LegalLine

Patterson Law Group has been fighting for justice for accident victims across the state for decades. PLG attorneys are known for doing good for our clients while also doing good in the community. Patterson Law Group is proud to announce Allison Dickson is joining their team. Allison lives by the motto, “I don’t need easy. I just need possible.” Diagnosed with Werdnig-Hoffman Muscular Dystrophy when she was 15 months old, she was given only a year to live. Not only has she defied the odds and survived, but she has thrived! Not one to let physical limitations hold her back, she excelled academically and graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Southwestern University. From there, she was on to Baylor Law School, where she graduated first in her class, was a member of the Baylor Law Review, and was recognized as the Baylor Young Lawyer of the Year in 2017. Since her return to her hometown of Temple following law school, Allison has been an active community volunteer and philanthropist. She has created and endowed three scholarships through community fundraising at her alma

maters. Education is her passion, and this legacy will impact generations of future students. The Allison Dickson Just Need Possible Foundation was formed in 2021 to further her philanthropic projects, provide scholarships, and assist many non-profits she supports. She has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumna for her service to Southwestern University as well as a Distinguished Alumna of Temple Independent School District. She continues to serve Delta Delta Delta on the local and National level and was honored as a 2022 Woman of Achievement, Allison Dickson which is the highest honor bestowed on a member of the sorority. She was named Sustainer of the Year for the Junior League of Bell County in 2021. Affectionately nicknamed “Temple’s Sweetheart,” Allison inspires others daily through her positivity, faith, and determination. “I am truly honored to have our family name associated with the one and only Allison Dickson,” says PLG Managing Partner Travis Patterson. “She’s not just an inspiration – she’s a true difference-maker. What a wonderful addition to our PLG family!” In addition to joining as an Of Counsel member of the Patterson Law Group team, Allison will continue on with Baylor Law School in the legal research role she’s held for the past 15 years. 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.

By Sarah Hall Hoffman, Pro Bono Programs Director

Looking for a New Way to Volunteer this Bar Year?

When you volunteer for LegalLine, you get to work out of the comfort of your own home or office and speak with people needing assistance in your practice area. Thank you to the attorneys who have volunteered in the last two months. If you want to know about volunteering for LegalLine, email sarah@tarrantbar.org. g

THANK YOU TO OUR RECENT LEGALLINE VOLUNTEERS*

Sue Allen John Barnes Nick Bettinger Julie Camacho Ola Campbell Wendy Hart *as of November 11, 2022

Dustin G. Hoffman Deborah Krane Cynthia Maragoudakis Karon Rowden Melissa Sircar

Remote LEGALLINE

Upcoming LegalLine Dates

December 8, 2022 January 12, 2023 January 26, 2023 February 9, 2023 February 16, 2023

SWEARING-IN CEREMONY

By Steven C. Laird, Law Offices of Laird and McCloskey

The following remarks were delivered by Steven C. Laird of Law Offices of Laird and McCloskey at the Second Court of Appeals’ Induction Ceremony for New Members of the State Bar of Texas on October 24, 2022:

Almost 43 years ago I sat where you are, anxious and excited about what lies ahead. So it’s an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome you to your new profession. The road taken to get here has been different for each of you, but you have overcome the challenges with determination and made the required sacrifices. Your families and friends are justifiably proud of this significant accomplishment in your life. Congratulations.

You are receiving a license that will give you authority to do some unique things as a lawyer. Aside from legally representing another person or an entity, you can issue subpoenas. You can obtain information from others under oath. You may be in a position to influence legal interpretations and rulings in different areas of the law. You can even buy or sell real estate for others in many instances without having to have a real estate license. But such powers are far from something that I hope you will agree is much more important.

You have an opportunity to shape something that money can’t buy. It’s something that too many people, especially lawyers, don’t give enough thought to as life goes on.

It’s Reputation. Black’s Law Dictionary defines it as “The esteem in which a person is held by others.” A few words that should be taken to heart as you begin a new journey in a different chapter of your life.

Each of you will begin creating your own reputation, whether you want to or not, whether you think about it or not, and whether you care or not. Whatever a relatively few people in a relatively small circle of friends in high school, college, or even law school may have thought of you will no longer be as important as the collective and cumulative opinions of clients, professional colleagues, and perhaps judges as you go forward. You have an opportunity to shape this shadow of yourself called reputation. And now is the time to start. Regardless of what type of reputation you have already created in your limited circles up to this point, you have a true opportunity to create your impressions on others as a lawyer.

