1..........................................September/October October 1.....................................November/December Articles published in the Bar Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Tarrant County Bar Association, its officers or the Board of Directors. Advertisements and feature articles should not be considered an endorsement of any service, product, program, seminar or event.
W e l l ne s s C on n e ct i o n s Co m m i t t e e
We Are in This Together
By Megan Cooley, Executive Director
hen I sat down the other day to write this HOW THE TCBA CAN HELP
W
message, I felt like I was living in a different world than almost eight weeks ago. We all continue to adapt our lives to the challenges of living and working during the Covid-19 public health crisis. Every day brings new developments and lessons to learn. Some things, however, remain the same. In a good way. More than ever, we find comfort in our diverse communities, including our neighborhoods, churches, schools, friends, or hobbies. Our professional community is also invaluable right now. Many of us are working in new ways and navigating the rapidly changing environment in order to support our staff, clients, and the public. It’s simply too much to do alone. Thankfully, the legal profession can support each other and the public through the Tarrant County Bar Association. It is a community unique to our profession that is here to help all of us weather the storm together.
WHAT THE TCBA IS DOING
Like many of you, TCBA staff is working remotely to ensure the safety of our members and the public. We look forward to resuming our day to day activities in the Bar building, and TCBA’s Board of Directors and leaders are planning the coordination of that effort in a safe manner consistent with local policies and relevant recommendations and guidelines. Even from home, TCBA’s staff, leaders, members, and volunteers have managed to respond to the crisis to help its members and the public. • TCBA’s new Covid-19 Task Force quickly responded to feedback from our legal profession by distributing guidance on issues and questions surrounding the practice of law. The Task Force also organized programs to help members learn new necessary skills, including Zoom training for hearings, a mock remote hearing, and a webinar on tips for remote work. This Bulletin highlights the work done to date by the task force. • TCBA quickly developed a remote LegalLine call-in service for the public; volunteer attorneys have overwhelmingly responded by answering legal questions by the public from their homes. LegalLine was held every week in April. • In conjunction with the Covid-19 Task Force, volunteers have also put together FAQ’s for the public on common issues encountered in family, employment, landlord/tenant and bankruptcy law. Thank you to Antonio Allen, Nick Bettinger, Brad Dowell, Michael McBride, the Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association, and Shannon Pritchard—President of the Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association—for their time and input.
As it has done over the years, TCBA stands ready to help the legal profession navigate the current challenges and adapt to changes to the profession. TCBA will continue to provide the platform for members to learn from each other and support each other – the platform will just look different right now in light of today’s environment. TCBA, for example, has adapted to connecting its members by hosting CLE webinars and Zoom meetings for sections and committees. TCBA’s officers and directors are leading the organization in this new manner as well.
TCBA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT
It’s hard to believe that the 2019–2020 bar year is almost over in June. I am proud of the many projects, events, and programs that TCBA members and volunteers have accomplished over the year. In early May, TCBA will begin its dues-renewal outreach to members. We know that this is a challenging and uncertain time for many of you, and we appreciate your support by maintaining your bar membership. TCBA’s dues revenue is the primary way that TCBA provides its programming for the legal profession and community. By renewing your dues and encouraging your colleagues do the same, you are supporting TCBA, its mission, and its ability to connect and strengthen our legal community. It’s an investment that we believe will bring value to your own professional development, as well as the community as a whole. g
TCBA STAFF
THANK YOU FOR A GREAT BAR YEAR!
From the TCBA Staff Anne, Carolina, Elizabeth, Kayla, Lauren, Megan, Rae, and Sherry MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 3
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
Tarrant County Chapter
Help a Veteran by a Remote Legal Consultation
O
ver the last two months the TLTV clinics have looked different than they have over the past 10 years of the program due to the worldwide public health emergency. Upon the declaration of the pandemic, TLTV switched from the regular in-person legal advice clinics to an entirely virtual model for March and April. In the remote clinic, volunteer attorneys receive the information electronically on a rolling basis. They then reach out to the veteran or spouse of a deceased veteran at the attorney’s convenience based on when the applicant is available. The volunteer attorney provides 30 minutes of free legal advice to the applicant. TLTV needs more attorneys to volunteer to do these phone consultations. If the applicant is 200% or more below the federal poverty line, TLTV will attempt to place the case with a volunteer attorney. There has been difficulty recently placing family law, tax, and probate cases. If you practice any of these areas, or any other area of law, and would like to assist a low-income veteran with their case or you have 30 minutes that you could devote to an applicant in need of legal advice via a phone consultation, please email kayla@tarrantbar.org. Thank you to those who volunteered for a TLTV Remote Clinic or accepted a pro bono case in the last two months: Kee Ables, The Law Office of Kee A. Ables Ola Campbell, Law Office of Ola Campbell, PLLC John Corbin, The Law Office of John J. Corbin Jonathan Fox, Fox Law Office Catherine Goodman, Catherine H. Goodman, PLLC Emily Goodman, TPG Global John Johnson, Johnson & Johnson Deborah Krane, Law Office of Deborah A. Krane Spencer Mainka, Pham Harrison LLP Mike McBride, J Michael McBride P.C. George Muckleroy, Sheats & Muckleroy LLP Lynn Rodriguez, Texas A&M University School of Law Legal Clinic Sarah Seltzer, Seltzer & Dally, PLLC Melissa Sircar, Sircar Law Office Melissa Wilks, Wilks Law Office, PLLC
4 www.tarrantbar.org
Kayla Dailey Pro Bono Programs Director
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
“Pro-bono legal services are especially needed during this pandemic, a period when a multitude of Americans have either been furloughed from their jobs or have been fired. With little financial means to support these individuals and their families, the least we as attorneys can do is provide them legal assistance without charging our customary fees.” —John Corbin, The Law Office of John Corbin “I think it would be a benefit for any of our Tarrant County lawyers to volunteer for TLTV because doing so meets several needs. First, you are meeting the needs of the Veteran with the legal problem, but you are also meeting your need to be of service to the community. My telephone interview with a veteran last week left me with a feeling that I was giving something back to my community, even if I only helped a little bit. By volunteering to talk with a veteran to try to help them, you are doing something good, even during this time of isolation. I would encourage anyone reading this to reach out to Kayla or Megan and volunteer to help the TLTV committee.” —George Muckleroy, Sheats & Muckleroy, LLP
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans
Tarrant County Chapter
Looking for ways you can support TLTV but unable to volunteer? Consider sponsoring a remote or in person clinic! Contact kayla@tarrantbar.org for more details.
Program & Events Update In light of CDC guidelines, local and statewide orders, and out of the interest of the safety of our the public and our members, TCBA will be postponing all scheduled programs and events through at least the end of May. The Bar Building is also closed to the public at this time. Live calls to the TCBA and LRIS are temporarily unavailable, but will be available again soon. In the interim, callers may leave a message, and TCBA staff will respond during office
hours as soon as possible. You may also reach the TCBA at tcba@tarrantbar.org. TCBA will be working proactively to reschedule the events and programming. Keep up to date on TCBA’s events–both virtual and live–by visiting the events pages on TCBA’s new website. Members and non-members may register for events online at these pages.
List View
Event View
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 5
Members of the 2019–2020
100 Club
*List Reflected Below is as of April 27, 2020 Adams, Lynch & Loftin, P.C Albert Neely & Kuhlmann, LLP Allmand Law Firm, PLLC Anderson & Riddle, LLP Baker Monroe, PLLC Barlow Garsek & Simon, LLP Blaies & Hightower, LLP Bonds Ellis Eppich Schafer Jones, LLP Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. Brackett & Ellis, P.C. Broude, Smith, Jennings, & McGlinchey P.C. Brown, Proctor & Howell, LLP Bruner & Bruner, P.C. Cantey Hanger LLP City Attorney's Office - Fort Worth Cook Children's Health Care System Curnutt & Hafer, LLP Dawson Parrish, P.C. Decker Jones, P.C. Forshey Prostok, LLP Freeman Mills, P.C. Friedman, Suder & Cooke, P.C. Frost Bank Gardner & Smith, PLLC Gaydos Duffer, P.C. Griffith, Jay & Michel, LLP Harris, Finley & Bogle, P.C. Harrison Steck, P.C. Haynes and Boone, LLP Holland, Johns & Penny, LLP Hutchison & Stoy, PLLC Jackson Walker, LLP JP Morgan Chase Bank K&L Gates
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP KoonsFuller, P.C. Law, Snakard & Gambill, P.C. Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Lively and Associates, PLLC McDonald Sanders, P.C. Mellina & Larson, P.C. Moses, Palmer & Howell, LLP Murphy Mahon Keffler & Farrier, LLP Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, PLLC Nelson Bumgardner Albritton, P.C. Noteboom Law Firm Padfield & Stout, LLP Pham Harrison, LLP Phelps Dunbar, LLP Pope, Hardwicke, Christie, Schell, Kelly & Taplett, LLP Second Court of Appeals Seltzer & Dally, PLLC Sharen Wilson, Criminal District Attorney’s Office Stephens, Anderson & Cummings, LLP Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP The Blum Firm The Colaneri Firm, P.C. Thompson & Knight, LLP Udeshi Law Firm, PLLC Underwood Law Firm, P.C. U.S. Trust, Bank of America Varghese Summersett, PLLC Watson, Caraway, Midkiff & Luningham, LLP Weaver and Tidwell, LLP Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz, PLLC Whitley Penn, LLP Wick Phillips Winstead, P.C.
