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Week of April 16, 2007
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Bench Bar 007 THIS Friday!
Just a reminder to everyone who has registered for the Bench Bar 007 conference:
Date: Friday, April 20
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: Barton Creek Resort Clubhouse, 8212 Barton Creek Drive
Also, this year will feature a vendor fair and a chance to win a high definition 32" Toshiba flat screen TV
just by visiting the various vendor booths.
For any questions, please call the Austin Bar at 472-0279.
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Rise and Shine! Austin Bar's Breakfast with the Judiciary - This Thursday, April 19
Judge Priscilla Owen, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, will be this month's guest for Breakfast with the
Judiciary.
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Location: Austin Bar Seminar Room, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Cost: $20 (includes breakfast and parking validation)
RSVP: Advance reservation and pre-payment are required. Reserve your spot by contacting Debbie Kelly at
debbie@austinbar.org
or 472-0279. Please send your check to Debbie Kelly at the Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700,
Austin, Texas 78701.
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Join AYLA for Bench Bar Docket Call - This Thursday, April 19
AYLA is joining forces with Bench Bar for its monthly Docket Call. Join them as they start to wind down the week and
kick off the Austin Bar's Bench Bar 007 conference.
Date: Thursday, April 19
Time: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Location: Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto
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CPS: Structure of the Organization and its Role in Court, April 26
Join CPS representatives to learn about how CPS cases work in our court system.
Date: Thursday, April 26
Time: Noon
Location: 1000 Guadalupe, 126th District Court, 4th Floor
CLE Credit: 1.0 hour
FREE Brown Bag CLE (Lunch is not provided)
No RSVP needed. For more information, contact Sara Foskitt at 854-4915 or
sara.foskitt@co.travis.tx.us
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Austin Bar Members-Only Free CLE - Friday, April 27
The Austin Bar Association is offering free CLE opportunities now on the fourth Friday of each month
for members of the Austin Bar.
Join us on Friday, April 27 for:
Title: Discovery of Electronic Information – The Rules and Their Impact
Speaker: John Loveland, Navigant Consulting
Time: Noon to 1:00 p.m.
Location: Austin Bar Seminar Room, 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700
Cost: Free; Pizza and drinks will be served for $5.00 or you can bring a lunch
To RSVP, e-mail receptionist@austinbar.org or call Michelle
or Mollie at 472-0279 by noon on Thursday, April 26. Please specify whether or not you would like lunch;
no shows who reserve lunch will be billed.
The new rules and amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure took effect on December 1, 2006.
The changes were designed specifically to address the unique challenges of electronic discovery and
to ensure that parties have a plan in place at the very early stages of litigation to address:
- The disclosure and production or discovery of electronically stored information
- Asking for the right information, including types of formats, and searching the
right places
- The preservation of potentially relevant and discoverable information
- Disclosure of data sources that are not reasonably accessible
This course highlights these new rules and the challenges and burdens that may befall counsel and
their clients. Topics for the program include:
- Overview of the specific electronic discovery amendments
- Practical impact of amendments on counsel and clients
- How to help your clients understand and work with the changes
Click here for a brochure.
Not only will attendees benefit from a valuable CLE, but they will also have the chance to win a
set of law books complete with new rule changes. The set, which includes books on Federal Civil
Practice, Evidence, Federal Criminal Practice, and Bankruptcy, will be raffled off for $5 per ticket.
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Summary Jury Trial is Back - Cases Wanted Now Through May 1
The Austin Bar Association, in partnership with the Travis County District Courts and the University
of Texas Law School, created the Summary Jury Trial Project in the spring of 2006.
A summary jury trial combines the information from a condensed trial-complete with witnesses and a
jury-with a mediation between the two parties. It allows the parties to try their case in front of a
jury and hear their findings. Although the outcome of the trial is non-binding, the information
provided by the jury is invaluable in helping the parties understand the probable outcome of proceeding
to a full, binding trial.
This year, the project will be conducted from May 21 through June 1 in the Eidman Courtroom at the
UT Law School.
Cases can be submitted now through May 1, 2007. Case Submission Forms are available at
www.austinbar.org/SummaryJuryTrialApplication.pdf
or can be e-mailed to you by contacting Randy Howry at
rhowry@hermanhowry.com.
Completed forms should be faxed to Geoff Weisbart at 482-6891.
For additional information, contact Judge Darlene Byrne, Judge Joe Hart, Tracy McCormack, Geoff Weisbart,
or Randy Howry.
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SB 1204 Poll for Civil Litigation Section - Tell Us What You Think
An electronic poll regarding Senate Bill 1204 was sent to all members of the Austin Bar's Civil
Litigation Section who have provided e-mail addresses to the Austin Bar. The goal of the poll is
to determine the opinion of the section in regards to SB 1204.
Leaders of the Civil Litigation Section want to know what their members think of this legislation.
