In my previous life as a practicing Estate Planning attorney, I would often joke with clients who brought me revocable trusts to review. My go-to quip was to ask the age and retirement date of their former planner. Whether that got a laugh is debatable, but one thing this is certain. Revocable trusts have become increasingly popular in the last decade, largely due to one statutory phrase…“less restrictive alternatives to guardianship.” Once used primarily for avoiding probate in the Texas Probate Systems, revocable trusts are now used to bypass the need for guardianship of the estate, which ca ..read more

The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will hold its quarterly meeting April 19 in Galveston. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. at the Tremont House, 2300 Ship Mechanic St. The meeting is open to the public and will be broadcast live on the State Bar of Texas YouTube channel. The agenda and meeting materials are available here. Among the agenda items, the board will: Consider and discuss approval of the State Bar of Texas 2024-2025 proposed budget for presentation to the Supreme Court of Texas. Consider and discuss approval of a statutory membership fees increase effective in fiscal y ..read more

The Child Protection Law Section of the State Bar of Texas presented Tara Grigg Green with its Rutland Advocacy in Excellence Award, during a luncheon at the section’s 6th Annual Advanced Child Protection Law Course in April in Dallas. One of the section’s most prestigious awards, the Rutland Advocacy in Excellence Award honors a lawyer who demonstrates distinguished legal service in the area of child protection law. The recipient is selected from nominations made by the bar and received by the section’s Awards Committee. Green, the co-founder and executive director of Foster Care Advocacy Cen ..read more

The Texas Medical-Legal Partnership Coalition will hold its MLP conference and inaugural member meeting on April 12 on the campus of South Texas College of Law Houston, or STCL. “This will be a groundbreaking event for professionals at the intersection of healthcare and law,” said Vinh Ho, senior director for legal services of the STCL Houston Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics, in a press release. The conference will bring together a diverse group of experts, practitioners, and thought leaders to share ideas and experiences. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in critical discussions ..read more

Volunteer attorneys will be available to answer legal questions on Wednesdays in April through the Dallas Bar Association’s LegalLine E-Clinic. The clinics, which run from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., are free of cost. A volunteer attorney will call a participant for up to 15 minutes of legal advice. No attorney-client relationship will be established. Individuals may receive referrals to local, legal, or social service agencies. Calls from the clinic will remain anonymous. Participants should expect a call from an unknown number labeled “No Caller ID” or something similar. To participate, an online form ..read more

The Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas is now accepting nominations for this year’s Texas Appellate Hall of Fame class. The Hall of Fame posthumously honors advocates and judges who made a lasting mark on appellate practice in the state of Texas. The section will honor this year’s Hall of Fame inductees at a presentation and ceremony during the State Bar’s Advanced Civil Appellate Practice course scheduled for September 5-6, 2024. Nominations should be submitted in writing no later than Thursday, May 30, 2024, to kcastaneda@adjtlaw.com. An individual’s nomination in a prior year will ..read more

The Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program, an initiative of the Dallas Bar Association, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and local lawyers, is hosting free virtual and in-person legal clinics for eligible Dallas County residents throughout April. All virtual clinics run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.: DVAP and DBA Entrepreneurs in Community Lawyering—Thursday, April 4 DVAP, DLA Piper, and SMU Dedman School of Law—Thursday, April 11 DVAP, Bank of America, Citibank, and SMU Dedman School of Law—Thursday, April 18 DVAP, Haynes and Boone, and St. Mary’s University School of Law—Thursday, April 25 DVAP will host ..read more

The Texas Bar Foundation honored retired Supreme Court of Texas Justice Craig T. Enoch with the 2024 Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, according to a press release. The award, established in 2011, commemorates the late attorney Gregory S. Coleman and celebrates the ideals and standards that Coleman demonstrated in his appellate practice and personal life. Recipients exhibit an outstanding appellate practice while maintaining a strong commitment to providing legal services for the underserved. The award also recognizes dedication to mentoring young attorneys. Enoch, who ser ..read more

Is the billable hour becoming a thing of the past? In an era where client expectations are reaching new heights, it’s crucial for your law firm to stay ahead of the curve. Legal firms should carefully consider several business elements to ensure they are crafting a pricing model that is fair, sustainable, and aligned with both the firm’s and client’s needs, including: Case complexity: The level of legal, factual, and procedural intricacies involved in a case Work predictability: The extent to which the scope, duration, and resources required for legal work can be accurately anticipated in adv ..read more

On July 6, 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas issued a decision in Restaurant Law Center, et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Labor that affirmed the validity of a recently promulgated Department of Labor, or DOL, final rule designed to regulate when employers are entitled to take a tip credit to satisfy a portion of tipped employees’ wages. The final rule, issued on October 29, 2021, and known as the “Dual Jobs” or “80-20-30” rule, imposes new burdens that lawyers advising employers whose operations include tipped employees should be aware of to ensure their practices comply ..read more