100 Club
To be eligible for the 100 Club, any law firm, government agency, law school, or corporate legal department that has four or more members and attains 100% TCBA membership compliance for the 2019–2020 bar year qualifies for the “100 Club.” The firms/organizations listed (above) have already paid their membership dues and qualify for 100 Club mem-
bership for the new bar year. Any firm/organization that qualifies in the future will have its name published in every issue of the Bar Bulletin for this bar year. TCBA is proud of the participation of these law firms and other groups. The new bar year began on July 1; if you have not paid your renewal invoice, contact the TCBA at 817.338.4092. g
Save the Date Est.
1994
Annual Blood Drive
AUGUST 27-30, 2020
The annual Blood Drive has been postponed and will be rescheduled for the summer. More details will provided.
HORSESHOE BAY RESORT
Please mark your calendars for the new dates. More details to follow.
MAY/JUNE 2020
â–ª TCBA BULLETIN 7
Member Benefits Vendor List
TCBA members may take advantage of discounts provided by the following vendors: ABA Retirement Funds Program provides full-service 401(k) plans to benefit the legal community. To learn more, contact local rep. Jacob Millican at 817.451.5020 or visit www.abaretirement.com. AMO Office Supply offers TCBA members the lowest price guaranteed on office supplies, with next-day delivery and free shipping! Call 800.420.6421. Falcon Document Solutions offers discounts on copying, litigation displays, trial boards, etc. Call 817.870.0330. Fort Worth JSB Co., Inc., offers a 10% discount to TCBA members on printed material - business cards, letterhead, envelopes, business forms, brochures, flyers, and more. For a quote, call 817.577.0572. Fort Worth Zoo discount tickets - $11.00 adult, $8 for child or senior. For tickets, contact anne@tarrantbar.org or 817.338.4092. If mailing or charging tickets, add 50 cents. UPS - TCBA has signed an agreement with UPS for TCBA members to receive discounts on shipping. The discounts vary according to the type of shipment, so check out UPS
Space For Lease in the historic
Tindall Square Office Complex in Downtown Fort Worth
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Parking available Up to 10,000 square feet of office space available with rates starting at $19.50 psf. Current office tenant base includes attorneys, private investment firms and accountants. Executive suites for attorneys available, call for details. Secure record storage facility conveniently located on site with rates as low as $120/month Within walking distance to local restaurants and Sundance Square Office Space and Record Storage Space Available Immediately
Contact Debara Herring ■ 682.316.2072 dherring@rochester-group.com 500 East 4th Street, Suite 175 ■ Fort Worth, Texas 76102
8 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
for your needs at www.ups.com or 1.800.PICK.UPS. For IT Help: Juris Fabrilis - Cool Tools for Lawyers offers members discounted rates on web-based tools to help you manage your law practice. 817.481.1573 ext. 101. For Shredding and Document Disposal: Magic Shred is a secure shredding business that shreds your documents on-site. Magic Shred offers a 10% discount to TCBA members. Call the TCBA office for details. Expanco is N.A.I.D. AAA-Certified document destruction service offering 40% off to TCBA members. Mention your TCBA membership when scheduling an appointment to receive this discount on your invoice. Thomson Reuters Exclusive TCBA offer of 10% off Firm Central subscriptions to Bar members* Please contact Amanda Olson, your local Account Executive, for more information at: Amanda.Olson@tr.com. g
Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services TVAS Clinics are Postponed, but You Can Volunteer for LegalLine and Legal Answers
A
t the beginning of March, TVAS and Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas (LANWT) partnered to present a training for the latest addition to the TVAS clinics – Driver’s License Restoration. LANWT staff attorney Brettney Moore presented to 25 attendees, including lawyers, paralegals, and law students.
accepting volunteers for the June 4, 2020 Uncontested Divorce Clinic. For more information about any of these clinics, email kayla@tarrantbar.org. TVAS has had many clinics postponed due to Covid-19. The following clinics have been postponed with dates to be announced as soon as possible: • March 24 Driver’s License Clinic sponsored by Varghese Summersett • March 31 Morris Women’s Shelter Clinic sponsored by Kelly Hart • April 9 Gatehouse Wills Clinic sponsored by Kelly Hart • April 28 True Worth General Advice Clinic
We will be postponing the in-person clinic but assisting with driver’s license restorations remotely. TVAS is accepting attorney volunteers for its upcoming HEROES Wills Clinic; here attorneys volunteer to draft a simple will and end of life documents for a veteran, spouse of a veteran, or spouse of a deceased veteran. TVAS plans for this clinic to occur remotely. TVAS is also
TVAS plans to reschedule these clinics as soon as the shelter-in-place is lifted. The True Worth Place Legal Resource Center has also been postponed and is hoping to launch sometime late summer. For now, TVAS attorneys are volunteering with TCBA LegalLine to provide 10-20 minutes of free legal advice to those in need. For more information, check out the page 19 of the Bulletin. g Kayla Dailey Pro Bono Programs Director
Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans Tarrant County Chapter
Thank you to Kelly Hart for sponsoring June’s Free Legal Advice Clinic For Veterans.
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 9
Judicial Profile
By Perry Cockerell, Perry Cockerell, P.C.
Conner v. Tarlton: The race for Chief Justice in 1898
N
ot much is written about the 1898 race between Benjamin Dudley Tarlton and Truman Conner for Chief Justice of the Second Court of Civil Appeals. Truman Conner Benjamin D. Tarlton Why did District Judge Conner from Eastland County decide to challenge Chief Justice Tarlton, who was completing his first term as the court’s first chief justice, and how was Conner able to unseat the incumbent Tarlton? Tarlton had been appointed by the governor, had written over 400 opinions, and had served honorably. Conner won the Democratic nomination in 1898, and Tarlton retired from the court. How did this happen, and why couldn’t Tarlton serve a second term? The answers to these questions might be in 1898 newspaper articles from the Fort Worth Morning Register, but that year is missing, and there is no hardcopy or microfilm available. Recently I asked a local researcher to search the microfilm of Texas newspapers in 1898 for any information on the race. The researcher found two articles that shed light on the race. One was dated January 30, 1898, from The Dallas Morning News, and the other was dated May 20, 1898, from The Albany News. Before jumping into the articles, let’s look at the background prior to the race. B.D. Tarlton came from a wealthy, educated, and religious family that settled in 1848 in St. Mary’s Parish, Louisiana. He became a licensed attorney in 1872 in Louisiana after graduating from the University of Louisiana. In 1874, Tarlton ran for the Louisiana Legislature and lost his first race for public office. That same year his family moved to Waxahachie, Texas. B.D. followed them to start over and look for work. By coincidence during the period 1874–1877 when Tarlton arrived in Waxahachie, he was one of three young attorneys destined to become future chief justices on one of the Texas courts of civil appeals. Tarlton was the first chief justice of the Second Court of Civil Appeals in 1892. The second was Anson Rainey, who became an associate justice in 1893 and chief justice of the Fifth Court of Civil Appeals in Dallas in 1900. The third was Truman
10 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
Conner, who became chief justice of the Second Court of Civil Appeals in 1899, following Tarlton. Conner was born in Indiana and grew up in Ellis County. After graduating from law school, Conner studied briefly with Anson Rainey in Waxahachie but left in 1877 to follow his family, who moved to Eastland to purchase a farm. Conner took a job in Eastland and eventually became the district judge in Eastland County. Tarlton left Waxahachie in 1875 and moved to Hillsboro to practice law with Jo Abbott, a leading attorney and State Representative who became the district judge and U.S. Congressman. Tarlton served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives. In 1888 he decided to run for the judge of the 28th District Court but lost to J.M. Hall. In 1891 Governor James Hogg, being impressed with Tarlton, appointed him to the Texas Commission of Appeals. But Tarlton served a short time because the court was disestablished in 1892 in favor of three courts of civil appeals. Governor Hogg appointed Tarlton as Chief Justice and Isaac W. Stephens and Henry O. Head as associate justices to the new court. Tarlton sold his home in Hillsboro and moved his family to Fort Worth. It would prove to be a fateful decision. In August 1892 the newly appointed justices on the Second Court of Civil Appeals were nominated at the Democratic Convention in Dallas and in November of that year were elected to a six-year term on the court. In 1895 Justice Head chose to step down from the Second Court and return to private practice in Sherman, Texas. This created a vacancy on the court for a governor’s appointment. District Judge Truman Conner wanted the appointment, but Governor Culberson chose Sam Hunter, an attorney from Fort Worth, for the position and told Conner that his day would come. In April 1897, the Tarltons lost their daughter, Mary E. Tarlton, at the age of 17. Her funeral was at St. Patrick Cathedral in downtown Fort Worth. They buried their daughter in Oakwood Cemetery in Fort Worth. In January 1898, a Dallas Morning News article reported that Conner was planning to run against Tarlton in the Democratic primary. In May 1898, The Albany News reported: “It is a fact, that Governor Culberson would have appointed T.H. Conner to succeed Judge Head, had not Fort Worth entered the fight, and to reconcile the differences, Gov. Culberson appointed Judge Hunter[.] [W]e believe that had not Fort Worth sent in a candidate, Judge Conner would have carried off the prize.”
