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Week of January 14, 2008

Senior Lawyer Kickoff Luncheon, January 18

Date: Friday, Jan. 18
Time: noon
Location: Austin Bar Seminar Room, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Speaker: Jim Bryce
Title: Of Counsel Relationships
CLE: .75 hours of Ethics
RSVP to Michelle McFadyen at 512/472-0279 or Michelle@austinbar.org.

The Senior Lawyer Section is looking to jumpstart the New Year with a kickoff luncheon. All Bar members aged 55 and up are welcome to join in on the festivities and become a member of this section.

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Breakfast with the Judiciary, January 23

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 23
Time: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Location: Austin Bar Seminar Room, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Cost: $20, prepayment required
Speaker: Judge William Wayne Justice
RSVP to Debbie Kelly at Debbie@austinbar.org

Don’t start your day on an empty stomach! Join Judge William Wayne Justice of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas for a hot breakfast.

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AYLA Winter CLE & Brown Bag Lunch, January 23

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 23
Time: noon to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700 CLE: 1 hour of CLE including .5 hour of ethics
Cost: Free; Brown Bag Lunch (lunch not provided)
RSVP: jwright@fulbright.com

Each quarter, AYLA holds a free CLE for its members over a lunch hour. This Winter, the CLE will focus on the basics of DWI law and other common criminal matters. As anyone who practices law knows, friends, family, and clients expect you to be a legal expert on every topic, especially criminal law.

The Winter CLE will be a panel discussion with Corrine Sumpter, David Gonzalez, and Kristin Etter to help civil practitioners heroically answer (or learn just enough to appropriately avoid answering) criminal law questions. So grab some lunch and head over to the Bar offices on Jan. 23.

Walk-ins welcome, but RSVP is appreciated.

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Austin Under 40 Awards Nominations Due, January 23

Austinites will gather at the Austin Music Hall Friday, March 7 to honor our city’s best and brightest at the tenth annual Austin Under 40 Awards. Hosted each year by the Young Women’s Alliance and the Young Men’s Business League, the Au40 Awards recognize Austin men and women under the age of 40 who have achieved extraordinary professional success while simultaneously demonstrating outstanding community service.

Visit www.AustinUnder40.org/Nominations to submit a nomination and learn how the process works. The deadline is for nominations is Wednesday, Jan. 23, so please submit your nomination before then. Questions can be e-mailed to Bill Conover, Taylor Henderson or Laura Robertson at Nominations@AustinUnder40.org.

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Make Your Practice Grow in 2008, January 25

Date: Friday, Jan. 25
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: Belo Mansion (home of the Dallas Bar Association), 2101 Ross Avenue, Dallas

SAGE PDI is offering an intensive, day-long workshop for attorneys on how they can bring in more business in 2008. The leaders are two veteran experts who train and coach lawyers in leading firms to boost their originations.

Each attendee will develop a personal plan tailored to her or his business development needs, and gain the know-how to implement the plan effectively. Plus, after the session, the leaders coach attendees so they can maximize their results.

Whether you’re a solo practitioner or part of a firm, starting fresh or aiming for more, you are responsible for bringing in business. Transform your practice with the tools, the confidence, and the proven approaches of top legal business developers.

The cost for members of the Bar Association is just $795 (a $100 discount). For more information contact Barry Schneider, SAGE PDI, Inc. at 214/315-3212 or bschneider@sageprofessional.com. Click here to register and read comments from former attendees.

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Austin Bar’s FREE Fourth Friday, January 25

Date: Friday, Jan. 25
Time: noon
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Speaker: Warren Vavra
Topic: Local Rules
CLE: 1.0 hours
RSVP to Michelle McFadyen at Michelle@austinbar.org

Join the Bar and Warren Vavra for a free hour of CLE covering Local Rules. Enjoy saving a buck over lunch!

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Austin Bar Foundation Gala: An Evening in the Orient, January 26

Date: Saturday, Jan. 26
Time: 6:30 p.m. Silent Auction & Cocktail Reception; 8:00 p.m. Seated Dinner
Location: Four Season Hotel, 98 San Jacinto

Date: Saturday, Jan. 26
Time: 6:30 p.m. Silent Auction & Cocktail Reception; 8:00 p.m. Seated Dinner
Location: Four Season Hotel, 98 San Jacinto

The Bar Foundation Gala brings you not only great entertainment and food, but also the opportunity to WIN, WIN, WIN! A live and silent auction offers you several chances to take home awesome prizes ranging from sports memorabilia to vacation packages.