If you are a member of this section, please share your opinion of this legislation through the e-mail
you received last week.
If you received the poll and had trouble voting, please contact Scott at
scott@austinbar.org
or 472-0279.
If you did not receive the poll, but are a member of the Civil Lit Section, please contact Carol at
carol@austinbar.org
or 472-0279.
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Voting for Austin Bar Board Has Begun
E-mail ballots for the 2007 Board elections were sent out last week to all Austin Bar members
who provided their e-mail addresses. If you have not received the e-mail or choose to vote in person,
you may visit the Austin Bar office at 816 Congress Ave., Suite 700 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Monday through Friday, April 10 through April 30 and 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. on May 1 or cast your ballot
at the annual Law Day Luncheon Tuesday, May 1 at 11:45 at the Omni Hotel.
Bios of the Board Candidates can be viewed on the Austin Bar Web site at
www.austinbar.org/austinboardcandidates.shtml.
A proposed amendment to the bylaws is also on the ballot. Please visit
www.austinbar.org/2007amend.shtml
for more information.
If you have provided your current e-mail address and have not received an electronic ballot, or if you have
any questions, please contact the Austin Bar Association at 472-0279.
If you received the poll and had trouble voting, please contact Scott at
scott@austinbar.org
or 472-0279.
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Say Cheese! 2007-2008 Membership Directory Photos
RCL Portrait Design will again be taking photos for the Austin Bar's 2007-2008 membership directory during
the month of May. If you have never been photographed or would like a new photo taken, please call RCL at
266-8921 to arrange an appointment. There is a $7 sitting fee.
You may also submit a photo for the directory to jenny@austinbar.org.
Submitted photos must be at least 300 dpi at a size of 2" by 3".
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Make a Difference Through New Partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and AYLA
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas and AYLA are recruiting attorneys to be a friend and mentor to Central
Texas children beginning in the fall of 2007. The first opportunity to sign up for more information is at AYLA's
Docket Call at Scholz Garten on April 19.
Through mentoring you can change a child's life. Little Brothers and Little Sisters are:
- 75% less likely to drop out of school;
- 52% less likely to skip school;
- 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs;
- 33% less likely to be abusive; and
- 27% less likely to begin using alcohol.
"Bigs" in school typically meet with their "Little" once per week for about an hour during the school year. These
visits take place at the child's school, most often during the child's lunch hour. There are several participating
schools located throughout Austin, typically only a few minutes away from downtown.
Please contact Angie Castilleja at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas, Partnership Coordinator, at 472-5437 x229,
David Courreges at 478-5308, or Shannon Fohn at 236-9220 with the AYLA Mentoring Committee for more information.
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They Had a Dream Too Volunteers Needed
The AYLA They Had a Dream Too committee is in need of volunteers, including tour guides, who would like to
assist with the AYLA's
encore presentation of THADT on Monday, April 23, at the Capitol. The first presentation was a great success
due to the generous support of the program's many volunteers!
If you would like to help, please contact David Courreges at dcourreges@dbilaw.com.
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Make a Difference Without A Huge Time Commitment - Attorney Ad Litems Needed
Volunteer Legal Services needs attorneys to volunteer as Attorney Ad Litems for missing persons served with
citation by publication in Assisted Pro Se Clinic cases. This is an easy way to help those in need and takes
very little time. And VLS makes it even easier by providing all the forms and info you will need.
Attorney ad litem duties include trying to find the missing party and testifying about search results at the
final uncontested docket hearing. Please contact Doug Lawrence for more info or to sign up at
dlawrence@vlsoct.org.
or 476-5550 ext. 305.
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Legal Services Corporation - Notice of Availability of Competitive Grant Funds for Calendar Year 2008
The Legal Services Corporation announces the availability of competitive grant funds to provide civil legal
services to eligible clients during calendar year 2008. A Request for Proposals (RFP) and other information
pertaining to the LSC grants competition will be available from www.ain.lsc.gov
during the week of April 16. In accordance with LSC's multiyear funding policy, grants are available for
only specified service areas. The listing of service areas for each state and the estimated grant amounts for
each service area will be included in Appendix-A of the RFP. Applicants must file a Notice of Intent to Compete
(NIC) in order to participate in the competitive grants process. The NIC will be available from the RFP.
Please refer to www.ain.lsc.gov for filing dates and submission requirements.
Please e-mail inquiries pertaining to the LSC competitive grants process to
Competition@lsc.gov.
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Upcoming Meetings
SECTIONS:
Wednesday, April 18, Administrative Law Section Meeting
Thursday, April 19, Construction Law Section Meeting
Thursday, April 26, Solo/Small Firm Section Meeting
Friday, April 27, Bankruptcy Law 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.
Publications Committee Meeting - April 18
Time: Noon
Judicial Affairs Committee Meeting - April 23
Time: Noon
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Proud corporate sponsors of the Austin Bar Association
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