By the time of his sixth year in public office, Tarlton was part of Fort Worth. His family had moved there, and they buried their daughter in the city. Conner represented the resistance and would not be stopped. The Conner forces began securing commitments from delegates to the Democratic convention to cast their votes for him from across the court’s 118 counties. The race between Conner and Tarlton was touted as a battle between Fort Worth and the outlying western and northern counties that were referred to as the “Fort W. & D.C. section” and the “Texas & Pacific section.” Tarlton and friends made visits across the judicial district and wrote letters to convince the delegates that Tarlton was one of them because he was from Hill County. The Albany News slammed the effort: “The Fort Worth people know that Judge Tarlton is a resident of their place and they are working for him—his old county has no interest in the race at all.” In July 1898, one month before the Democratic Convention in San Antonio, Conner went public and claimed victory by announcing that he had secured 114 votes for his nomination while Tarlton had secured 62 votes. The number of delegates needed to nominate was 99. A large gathering was expected at the Democratic Convention in San Antonio in August 1898 to deal with the contested judicial race, but rather than face a potential clash at the convention floor and a possible third defeat for a public office, Tarlton chose to withdraw his nomination and allow Conner to be elected by acclamation. Tarlton took his defeat honorably and returned to private practice in Fort Worth, became part owner of a title company, and practiced law across the state. In 1904, Tarlton was elected the first president of the Tarrant County Bar Association and was named professor at the University of Texas Law School in Austin. Tarlton departed Fort Worth with numerous accolades and honors, including a dinner complete with an orchestra and tributes from local bar association luminaries such as Justice Hunter, who presided as toastmaster, and attorneys such as Samuel Benton Cantey and R.W. Flournoy. An important public figure was leaving Fort Worth. His defeat appeared to have nothing to do with his work or his credentials but was the result of the fickle political winds governing the selection of Texas judges. Tarlton endorsed Conner in his re-election to the court. For the next fifteen years, Tarlton taught real estate and marital property law at the University of Texas until his untimely death of pneumonia after he assisted hurricane victims in the storm that ravaged Corpus Christi in September 1919. Conner and the other civil appeals justices were honorary pallbearers at Tarlton’s funeral at St. Patrick Cathedral in Fort Worth. Tarlton was buried in Fort Worth at Oakwood Cemetery, next to his daughter. Conner served honorably as Chief Justice on the Second Court for the next 34 years and died in 1933. He was buried in Eastland. g
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 11
Welcome New Members of the TCBA: ATTORNEYS Deanna Belknap James R. Clarke Zachary S. Cooper Landon J. Dickerson Ryan Dobbs Diego Esparza Brian M. Evans Claris Fanka Anne Elizabeth Grady Taylor S. Haley Brian E. Hawthorne Angela Hough Lee. B. Hunt Stacy Jewett Amber S. Jones Raymond Lee Joshua Lewellyn Bailey Michell Joseph Minton Dylan Morgan Kimberly Neighbors Kaitlyn Newcomb Kevin R. Novak Mark Albert Richman Daniel Ryan Lani P. Sandu Lauren K. Smith Kenneth Spears Lindsey M. Tanner Ryne Thacker Tesch E. Ussery
STUDENTS Moses Akongnui Samantha Eliiot Faith Lee Heather Phillips
ASSOCIATES Laura McWhorter
12 www.tarrantbar.org
Lawyers on the Move & Lance B. Metcalf, JD, MBA, CPA, has joined Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz PLLC, as of February 27, 2020. Metcalf is a graduate of Angelo State University (BBA in Accounting), Texas Tech University (MBA), and Baylor University School of Law (JD). Metcalf practiced public accountancy in Texas for nine years and has practiced law in Texas since graduation from Baylor School of Law in 2001. Metcalf ’s legal experience includes commercial litigation, real estate, franchise, and business planning and transactions (including mergers and acquisitions, entity formation and structuring).
in the News
Megan Cooley, Executive Director of the Tarrant County Bar Association, has been appointed to the 2020– 2021 National Assocat ion of Ba r E xec utives (NABE) Board of Directors as the Local Bars Director, beginning July 1, 2020. g
If you are a TCBA member and would like to place an announcement in the Bar Bulletin, we would like to hear from you. Please submit information by email to elizabeth@tarrantbar.org.
Membership Report
I
n the midst of recent scheduling changes and office closures due to Covid-19 concerns, we at the TCBA are still working for you and continue to uphold our commitment of providing excellent service for your membership investment. While our calendar of events looks a little different than usual, rest assured that we are adapting with these changes and will keep you informed along the way. One of the many ways of ensuring you’re in the know will be to utilize your new and improved TCBA website member portal. As an effort to streamline your member experience, www.tarrantbar.org is looking better than ever! With your new MyTCBA personalized member portal, you’ll be able to renew your membership with ease, stay up to date with and register for upcoming events, and engage with your fellow committee and section members with the brand-new E-Community feature. To continue taking advantage of TCBA member perks and benefits, we encourage you to renew for the 2020–2021 TCBA Bar Year. The
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
upcoming membership term will run from July 1, 2020–June 30, 2021. Your renewal invoice will be emailed to you in May. To avoid losing your TCBA member benefits due to a lapse in membership, we encourage you renew early using your new MyTCBA member portal. If you have any questions regarding your membership investment, please email me at laurensc@tarrantbar.org and I’d be happy to help! Thank you for your continued support of TCBA and we hope to see you soon at one of our upcoming events! g Lauren St. Clair Membership Director
L
We look forward to celebrating the following Law Day Award Recipients at a future date. More details to come.
aw Day, May 1 annually, is a national day set aside to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process contribute to the freedoms that all Americans share. In Tarrant County, the Tarrant County Bar Association and the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association have traditionally celebrated this day by honoring and recognizing outstanding members of the bar and judiciary. These award recipients stand out in their service to our legal community and the community at large. The Blackstone Award has been given annually since 1963 and recognizes a legal career that exemplifies professional aptitude, integrity and courage. Michael P. Heiskell’s career has been this and more. The Silver Gavel Award recipient, Justice Sue Walker, has made a substantial and noteworthy contribution to the legal profession as a member of the judiciary.
Blackstone Award
Michael P. Heiskell
After Michael was born in Fort Worth, his parents moved to Pelham, Texas, where his father pursued a farm and ranch career while his mother taught school. Pelham is an African-American Historical Community located in Navarro County, having been settled in 1866 by recently freed slaves. Michael’s experience growing up in the country, with its attendant chores and duties in working the land and tending to horses, cattle and farm animals, provided a basis for his work ethic. He also was blessed with strong role models to emulate in his parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. His high school graduating class consisted of eight (8) individuals. After graduation at age 16, Michael attended Navarro College before eventually transferring to Baylor
The Professionalism Award is given to a member of the bar who has displayed outstanding professional conduct, which this year’s recipient, Rick G. Sorenson, has unequivocally displayed in her career. The Outstanding Young Lawyer Award recipient is given by the TCYLA and is given to a young lawyer who is recognized for their proficiency, service to the profession and service to the community. Katherine T. Hopkins has been active in TCYLA and has been involved with several community service programs. The Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes an attorney or judge who has demonstrated a commitment to mentoring young lawyers in the legal community. Gregory W. Monroe has been devoted to mentoring new attorneys and serving as an example in professionalism to them.