All of us are competitive by nature, or we wouldn’t be lawyers. Let’s talk about an unpleasant reality for a moment. You will undoubtedly meet some lawyers in your career who are deceitful, whether they mislead you or even outright misrepresent something. And yes, you may even occasionally see a lawyer misrepresenting something to a judge. You will see that some lawyers are driven to win at all costs, forgetting what they have to pay in terms of professional reputation until it’s too late. They may have the temporary feeling of accomplishment or success by using such conduct, but it will come back to haunt them. Don’t let such people lull you into imitating this type of conduct.

A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was.

The “Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage” makes an interesting distinction between character and reputation. It says “Character is what one is, whereas Reputation is what one is thought by others to be.” So character is how you act or conduct yourself, with the inescapable byproduct being reputation. Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of, the tree is the real thing. You cannot separate one from the other.

Think about how you’re conducting yourself around others in life.

Being nice, polite, and courteous should be the way we act all the time, but none of us are perfect. Making just a small effort to be nice to the person at the checkout stand, the person at the cleaners, or the parking attendant makes an impression. In fact, you make an impression with almost everyone you interact with, so wouldn’t you want other people to think positively about you as a lawyer?

So if we create impressions on people who we sometimes only have brief encounters with, you will surely create and leave lasting impressions upon clients, co-workers, colleagues, opposing lawyers, judges, and so many others along the way.

And perhaps the most important thing to remember about reputation is that it takes years to develop a good reputation, but it can be lost or tarnished overnight. Benjamin Franklin said “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it”. Although these words were written 250 years ago, they are just as true today.

Yes, you’ll want to be successful in representing your client, or in a hearing, or perhaps just in getting the client in the first place, or even getting ahead at the firm. The lawyers I know and have seen over the years who have managed to be successful and establish a good reputation have simply shown that they are respectful and can be trusted. Don’t withhold discovery just because it might hurt your client’s case. You can disagree with opposing counsel without being

disagreeable. Count to ten before hitting “send” if you’re irritated or angry. Don’t be a bully in depositions. Don’t try to threaten someone.

The most reputable lawyers who people respect in this large metropolitan area will all have people saying the same things about them: They represent their clients well; they are decent to deal with; and they can be trusted. You don’t have to be the “ Count to ten before hitting best lawyer in town to have good “send” if you’re reputation. But a bad lawyer will always have a bad reputation. irritated or

So try to find one or more angry. Don’t mentors. In fact, find as many mentors as you can. They come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. be a bully in depositions. ” It’s natural to be somewhat intimidated by older lawyers when you’re young or new to the profession. I encourage you to seek out someone who you eventually determine is a lawyer you’d like to talk to occasionally about law, the profession, or anything else for that matter. The point is, if you don’t reach out or attempt to make contacts, you’ll be losing an opportunity. Get involved, and just start asking questions. For example, you may be exposed to and become somewhat of an expert on an area of law you never studied in school. Offer to share that knowledge by writing or speaking on the subject, helping to establish your reputation along the way.

I mentioned judges earlier. For those of you who enter the courtroom, be aware that judges talk to each other about lawyers. Just as importantly, court staff talk to each other and to the judges. And even more so than that, lawyers talk to each other. If you do something underhanded to someone, don’t think that only that one person may be aware of it.

Part of developing a reputation also involves finding a balance between work life and professional life. If the two get out of balance, one or both will start to suffer, and will inevitably affect your reputation. You may have the drive, and perhaps the stamina, to work 60 hours or more a week in the beginning, but develop a balance that lets you enjoy the practice of law. You’ll have self-induced pressure all during your career. If you know you’re doing your best, and being your best, then the outcome will take care of itself.

Years, no—decades, from now you will still remember this day, but you probably won’t remember me. But I do hope you will remember this. Satisfaction will come, along with whatever success you achieve, and your reputation will be a good one if you just give it some thought and care along the way. If you have a question about whether you’re doing the right thing, you need to give it more thought.

So listen now to these words: If you take care of your reputation, your reputation will take care of you.

Congratulations, and welcome to the Bar! g