To view a few of the prizes you can claim as your own, click here. The rest of the exciting winnings will be posted soon.

Don’t forget that you cannot win if you are not present. E-mail Debbie Kelly at Debbie@austinbar.org or call 512/472-0279 to purchase your tickets to An Evening in the Orient.

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Texas Bar Foundation Fellows Chair Visits Austin, January 29

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 29
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30
RSVP: Pasha Moore at the Texas Bar Foundation office at 512/480-8014 or pmoore@texasbar.com

Melody Wilkinson of Fort Worth, chair of the Fellows of the Texas Bar Foundation, will be hosting a reception for Fellows and nominated potential Fellows in the Austin area. During the reception, Wilkinson and Texas Bar Foundation staff will provide an update on the Texas Bar Foundation and its charitable work throughout the state.

For more information on this upcoming reception or becoming a Texas Bar Foundation Fellow, contact Pasha Moore at the Texas Bar Foundation office at 512/480-8014 or pmoore@texasbar.com.

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Federal Bar Association Luncheon with U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Craig Gargotta, January 30

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 30
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Cost: Free for Federal Bar Association members and $10 for non-members
RSVP: Please reply to imelda_tovar@fd.org with your RSVP by Friday, Jan. 25. Space is limited, so please RSVP early.

Please join the Federal Bar Association along with the Bankruptcy Section of the Austin Bar Association for lunch with Judge Craig Gargotta, who will share his perspectives from the bench.

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Watch a Movie, Eat Popcorn, and Earn Ethics CLE, February 1

Date: Friday, Feb. 1
Time: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Alamo Drafthouse South, 1120 South Lamar
Cost: $10 for Austin Bar Bankruptcy Section members and $15 for non-members
RSVP: Michael Baumer at baumerlaw@swbell.net or 476-8707
CLE: 2.5 hours

Join Professor Nancy Rapoport from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas as she presents the film, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Earning Ethics CLE has never been this easy or fun!

Please RSVP to Michael Baumer at baumerlaw@swbell.net or 476-8707. A good count is necessary in case a larger theater is needed.

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AYLA Still Looking for Volunteer Mock Trial Judges, Februrary 2

Date: Saturday, Feb. 2
Location: Travis County Courthouse at 1000 Guadalupe

AYLA is seeking volunteers willing to serve as judges for the Central Texas High School Mock Trial Competition on Saturday, Feb. 2. This competition allows teams of high school students from area schools to prepare and present all aspects of a mock trial (opening argument, closing argument, direct and cross examination of several witnesses). The winning team advances to the State Mock Trial Competition in Dallas with possible advancement to the national competition.

Mock trial experience is not necessary to serve as a judge. There is virtually no advance preparation needed (all judges will receive information describing the relevant issues). The time commitment is minimal--each round lasts approximately two hours--and CLE credit is available.

If you can volunteer a couple of hours on February 2nd to help future lawyers, please contact AYLA Mock Trial Committee co-chairs Mike Johnson (mjohnson@thompsoncoe.com) or Nicki Grodner (ngrodner@velaw.com).

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2007-2008 ALA Compensation and Benefits Survey Now Available

The Austin Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators’ Compensation and Benefits Survey will be available through October 2008. An order form can be found by clicking here.

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Upcoming Meetings

SECTIONS:
Wednesday, Jan. 16 - Administrative Law Section Meeting

Wednesday, Jan. 16 - Criminal Law Section Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 17 - Civil Appellate Section Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 17 - Construction Law Section Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 17 - Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Breakfast

Friday, Jan. 18 - Senior Lawyer Kick-off Luncheon

Tuesday, Jan. 22 - Court Appointed Family Attorneys

Wednesday, Jan. 23 - Business, Corporate, & Tax Law Section Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 24 - Solo/Small Firm Section Meeting

COMMITTEES:
The following Austin Bar Committees are meeting at the Austin Bar office, 816 Congress, Suite 700. Parking is available in the adjacent garage, accessible from 9th Street. Please feel free to attend any that interest you. Since lunch is provided, please RSVP to receptionist@austinbar.org or call 472-0279 with your name and the name of the committee.

Wednesday, Jan. 16 - Publications Committee Meeting

Thursday, Jan. 17 - People’s Law School Committee Meeting

Tuesday, Jan. 22 - Bench Bar Committee Meeting

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