University. Thereafter, he attended Baylor Law School and graduated in the fall of 1974, becoming the first African-American to do so. During his last year at the law school he clerked for his law school Practice Court professor, Matt Dawson, at his office in Corsicana Michael’s first career position was as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney in Galveston County. He began as a juvenile prosecutor and worked his way to eventually becoming felony chief of the 122nd District Court. Michael’s jury trial experience ran the gamut from murder to drug possession and distribution cases. Michael’s next career move brought him to the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex where, in 1980, he was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. Though his primary duty station was in Dallas, he often ventured to Fort Worth to appear before U. S. District Court Judges David Belew and Eldon Mahon. Michael thoroughly enjoyed his prosecutorial duties and tried a variety of complex cases ranging from bank fraud to career criminal enterprise drug conspiracies. He was also able to travel internationally in
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 13
pursuit of his duties. Michael eventually decided to enter a partnership with the late William L. Johnson Jr., who was chief of the Civil Division of the United States Attorney’s Office, and Anthony W. Vaughn, an Assistant United States Attorney, also in the Civil Division. In January, 1984, the firm of Johnson Vaughn & Heiskell was born with its offices located at 815 Throckmorton Street in downtown Fort Worth. The firm thrived as a result of its representation of corporate entities and financial institutions, as well as varied individuals in both civil and criminal matters. Unfortunately, in 1987 William Johnson’s untimely death struck a blow to the firm, followed by Anthony Vaughn’s untimely death in 1992. Though his partners were no longer with him, Michael chose to keep the firm name to pay tribute to his late partners, and to the firm’s goodwill in the community. In addition, the firm had been joined in 1989 by retired State District Judge L. Clifford Davis of Criminal District Number Two of Tarrant County. Judge Davis’s reputation and skill brought a wealth of experience to the firm, and he became a mentor to Michael. By 1990, the firm had purchased a two-story office building in downtown Fort Worth and moved its offices to its location at 600 Texas Street. The move to this location, directly across the street from the federal courthouse, happened when Michael’s federal criminal practice was continually thriving along with his state practice. Heiskell and Davis eventually sold the building in 2007 and moved the firm to its current offices located at 5601 Bridge Street in Fort Worth. Michael’s state practice led him to defend capital murder cases, which resulted in keeping a number of clients off of death row. He has tried cases all over the state with successful results. Michael has also represented a number of high profile defendants in both his state and federal practice and is known as one of the “go-to” lawyers in the state. His clientele over the years have ranged from rapper and songwriter, “DaBaby”, to former Dallas County District Attorney Craig Watkins, to a Smith County Commissioner and Constable. Michael has been active in the Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, which led to his being elected its president in 1987–88. He is also active in the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCDLA”) which led to his election as its president in 1999. Michael has also proudly served as president of the L. Clifford Davis Legal Association. Michael is currently serving his second term of duty as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (“NACDL”) and serves on its White Collar Crime Committee and its Audit Committee. He was also honored to have been selected a member of the United States District Court, Advisory Committee for the Northern District of Texas from 1998 to 2008. During his tenure he became Chair of this prestigious committee. Michael was also selected to be a member of the Board of Trustees of the Texas Bar Foundation and eventually served on its Executive Committee. He has also served as a board member of the
14 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
Tarrant County Bar Association. As a renowned CLE speaker, Michael has presented annually at the State Bar of Texas’ Advanced Criminal Law Course and is serving his fourth consecutive year as the director of the Federal Session of that course. He is also a former course director for the State Bar’s Advanced Criminal Law Course, as well as a three-time course director for TCDLA’s Rusty Duncan Advanced Criminal Law Course held each summer in San Antonio. Michael has also presented to the State Bar of Texas’ Advanced Family Law Course on two recent occasions. Michael’s expertise in federal defense resulted in his selection as a speaker for NACDL’s Annual White Collar Crime Seminar in Washington D.C. over the years. He is scheduled to speak at this year’s NACDL’s federal drug seminar in October in Las Vegas. Michael has presented on a variety of topics ranging from “Jury Selection” to “Attorney Client Privilege Issues” to “Representation of High Profile Clients.” Michael has been rated as “AV Preeminent”—the highest possible rating in legal and ethical standards by Martindale-Hubbell for the past 20 years. In 2015 he was voted into TCDLA’s Hall of Fame. He has also been very active in community organizations. Michael previously served as president of the Women’s Haven of Tarrant County and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Fort Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce. Michael is married to his lovely wife, Anita, and they have four wonderful children, Marin, James, Michael, Jr. and Mason.
Silver Gavel Award
Justice Sue Walker
Justice Sue Walker grew up in Amarillo, Texas, where her father settled to join a cardiovascular and thoracic surgery practice. The oldest of three children born to Duncan and Jeannine Sutherland, Sue, her sister Pam, and her younger brother Bill enjoyed quintessential childhoods, attending public schools and playing sports.
After graduating from Tascosa High School in Amarillo, Justice Walker attended the University of Texas at Austin. She attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Speech Communications with high honors and graduated a semester early. During her free semester and before enrolling in Texas Tech University School of Law, Justice Walker indulged her love of the outdoors, attending Outward Bound in the Four Corners region of Colorado. At Texas Tech, Justice Walker met then third-year law student Carey Walker. Justice Walker married
Carey during spring break of her second year of law school; Carey hooded her at her law school graduation in 1986. Justice John Vance, then serving on the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas, had conducted interviews at Texas Tech seeking court briefing attorneys for the fall of 1986; he hired Justice Walker and three of her classmates to fill positions at the Dallas Court upon graduation. Justice Bill Stephens selected Justice Walker to serve as his briefing attorney. Justice Walker characterizes her clerkship with Justice Stephens and the Fifth District Court of Appeals as “extremely formative” of her career. “In addition to Justice Stephens, I am blessed to have had as early role models, and subsequently as friends, Chief Justice Craig Enoch, Justice James Baker, Justice Nathan Hecht, and Justice Ed Kinkeade. These individuals, each in their own way, greatly influenced my desire to possibly someday serve as an appellate court justice and my ideas on the work ethic and character traits required for judicial excellence.” After Justice Walker completed her clerkship in 1987, the Walkers moved to Arlington, Texas, where they have resided ever since. Justice Walker accepted employment practicing appellate law with the Fort Worth law firm of Keith & Wagner, P.C. In 1990, the Fifth District Court of Appeals invited Justice Walker to return to that court as a “central staff attorney.” She accepted. By serving in this capacity for five years, she learned the ins and outs of appellate motions practice, original proceedings, criminal and civil appellate law, and the more obscure “TRAPS” of the rules of appellate procedure. Justice Walker became Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and opened her own appellate practice boutique in downtown Fort Worth. She office-shared with fellow former Fifth District Court of Appeals briefing attorney and central staff attorney Dean Swanda. While practicing as an appellate solo practitioner, Justice Walker briefed, argued, and prevailed in appellate cases at the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, and at various appellate courts across Texas. In 2000, voters in the twelve-county area served by the Second District Court of Appeals elected Justice Walker to Place 5 on that court. She took office on the morning of January 1, 2001, amid a huge ice storm. Justice Walker was reelected twice without any opponent. Justice Walker is grateful to the staff attorneys and law clerks who worked with her through the years. “These attorneys helped me immeasurably from a work standpoint and a friendship standpoint: Alyssa Jurek, Lindsay Williams, Logan Simmons, Colin Benton, Teresa Neet, Rebecca Raper Mower, Patricia Byrne, Danielle Needham, Cameron Davis, Derek Montgomery, and Allison Clayton.” In Texas and locally, Justice Walker has participated in numerous extrajudicial activities. After maintaining her board certification for over twenty years, Justice Walker served on and was selected to Chair the Civil Appellate Board
Certification Exam Commission. Justice Walker participated in the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court and ultimately served as the organization’s Treasurer, Counselor, and President. The Texas Supreme Court named Justice Walker to its Task Force on Judicial Readiness in Times of Emergency. Justice Walker served on the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society Board of Trustees and also on the Tarrant County Bar Association Board of Directors. She is a Charter and Sustaining Fellow of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation, and a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow. Nationally, Justice Walker was nominated and elected in 2004 to the American Law Institute. She served as a faculty member of the NYU Law School and Institute of Judicial Administration New Appellate Judges Seminar, teaching and mentoring new state and federal appellate judges from across the United States. She is an ASTAR Science and Technology Fellow. Texas Tech University School of Law honored Justice Walker’s lifetime achievements by naming her as the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award. The Texas Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates selected her as Outstanding Jurist in 2012. In 2010, the Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association selected Justice Walker to receive the prestigious Charles J. Murray Outstanding Jurist Award. In recognition of Justice Walker’s “long and meritorious service to the Inns of Court and to the legal profession,” in 2009 the Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court elected Justice Walker to membership in its Serjeant’s Inn of the Dallas and Fort Worth Inns of Court. In her retirement, Justice Walker is grateful for opportunities to serve the Lord. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and is an avid tennis player.
