The Bulletin

Reflections and Transitions  

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The Pursuit of Professionalism

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Living the Dream

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Thoughts on Our Role in American Life

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The Supreme Court of Texas created the Texas Bar College to enhance professionalism among attorneys. While the College’s principal means of doing so is continuing legal education, its actual mandate remains raising the overall level of professionalism in legal practice.

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The son of a friend of mine recently posted a terrific picture on Facebook. While on vacation, his family happened to stay at the same resort where Vice President Joe Biden was staying. When the family ran into Biden and his dog one morning, the vice president was gracious enough to spend a few minutes with them and take pictures with their children. The children will treasure that photograph for the rest of their lives. But when my friend’s son posted the photograph on Facebook, the very first comment posted in response was—all too predictably—an insulting remark about the vice president. The comment drove home to me the toxic environment in which our public discourse occurs. Indeed, recent studies show that the overwhelming majority of Americans view a decline in civility as a major problem in our society.

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This year, Texas Bar College, provided a significant grant to the Sheeran Crowley Memorial Trust Fund of the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program. We see the Trust as a “lifesaver” for lawyers suffering from substance abuse or mental health problems and lacking the means to afford the services they need. We want these lawyers—and all Texas lawyers—to be able to attain the highest standards in ethics and training.

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I am honored to serve as chair of the State Bar College. Becoming a member of the College was a result of my efforts as a recently licensed attorney to obtain the knowledge necessary to provide high quality legal services to clients and to improve the public perception of lawyers.

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It's been my honor to serve as chair of the State Bar College this year. My theme has been the pride and prestige of being a member of this honorary society of lawyers and judges. In the Fall and Spring Bulletins I set forth why I have been a long–time member, the values and qualities of lawyers who choose to join, the benefits of membership, and the pride and prestige resulting from your commitment.

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I've practiced law for 35 years. Looking back over my career, I’ve concluded no one is born a natural or outstanding lawyer. The qualities that elevate a good lawyer to a great lawyer are simply hard work, dedication, and commitment to staying current in the law – i.e. the willingness to go the extra mile. It’s never crowded along the extra mile.

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I've been a member of The State Bar College since 1991. I’m honored to now serve as Chair. Every member has reason to be proud of being part of this organization and to be involved. Questions I often encounter from non-members are: What is the State Bar College? What does it mean to be a member? Why should I become involved? I want to address these questions, and relate why I’ve been a proud and involved member for 22 years.

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Is there a correlation between education and happiness? The question goes back to Aristotle – perhaps even earlier. Of course there have been many more recent studies and articles about the topic undertaken in universities and published in popular periodicals. The New York Times published one on the day I’m writing this called Does Education Make You Happy? The answer is yes, although education is no guarantee. We can all point to educated people who aren’t happy. But in general, the more educated a person is, the happier they are. Some of the reasons are obvious.

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My last column asked for feedback on how you keep your lives balanced amid the many demands—both professional and personal—on your time. I was gratified to hear from many of you. It’s nice to know people actually take the time to read this Bulletin. I know from personal experience how easy it is to toss items we receive into a corner on our desk, thinking we will get to it later, only to discover it weeks later under a pile of unread papers.

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We often hear of the importance of “balance” in our lives. In the media, it is usually in reference to mothers who work outside the home. Can they “have it all?” Certainly these women face more challenges than many of us who aren’t raising young children while holding down a demanding job. But really – isn’t living a “balanced” life a challenge for all of us?

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It has been my honor to serve as chair of the College of the State Bar of Texas this year and to be part of the proud tradition of this organization.

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What makes a great lawyer?The response “work, work, work!” is attributed to lawyer Abraham Lincoln. No doubt, the practice of law has changed since Lincoln’s time. But we know that Abraham Lincoln’s words ring true today. Becoming an excellent lawyer does take work and time to develop lawyer-to-client skills, and to master areas of law.

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We know that using technology can make us more effective in our law practice. At the same time, a lawyer’s use of technology, without taking reasonable steps, could open the door to ethical violations or legal malpractice claims.

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As this is my last article for the Bulletin, I wish to thank all the members of the State Bar College for their active participation and involvement. I would also like to give a personal note of appreciation to our members of the State Bar College Board of Directors who have given so tirelessly of their time and effort. They come from every corner of the State, and their names appear on the first page of this Bulletin. Call and let them know that they are appreciated!

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BECAUSE OF RECENT EVENTS, there has been a national dialogue calling for higher levels of understanding and less vitriol in our daily lives. The dialogue for us as attorneys should be “How do we tamp down the contentiousness in our daily practices?”

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