Professionalism Award
Rick G. Sorenson
Though born at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina, West Texas is Rick Sorenson’s home, his roots. While Rick was growing up, his family moved through a West Texas circuit in conjunction with his father’s progressing through a career in the oil well servicing business. In almost clockwork fashion, and in usual stints of four years each, the Sorensons lived in Anson, Rule, Midland, and Colorado City, punctuated often with time on the farms of Rick’s grandparents in Haskell and Jones Counties. Lessons learned during those times from his parents and grandparents, and an array of teachers, coaches, mentors, neighbors, and friends, helped Rick develop a work ethic, perseverance, adaptability, and strength of character. Rick
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 15
said experiences gained from each of his early jobs held, whether the job was working on farms or ranches of family or friends, or working as a plumber’s helper/gopher, grocery clerk, state park employee, or roughneck/worm, you name it, resulted in valuable life lessons he still leans on today. After graduating from Colorado High, Rick attended Texas Tech University (Finance, 1974), followed by law school at The University of Texas Law School (1977). He worked as a law clerk at Pearce, Smith & Akin, in Austin, and the Gulf Oil Law Department in Houston, before coming to Fort Worth in 1977 as an associate at McDonald, Sanders, Ginsburg, Phillips, Maddox & Newkirk (now McDonald Sanders). When asked where he grew up, and after describing his West Texas upbringing, Rick will joke that he came back East to practice law. Rick comments that though members of his family had not graduated from college until his generation, his and his brother Tony’s going to college was always spoken of by his parents as being a given. At an early age Rick was intent upon becoming a lawyer. He said that his motivation was, in large part, his seeing, as a boy, examples of family and friends appearing to him to be intimidated by the legal process, seeing it as inaccessible, and unknowable in an adversarial way. Wanting to understand, to have access to knowledge, and to help open doors in productive ways have always been motivations. To Rick a particularly satisfying result of these motivations, coupled with what he describes as his good fortune of being raised to have a “can do” positive attitude and being equipped with a quality Texas education, has been helping friends and clients grow and along the way wrestling with and overcoming challenges, including those within the legal system. Rick said that he has always been motivated to use his abilities and experiences to sustain and improve our community, while treating everyone with respect. Rick came to Fort Worth with everything he owned in his canary yellow Opel GT (the “Mosquito”), to begin working at the firm with which he has now practiced for 40 years plus. Rick said his association with the men and women of McDonald Sanders has been a tremendous source of opportunity and a great place to learn his trade. “During my time with McDonald Sanders, my mentors have included outstanding lawyers, including Marcus Ginsburg, Robert Maddox, Olcott Phillips, Robert Newkirk, and Judge George Crowley,” Rick said. “These men, of diverse personalities, backgrounds, and practices, each helped teach me the importance of our each blending individual life experiences and legal knowledge with the skills of our profession earned over time, all with common sense (if you’ve got it) and purpose, and while enjoying the association with our fellow members of the Bar.” Though perhaps not as lofty as proverbs, adages shared that stuck with Rick include, “the best stress reliever is preparation”; when considering conflicts questions and bemoaning the fact that conflicts of interest often disqualify attorneys from representation, remember that “you can’t
16 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
kiss all the girls (or boys)”; and timely in the past and now, “a lawyer’s best job security is his (or her) reputation among his (or her) peers.” In his law practice, Rick has focused on real estate, oil and gas/energy, and corporate law, in and out of the court room, being Board Certified in Commercial Real Estate Law since 1993 and Board Certified in Civil Trial Law from 1993 to 2018. Rick is a Sustaining Life Fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation; a Sustaining Charter Fellow and Past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Tarrant County Bar Foundation; a TCBA Member; a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys; a member of the Texas Association of Bank Counsel, and a Charter Member of the national Electric Cooperative Bar Association. Rick became a partner at McDonald Sanders in 1981 and is President of the firm. Rick and his wife, Karyn, first met while he was a young lawyer at McDonald Sanders, and Karyn was a TCU student working part time at the firm. “Amazingly Karyn knew what she was getting into, marrying a lawyer, especially this lawyer, and, thankfully, still said ‘yes’,” Rick said. Karyn and Rick’s daughter Grace and their son Grant both live and work in Fort Worth; Grace in banking, and Grant practicing law with McDonald Sanders. In the community, Rick’s interest is in helping, especially when it comes to kids. Rick was a long-standing member of the Board (20+ years) and Past President, of Friends of Children, Inc. (Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth); served on the Board of Trinity Valley School as Board Member, Officer, and Chair of the Trustees Committee during a nine-year tenure; and is currently a member of the Cook Children’s Health Foundation, the Cook Children’s Facilities Committee, and the Cook Children’s Health Plan. When asked about a message he might consider sharing, Rick said “[He] would like to see us better communicate our profession’s commitment to service. Through improved communication we can improve the public’s understanding of the legal process, the courts, the attorneys as officers of the court, and both the benefits and essential nature of our legal system. The necessity of attorneys working together as part of the judicial system is a given. And, the good news is that from my standpoint, what I have seen over the years is the stellar character of attorneys, with almost no exceptions. In stressful times, with clients’ lives on the line, if not literally, certainly in an economic and emotional sense, I’ve watched attorneys consistently perform as advocates, with honesty and integrity, day in and day out. These traits are, in my opinion, standard in our profession, they exist now, and need to be nurtured and assured to continue, and communicated.” More simply said, ‘Keep up the good work and don’t be shy about it.’”
Outstanding Young Lawyer Award
Katherine T. Hopkins
Katherine Thomas Hopkins is a partner in the Bankruptcy and Business Reorganization Practice at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP. Katherine has demonstrated a commitment to community service, pro bono activities, and mentoring other young attorneys. She channels her unmatched energy toward devoting hundreds of hours serving the bar, pro bono clients, and coaching others, all while maintaining an active bankruptcy practice. Katherine was raised in the nearby town of Ennis. Katherine appreciates growing up in a small town, as it taught her the significance of hard work and dedication, as well as the golden rule of treating others the way you would like to be treated. At a young age, Katherine’s family instilled in her the importance of serving others, such as encouraging weekly participation in Meals on Wheels’ deliveries to less fortunate members of her community. Katherine received her undergraduate degree with honors from Texas Christian University. It was during her tenure at TCU, and based upon her interests in political science and theatre classes, that Katherine chose to pursue a juris doctor degree. With her parents’ encouragement, Katherine received her law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law. Katherine’s academic pursuits were always accompanied with serving her community and holding leadership roles in numerous organizations. Following graduation, Katherine served as a clerk for the Honorable Ronald B. King, Chief Judge of the United States Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Texas. Katherine immensely enjoyed her clerkship, the skills she gained during such, and the opportunity to view the practice of law from behind the bench. After her judicial clerkship in 2010, she joined Kelly Hart & Hallman as an associate in the firm's Bankruptcy/Business Reorganization Practice. In 2018, Katherine was honored to receive partner status with the firm. Katherine is actively involved as a member of both the Recruiting and Pro Bono Committees at Kelly Hart. Katherine’s commitment to bankruptcy law is evident by her professional affiliations. Katherine is currently the Secretary and Treasurer of the John C. Ford American Inn of Court. Notably, in the Ford Inn of Court, the commitment to serve in an officer role is a 10-year commitment. Katherine assists in organizing educational programming for Inn members and is charged with galvanizing current and potential members with Inn programs and events. Katherine also serves as the current president for the Dallas/Fort Worth
Association of Young Bankruptcy Lawyers (and previously served as prior president-elect, treasurer, and co-chairman of the Membership Committee). Katherine helps effectuate DAYBL’s mission of helping young attorneys advance their education and value in the industry through sponsored programs involving mentorship, communication, and networking. Katherine also enjoys her involvement with Tarrant County legal organizations through her current position as the Place 3 Director on the Tarrant County Bar Association’s Board of Directors. Previously, Katherine served in numerous board positions on the Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association (“TCYLA”), including president, as well as chair of the TCYLA Mentorship Program. As chair of the TCYLA Mentorship Program, Katherine mentored law students, coordinated legal and community events, and engaged students in service initiatives with local charities. Eager to provide insight on educational content, Katherine has served multiple times on the Northern District of Texas Bankruptcy Bench Bar Planning Committee. The committee helps with planning the conference’s educational programming. Katherine also served as chair of the Bankruptcy Section of the Tarrant County Bar Association. In doing so, she implemented continuing legal education programming and social activities for the section’s members. In addition to her professional outreach, Katherine is equally involved with several philanthropic organizations and initiatives, including serving on the MayFest, Inc. Board of Directors and with the Cliburn International Piano Competition. Katherine has been recognized throughout her career for her dedication to the practice of law as well as bankruptcy law. Katherine received the esteemed Romina L. Mulloy-Bossio Achievement Award from the State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Section in honor of her service as an outstanding young bankruptcy lawyer. She was awarded the John L. King Rookie of the Year Award, and also earned the top grade in the William J. Rochelle Chapter 11 Practice Course. Recently, Katherine was recognized by St. Mary’s University School of Law as an Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade, 10 under 10 Honoree. Katherine was also selected as one of 40 up-and-coming nation-wide attorneys to participate in a selective private mentorship program with federal bankruptcy judges at the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges. Katherine credits her success to her upbringing, which instilled in her a can-do spirit and a genuine desire to serve clients and community. Never losing sight of those values, Katherine is actively involved and has donated hundreds of legal hours supporting programs, including Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans and Texas Volunteer Assistance Services (TVAS) Family Law and Wills Clinics. Through TVAS, Katherine has represented indigent clients in matters concerning family law, estate planning, and divorce. Katherine fondly recounts her first trial—a pro bono divorce proceeding in which the respondent was incarcerated and petitioned
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 17
the court to appear and contest the proceeding (ultimately, Katherine’s efforts for her client were successful). In addition, Katherine organizes wills and estates clinics, as well as general advice clinics as part of her service on Kelly Hart’s Pro Bono Committee. Katherine embodies the notion that the measure of an individual's value is the contribution you make daily, whether it is at the office, for a client, or in the North Texas community and beyond. Katherine Hopkins has a passion for making a difference in all aspects of the legal field. She loves the law and is not afraid to put the time, energy, and resources into every client matter or firm initiative that crosses her desk. Katherine’s love for the law is only surpassed by the love for her husband, Travis, and her daughter, Maggie, who provide endless support of her career and community endeavors.
Outstanding Mentor Award
Gregory W. Monroe
Greg Monroe was born in Jasper, Texas, and grew up in Hardin, Texas. He graduated from Dayton High School in Dayton, Texas, and went on to the University of North Texas, where he graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Greg then earned his Juris Doctorate from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in 2007, where he graduated with honors. While in law school, he was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society and served as Vice Dean for Delta Theta Phi fraternity. After passing the bar, Greg began practicing at Morrison & Cox, LLP, then moved to Law, Snakard & Gambill, PC where he became partner, then later Murphy, Mahon, Keffler & Farrier, before forming Baker Monroe PLLC in 2015 with Chris Baker. Greg’s practice focuses mainly on commercial real estate and commercial lending related issues, representing many local community banks and local developers and property owners. Greg is a member of the Tarrant County Bar Association, the State Bar of Texas, the College of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association, and the Real Estate and Construction Law sections of the State Bar of Texas. He previously served as president of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association and chair of the Tarrant County Bar Real Estate Section. Greg is board certified in Commercial Real Estate law. In addition, Greg was named Outstanding Young Lawyer for Tarrant County in 2014, and has been named to the 40 Under 40 list by the Fort Worth Business Press in 2020. Greg has had many mentors in his life—from his
18 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
parents Gary and Jan, many teachers, including Randy Gunter, pre-lawyer bosses, including Mike Griffin and Michelle Jones, and as an attorney, Jeff Morrison, Ed Cox, and Burch Waldron, to name a few. Greg quickly learned that this job can’t be done without help and advice, and sought all of the help and advice he could during the early years (and even now). But one thing that is extremely important is to pay that forward, and help as many young lawyers and others seeking advice as possible. Greg has recently learned— and fully adopted—that the best advice comes from sharing past experiences and how those experiences relate to the problem or issue at hand. Over the last few years, Baker Monroe has hired more young attorneys, and Greg thoroughly enjoys working with these younger attorneys, and sharing experiences to help each one grow in their business. Greg is married to Elizabeth and they have three beautiful daughters. Greg has found fatherhood to be the ultimate mentorship. He hopes to never retire from that position. g
LegalLine Legal
T
hanks to the wonderful attorney volunteers for LegalLine, the TCBA held 4 remote LegalLines in April, and more than 160 people received legal advice through this model. You can join these volunteers by emailing carolina@tarrantbar.org for more information. LegalLine Chair Nick Bettinger explained, “A large percentage of our community have legal problems but cannot afford an attorney. Our LegalLine volunteers answer legal questions, provide simple advice, and refer callers to helpful resources. Most importantly, we give them peace of mind, for which they always express their appreciation. Being a volunteer and giving pro bono legal advice to those in need is one of the more rewarding aspects of our profession.” Thank you to these volunteers who volunteered for a remote LegalLine in April: Nick Bettinger, McDonald Sanders, P.C. Julie Camacho, Camacho Law Firm, PLLC
Upcoming LegalLine Dates
Ola Campbell, Law Office of Ola Campbell, PLLC Andrea Casanova, Law Office of Andrea Casanova Theresa Copeland, Law Office of Theresa Y. Copeland John Corbin, The Law Office of John J. Corbin Zoe Courtney, Law Offices of Zoe Courtney Brad Dowell, Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC Beth Edwards, Edwards Law, PLLC Kayla Harrington, Schneider Law Firm Sam Johndroe, Johndroe Law, PLLC Donald Kaczkowski, McDonald Sanders, P.C. Stuart Lumpkins, McDonald Sanders, P.C. Cynthia Maragoudakis, The Law Office of Cynthia Kent Maragoudakis, PLLC David Moss, The Law Office of David R. Moss, PLLC Scott Phillips, Phillips & King Lynn Rodriguez, Texas A&M University School of Law Karon Rowden, Texas A&M University School of Law Melissa Sircar, Sircar Law Office
• May 14, 2020 • June 11, 2020 • May 28, 2020 • June 25, 2020 MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 19
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
Follow us on social media Tarrant County Bar Association - Fort Worth @tarrantbar @tarrantcountybar
The Tarrant County Bar Association is comprised of over 2600 members and offers the best way to connect with the legal community in Tarrant County.
Membership benefits include: • • • • • •
Free and reduced cost CLE events offered through the TCBA’s 18 substantive law sections, Brown Bag CLE pass, and other CLE events. In addition, TCBA offers many of its CLE events online at a discounted rate for its members. Exclusive networking events, including Docket Calls, Women in the Law Luncheon, and the annual Bench Bar Conference. Professional development and law practice management programs, including free Transition to Practice seminars, technology classes, and mentorship opportunities. Access to discounts and free professional services, including free document shredding, a discount for Lawyer Referral & Information Services (LRIS) membership, and discounts on meeting space rentals at the TCBA. An online subscription to the Bar Bulletin, the TCBA’s bi-monthly magazine, and weekly emails detailing news and events in the Tarrant County legal community. Opportunities for community service at annual events like National Adoption Day, People's Law School, and the Blood Drive. The TCBA also provides pro bono volunteer opportunities at legal clinics through Volunteer Attorney Services (TVAS) and Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans- Tarrant County Chapter (TLTV).
Visit the website to learn more about all the great things the TCBA is doing for its members and the community. www.tarrantbar.org
We thank you for your continued support of our organization. We look forward to your renewal for the 2020–2021 bar year. Please contact Lauren St. Clair at the bar office at 817.338.4092 or by email at laurensc@tarrantbar.org.
Meet Our Covid-19 Co-Workers
Mr. Darcy
Bo Submitted By Janet Denton
“He’s annoyed I’m not paying more attention to him.” Submitted By Andrea Casanova
Submitted By Dana Manry
Maynard, Hector, and Big Eddie Submitted By Jennifer Covington
River Submitted By Kayla Dailey
Ripken
“He fell asleep after reading the family code.” Submitted By Whitney Vaughan
Submitted By Shelbie Bradley
Submitted By Bill Fitzgerald
Submitted By William Marple
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 21
22 www.tarrantbar.org
â–ª MAY/JUNE 2020
TCBA Election Results
2020-2021 Board of Directors Thank you to all of the candidates for participating in the election. PRESIDENT Gary Medlin PRESIDENT-ELECT Kim Naylor VICE PRESIDENT Karen Denney
22 YEARS OF COMPASSIONATE REPRESENTATION Serving You With Honor and Integrity
SECRETARY-TREASURER Lu Pham DIRECTOR, PLACE 4 Lynn Winter DIRECTOR, PLACE 5 John Lively, Jr. DIRECTOR, PLACE 6 Dana Manry
PERSONAL INJURY WRONGFUL DEATH TRIAL LAWYER
If you or someone you know
Elder Law Handbook
9th Edition (Spring 2020) Now Available The online version of the Elder Law Handbook is available on the TCBA website. Thank you to the Elder Law Committee for their work on the handbook: Lori Varnell, Chair William Catterton Karen Telschow Johnson Kathy Kelly Charles Kennedy
Katherine Kim Thomas Mastin Kathy Roux Elaine Ryan Cary Schroeder
At this time, hard copies of the Elder Law Handbook are not available, but will be available later in the year. g
need a serious personal injury or wrongful death lawyer, call Stephens Law to discuss how we can help.
Jason Stephens Trial Lawyer OFFICE: 817.420.7000 | FAX: 817.420.7777 Jason@StephensLaw.com 1300 S University Dr, Suite 406 | Fort Worth, TX 76107 StephensLaw.com
Licensed in Texas, Oklahoma & Colorado
MAY/JUNE 2020
â–ª TCBA BULLETIN 23
POWERING PAYMENTS FOR THE
Trust Payment
IOLTA Deposit
Amount
LEGAL INDUSTRY
The easiest way to accept credit card and eCheck payments online.
$ 1,500.00 Reference
NEW CASE Card Number
**** **** **** 4242
Powerful Technology
Powering Integrations
Developed specifically for the legal industry to ensure comprehensive security and trust account compliance
The payment technology behind the legal industry’s most popular practice management tools
Powering Law Firms
Powered by an Unrivaled Track Record
Plugs into law firms’ existing
15 years of experience and the only payment technology vetted and approved by 110+ state, local, and specialty bars as well as the ABA
workflows to drive cash flow, reduce collections, and make it easy for clients to pay
Proud Member Benefit Provider
24 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
ACCEPT MORE PAYMENTS WITH LAWPAY 877-388-0605 | lawpay.com/tcba
I
TCBA Forms Covid-19 Task Force
n response to the growing needs of our members and the public arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, the TCBA Board of Directors has created a special task force to identify and assess the needs of the legal profession, TCBA members, and the public arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, make recommendations to address those needs, and help mobilize relevant TCBA committees, volunteer lawyers, and other legal professionals to implement those recommendations. The current task force members are Angela Robinson, Mary Barkley, Joshua Ross, Nick Bettinger, and David Garza. Board liaisons are Gary Medlin and Kimberly Naylor. Judge David Evans of the 48th District Court and Presiding Judge of the 8th Administrative Judicial Region, will serve as judicial liaison to the task force. TCBA’s Covid-19 Task Force generally meets every Monday by Zoom conference call to discuss any questions or feedback received by the legal profession and community. The Task Force plans programs to help the community and legal profession. TCBA members may learn about the work of the Task Force through its weekly reports or by visiting the Task Force e-community on the TCBA’s website.
Resources available to the legal profession include: • A list of statewide and local orders, including orders from the Tarrant County judiciary; • Information about the operation of the courts during the Covid-19 crisis, resources for remote depositions and hearings, and tips on Zoom meetings and conferences; • Guidance from the Office of Court Administration on the scope and application of “essential services” to the legal profession; and • Wellness resources, including links to free exercise videos; • Links to free webinars covering Covid-19 and small business matters, and free law practice management resources. FEEDBACK, QUESTIONS, OR CONCERNS: If you have any suggestions, ideas, concerns, or hardships that you would like to share with the task force, please feel free to submit them to the task force members directly, or to Megan Cooley at megan@tarrantbar.org. g
http://www.tcyla.org/
We're Social | Follow Us
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association @TCYLA
If you need an application or meeting information, call 817.338.4092 or email laurensc@tarrantbar.org.
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 25
W e l l ne s s C on n e ct i o n s Co m m i t t e e
Attorney Wellness and Our National Emergency By Kate Casey, LPC, JD - Autumn Ridge Counseling and Wellness
I
n these difficult times, many are struggling with a shift in the level of certainty and control in their daily lives. Therefore, it is even more important to guard our physical and mental health so we can advocate for
ourselves and our clients. In an effort to maintain physical and mental health as well as our ability to be resilient, I encourage you to do the following: 1. Wash your hands! You know the drill—do it for yourself and our community. 2. Make healthy foods choices. 3. Stay hydrated but limit caffeine and alcohol intake. 4. Exercise regularly; it will help relieve stress and boost your immune response. 5. Sleep. If falling or staying asleep is a troublesome for you, make it your goal to rest. 6. As we are called to distance ourselves socially from others, get creative and find ways to connect with friends and family in a safe and meaningful way such as connecting via telephone, video chat, or email/ letter. Attorneys are prone to isolation, so don’t make a bad situation even worse. Better yet, reach out to each other!
26 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
7. Closely monitor your news consumption. Although it is available 24/7, it is not healthy to be exposed to it 24/7. You are in control of your consumption; choose reputable sources and limit your intake. 8. Take breaks and do something that makes you smile. 9. Maintain a routine as much as possible. Try your best to stick to your schedule for sleep, meals, exercise, meditation/prayer, and social interaction. Adhering to a routine gives our lives a measure of certainty and control which is especially helpful during daunting times. 10. If these tips don’t work for you, please reach out for help. Many mental health professionals are using telehealth platforms to meet you, literally, where you are, so help is available. g https://www.tlaphelps.org Call 1.800.343.8527 (TLAP) Text TLAP to 555888 • Wellness • Stress & Anxiety • Depression & Bipolar
• Suicide Prevention • Substance Abuse • Cognitive Decline
MAY/JUNE 2020
â–ª TCBA BULLETIN 27
Snippets
Co-Editor Judge Carey Walker, County Criminal Court No. 2
Civil and Criminal
by Judge Bob McCoy g County Criminal Court No. 3
ASK JUDGE BOB
Judge Bob, what is a “factor”? “Factoring” is defined as “the buying of accounts receivable at a discount” where “the factor, who buys them, assumes the risk of delay in collection and loss on the accounts receivable.” Id. Dakota Util. Contractors, Inc. v. Sterling Comm. Credit, LLC, 583 S.W.3d 199, 201 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2018).
MOSES’ AND NOAH’S MONTHLY PARAPROSDAKIAN
(a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous) You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
DANES’ QUOTE OF THE MONTH Moses
There are three faithful friends—an old wife, and old dog, and ready money. —Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richards’ Almanac
Noah
CRIMINAL ITEMS OF INTEREST 1. Law of Parties
A person is criminally responsible as a party to an offense if the offense is committed by his own conduct, the conduct of another for which he is criminally responsible, or both. A person is criminally responsible for an offense committed by another’s actions if, acting with intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense, he solicits, encourages, directs, aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense. The law of parties need not be pled in the indictment. Qualls v. State, 547 S.W.3d 663 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2018).
2. Jury Argument
Permissible jury argument falls into four distinct and limited categories: (1) summary of the evidence; (2) reasonable deductions from the evidence; (3) response to opposing counsel’s argument; or (4) plea for law enforcement. Even if an argument is improper, it will not constitute grounds for reversal unless the statements to the jury injected new and
28 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
harmful facts to the case, or were so extreme and manifestly improper that they deprived appellant of a fair and impartial trial. Stahmann v. State, 548 S.W.3d 46 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2018).
3. Probation Revocation
A trial court may revoke community supervision if the State proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant violated a condition of community supervision as alleged in the motion to revoke. Preponderance of the evidence means “that greater weight of the credible evidence which would create a reasonable belief that the defendant has violated a condition” of his community supervision. Carreon v. State, 548 S.W.3d 71 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2018).
4. Driving While Intoxicated
Under the statute that provides that the existence of a single prior conviction elevates a second driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) offense from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor, the existence of a single prior conviction for misdemeanor DWI is a punishment issue, not an element of the offense. Oliva v. State, 548 S.W.3d 518 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018).
5. Retrograde Extrapolation
On a charge of driving while intoxicated (DWI), evidence of a particular blood alcohol level may be relevant regardless of whether there is retrograde extrapolation testimony; breath or blood test results can be relied upon, even without retrograde extrapolation testimony, along with other evidence of intoxication, to determine whether a particular defendant was intoxicated at the time of driving. Ramjattansingh v. State, 548 S.W.3d 540 (Tex. Crim. App. 2018).
6. Search & Seizure
“A search incident to arrest permits officers to search a defendant, or areas within the defendant’s immediate control, to prevent the concealment or destruction of evidence.” The exception “places a temporal and a spatial limitation on searches incident to arrest, excusing compliance with the warrant requirement only when the search ‘is substantially contemporaneous with the arrest and is confined to the immediate vicinity of the arrest.’” Marcopoulos v. State, 548 S.W.3d 697 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2018).
7. Autopsy Photographs
When determining the admissibility under rule 403 for autopsy photographs, we consider the following factors: “the
number of exhibits offered, their gruesomeness, their detail, their size, whether they are in color or in black-and-white, whether they are close-up, whether the body depicted is clothed or naked, the availability of other means of proof, and other circumstances unique to the individual case. Paz v. State, 548 S.W.3d 778 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2018).
CIVIL ITEMS OF INTEREST 1. Comments from the Bench
Oral comments from the bench do not constitute findings of facts or conclusions of law. Sam Houston Elec. Coop. v. Berry, 582 S.W.3d 282, 288 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 2017).
2. Supersedeas Bond
“Supersedeas preserves the status quo of the matters in litigation as they existed before the issuance of the order or judgment from which an appeal is taken.” AME & FE Investments, Ltf. v. NEC Networks, LLC, 582 S.W.3d 294, 297 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2017).
3. Arbitration
Parties may expand an arbitrator’s authority beyond that provided by their written agreement. By submitting issues for an arbitrator’s consideration, parties may agree to arbitrate disputes that they were not otherwise contractually compelled to arbitrate. Miller v. Walker, 582 S.W.3d 300, 305 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2018).
4. Medical Malpractice
Part of the reason an expert report is not required for the vicariously liable party is that the elements of a Chapter 74 report relating to standards of care and causation cannot be applied to vicarious liability that is based on respondeat superior or partnership principles rather than direct allegations of negligence. Thilo Burzlaff, M.D., P.A. v. Weber, 582 S.W.3d 314, 325 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2018).
5. Mootness
“A case becomes moot if a controversy ceases to exist between the parties at any stage of the legal proceedings, including the appeal.” The mootness doctrine applies to a case in which a justiciable controversy existed between the parties at the time the case arose, but the live controversy ceased because of subsequent events. Ex parte Huerta, 582 S.W.3d 407, 410 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2018).
however, provides an exception: “Once the provisions of Rule 5 are met, the post office becomes a branch of the district clerk’s office for purposes of filing pleadings.” Milam, 891 S.W.2d at 2. The mailbox rule has five elements: The document must be (1) “sent to the proper clerk” (2) “by first-class United States mail” (3) “in an envelope or wrapper properly addressed and stamped” (4) “on or before the last day for filing” and (5) “received by the clerk not more than ten days tardily.” Chau v. Select Med. Corp., 582 S.W.3d 413, 418 (Tex. App.— Eastland 2018).
7. Default Judgment
For a default judgment to be properly rendered, the record must affirmatively show that, at the time default was entered, citation was properly served or the defendant waived service. Furthermore, a valid return of service constitutes prima facie evidence of the facts stated therein, i.e., service. Yet, there is no presumption that citation was properly issued, served, or returned. Should the record fail to affirmatively show that citation and its service and return were properly done in strict compliance with the rules of civil procedure, then not only is error apparent on the face of the record but also the attempted service is invalid. Le Nguyen v. Lopez, 582 S.W.3d 468, 471 (Tex. App.—Amarillo 2018).
8. Special exceptions
Special exceptions are used to challenge a defective pleading. Failure to obtain a timely hearing and a ruling on special exception waives the exceptions and does not preserve them for appeal. Davis v. Angleton Independent Sch. Dist., 582 S.W.3d 474, 481 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2018).
LEGAL QUOTE OF THE MONTH
Everyone complains of his memory, and no one complains of his judgement. —Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld
OLD NEWS
Those High-Powered Motorcycles Fort Worth hired its first motorcycle policeman on June 1, 1909, 19-year-old Henry Lewis, who drove a 5-horsepower Indian motorcycle. Lewis set up the city’s first speed trap in the 1100 block of West Seventh Street. On his first day, he caught more than two dozen motorists exceeding the 10-MPH speed limit. He quit for the day when he ran out of tickets. Lewis subsequently became police chief in 1933 and retired in 1937. g
6. Mailbox Rule
The mailbox rule does not extend the substantive limitations period; rather, it defines what constitutes “bringing suit” within the meaning of the statute. …Generally, “a document is ‘filed’ when it is tendered to the clerk, or otherwise put under the custody or control of the clerk.” The mailbox rule,
Follow us on Instagram @tarrantcountybar
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 29
New Site & New Features Below are some tips on how to use our new website and its user-friendly features to help make the most of your TCBA membership. Use your personalized dashboard (MyTCBA Page) to stay up to date on all TCBA news and upcoming events as well as section happenings and your membership subscriptions. If you’ve not already created a new login for the site, you can do so easily by visiting the website at www.tarrantbar.org and hovering over the Member Center button as seen below. You will be prompted to create new login credentials and once logged in, will have access to your MyTCBA page and other members-only features.
Click on the “Update My Profile” link as shown above and make sure to update any contact info we have on file. You can also add a picture for the Membership Directory and update practice areas to help you appear in a Membership Directory search. You can update your practice area(s) by clicking “Professional Information” on the Member Update Screen.
30 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
As shown below, your directory listing will display contact information as well as any committees, sections, or other TCBA groups you are involved with.
Another helpful tool for members is the eCommunity feature. Your current sections or committees will populate under the My eCommunities box on your MyTCBA Page. Simply click “View” next to the eCommunity you are wanting to view, and you will be taken to that eCommunity’s home page.
Once on the eCommunity’s homepage, you can view and share files within the eCommunity, see upcoming meetings and events, and view announcements for the eCommunity group. Continued on next page >
MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 31
TCBA is pleased to bring you a new website and resources that make it easier to stay connected. If you have any questions about the new website or have trouble logging in, please contact laurensc@tarrantbar.org for assistance. g
T
Covid-19 Community Page
CBA maintains a Covid-19 resource page for the public that contains legal aid resources, upcoming pro bono and LegalLine clinics, FAQ’s on landlord/ tenant, family, and employment law, and information about available community resources. There are many ways the legal profession can help the community during this crisis: • Participate in the Tarrant County Bar Foundation’s monetary drive to benefit Tarrant Area Food Bank (more details to follow soon); • Participate in the TCBA Blood Drive Committee’s blood drive this summer with Carter BloodCare; • Help a low income veteran by providing a remote legal consultation by phone. Contact Kayla Dailey for more information at kayla@tarrantbar.org;
32 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MAY/JUNE 2020
•
Volunteer to answer legal questions via TCBA’s LegalLine. LegalLine is partnering with Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services (TVAS) for remote LegalLines on certain Thursdays from 5–7 p.m. Attorneys can participate from their homes. Contact Kayla Dailey for more information at kayla@tarrantbar.org. g
2020 Court Staff Reception and Awards
Civil Courts
Sheila Jenkins | Court Coordinator 342nd District Court
Criminal Courts
Tommie LaRue | Court Coordinator 396th District Court
Family Courts
Daniel Bina | Court Coordinator 323rd District Court
2020 COURT STAFF APPRECIATION
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Federal/State Courts
Fleather Arnold | Courtroom Deputy U.S. District Court
Federal/State Courts
Rene Wallace | Deputy Clerk Second Court of Appeals
Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP Kirkman Law Firm, PLLC Patterson Law Group The Barrows Firm, P.C. Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, P.C. Harris Cook, LLP Greg Jackson Law McDonald Sanders, P.C. The Medlin Law Firm Thompson & Knight LLP Wick Phillips Gould & Martin, LLP The Clark Law Firm Law Office of Sherry R. Armstrong
Watson, Caraway, Midkiff & Luningham, LLP Harris, Finley & Bogle, P.C. Haynes and Boone, LLP Jackson Walker, LLP Law Offices of Jason Smith Moses, Palmer & Howell, LLP Parker Law Firm
36 www.tarrantbar.org
▪ MARCH/APRIL 2020
Roland K. Johnson Law Office of Lori A. Spearman, P.C. Justice Mike Wallach MAY/JUNE 2020
▪ TCBA BULLETIN 33
Bar Bulletin ▪ May/June 2020 Other Associations’ Tarrant County Bar Association Calhoun Street News & Information 1315 Fort Worth, TX 76102-6504 Arlington Bar Association
Meets on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. President, Jonathan Heeps. For location & information, email arlingtonbarassociation@ yahoo.com or call 682.738.6415.
PRESORTED STANDARD U. S. POSTAGE PAID FORT WORTH, TX
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
PERMIT 1807
Arlington Young Lawyers Association
For meetings and information, contact President Jane Fowler at 817.560.1878 or jane@janefowlerlaw.com.
Black Women Lawyers Association
For meetings and information, contact Judge Maryellen Hicks, President, at 817.451.7100 or hicks8776@sbcglobal.net.
Dee J. Kelly Law Library Welcomes Bar Members!
For the latest Texas A&M University School of Law library hours and information, please visit http://law.tamu.edu or call 817.212.3800.
Fort Worth Chapter Association of Legal Administrators
Meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the City Club, 301 Commerce Street, Fort Worth, 76102. For more information, contact Lisa Boyd at 817.339.2478 or LBoyd@BELaw.com.
Fort Worth Paralegal Association
General Membership Meetings are held at noon every 4th Thursday of the month at Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce. FWPA Board of Directors meets at noon every 1st Tuesday of the month at the Bar Center. For more information, go to www.fwpa.org.
L. Clifford Davis Legal Association
(f/k/a/ Tarrant County Black Bar Association) holds its meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00pm. For more information, contact President Angel Williams at 817.884.1830.
MABA (Mexican American Bar Association)
Meets on the last Thursday of each month with location to be announced. For more information, contact President Eloy Sepulveda at 817.332.1285.
Northeast Tarrant County Bar Association (NETCBA)
Meets for CLE luncheons on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at La Hacienda Restaurant, Hwy. 121. Contact President Cynthia Williams at 817.318.0523 or cynthia@cynthiawilliamslaw.com.
Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (TCCDLA)
If any of your contact information is incorrect, please submit the corrected information to the TCBA office at 817.338.4092, fax to 817.335.9238 or email to tcba@tarrantbar.org.
Classified Advertising NOTICE Classified Ads no longer appear in the Bulletin. They can be found on our website at www.tarrantbar.org.
Stay CONNECTED to Us
Meets every 2nd Thursday at Joe T. Garcia’s, 2201 N. Commerce. For more information, contact President Rose Anna Salinas at 817.624.9733 or roseannasalinas@aol.com.
Tarrant County Family Law Bar Association
Meets at noon on the 4th Tuesday of each month, with location to be announced. For more information, contact president Dana Manry of KoonsFuller PC at 817.481.2710 or dana@koonsfuller.com.
Tarrant County Probate Bar Association
Meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at the Petroleum Clubmembers free, guests $30. For more information, contact Jeffrey N. Myers at 817.877.1088 or jmyers@bwwlaw.com.
Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association
Meets on the 4th Wednesday of each month at Joe T. Garcia’s. For more information, contact Mike Freden at 817.726.1636.
Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association
The 2019–2020 TCYLA year began September 1, 2019. If you need an application or meeting information, call 817.338.4092, email laurensc@tarrantbar.org, or go to the website at tcyla.org.
Texas Association of Defense Counsel
This civil defense organization offers local lunches and happy hours, as well as CLEs geared toward the defense practice. Contact Brittani Rollen of McDonald Sanders at 817-336-8651 or visit www.tadc.org.
Tarrant County Bar Association - Fort Worth Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans - Tarrant County Chapter
Twitter @TarrantBar
@TLTVinTarrant
Instagram @TarrantCountyBar
@TVASFW