Texas Young Lawyers Association

State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting Report

July 27,2007

The 2007 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, held June 21-22 in San Antonio, was once again a great success. As always, there were numerous opportunities for CLE updates, section committee meetings, and reunions with colleagues from across the state. In addition, attendees were able to honor outgoing president Martha Dickie as they welcomed the leadership of Gib Walton.

The State Moot Court Competition kicked off the Annual Meeting on Tuesday with seven teams competing. Members of the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association and the entire San Antonio legal community volunteered in a variety of capacities and were instrumental in ensuring the success of the competition. The teams from Texas Wesleyan, Texas Tech, South Texas and St. Mary's Law Schools participated in the semi-final round, judged by sitting and former judges from Bexar County and the surrounding area. Texas Wesleyan and South Texas advanced to the final round where Texas Wesleyan took top honors in a unanimous decision. The final round was judged by the justices of the Court of Criminal Appeals. This was a great event, made possible by many dedicated and hardworking volunteers.

The Texas Young Lawyers Association's annual meeting was on Friday evening following a reception highlighting the many successful projects launched during Karin Crump's presidency. Crump recognized a number of people who were instrumental in the success of her term. C.E. Rhodes of Houston and Kelly-Ann Clarke of Galveston were both recognized for their efforts in making They Had a Dream, Too a reality. Rhodes was given the Joseph M. Prichard Inn Outstanding Director Award, and Clarke was presented with the President's Award. David Anderson of Dallas was named the Outstanding First Year Director, and Presidential Awards of Merit were received by Brad Allen, Gene Anthes, Bryce Benson, Kimberly Burke, Sylvia Cardona, Davis Chapman, David Courreges, Chad Ellis, Kendyl Hanks, Laura Miles-Valdez, Jennifer Morris, Erin O'Driscoll, Emily Pipkin, Clay Scheitzach, Jamey Secrest, Jason Storck, Jacqueline Stroh, Michele Surratt, Kristie Wright, and Patsy Yung.

Also recognized at the TYLA annual meeting were the recipients of the Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, the Liberty Bell Award, and the newly created Outstanding Mentor Award. Claudine Jackson was named Outstanding Young Lawyer for her exemplified service to the profession and to the community. Claudine is a graduate of Baylor Law School and is a shareholder in the firm of Brackett & Ellis, P.C. Claudine is a past president of the Fort Worth-Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association and an active member of the Tarrant County Bar Association. She has been named Top Attorney by Fort Worth, Texas magazine and recognized as a Rising Star by Texas Monthly. Her commitment to the community is evident in her support of projects which provide legal services to the indigent and in her service with the Harris Methodist Hospital Health Exchange. Claudine lives with her husband, Greg, and two children in Ft. Worth.

The Liberty Bell Award is presented to an outstanding non-lawyer for selfless contributions to the community to strengthen the justice system. Mrs. Joyce Ann Brown of Dallas was this year's recipient. Mrs. Brown spent nine years in prison for a crime that she did not commit. Upon her release in 1989, she founded Mothers for the Advancement of Social Systems (MASS). In addition to assisting those who are wrongfully convicted, MASS also provides educational and vocational services to formerly incarcerated persons in order to assist them in reintegrating as productive members of society. Mrs. Brown, instead of faulting the justice system for failing her, has dedicated her life to improving the lives of those who are incarcerated.

Cullen Smith of Waco was presented with the Outstanding Mentor Award for his commitment to mentoring young lawyers in his community. Mr. Smith is of counsel to Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee, L.L.P., where he has practiced for more than 50 years. As was evidenced by the numerous letters of recommendation, Mr. Smith has been helping young attorneys foster their careers, both as professionals and as individuals, for decades.

The TYLA annual meeting culminated with the passing of the gavel from Gindi Eckel Vincent to Mary Reveles, chair for 2007-2008, and with the swearing in of President Bill Miller by 102 nd Judicial District Judge John Miller. Bill has served on the TYLA board as Director, Chair-Elect, Chair and President-Elect. He is a partner at Greer, McCasland & Miller, L.L.P. and a founding member of the Texarkana Young Lawyers Association. Some of the projects he plans to spearhead this year include assisting active military personnel and veterans, increasing awareness of elder abuse, educating teenagers about their rights as first time employees, and producing a new member services video Justice 101: The Client's Guide to Litigation. Bill lives in Texarkana with his wife, Jessica, and three sons.

A final noteworthy highlight of the State Bar Annual Meeting was the luncheon presentation by famed author John Grisham. Grisham shared his inspiration for his first novel, A Time to Kill , as well as his latest, The Innocent Man , with an audience of approximately 1500. Grisham was sincere in admitting the amount of dedication required for his first books, which were written while he also maintained an active law practice in Mississippi . Clearly this dedication has paid off, as he has published a best-seller each year since 1988, many of which have been adapted to screenplays. His latest work, The Innocent Man, is his first foray into the world of non-fiction. It follows the life of Ron Williamson, a former baseball standout from Oklahoma who was wrongly convicted and spent eleven years on death row before being exonerated. Grisham's research for the book has led him to become a spokesperson for the Innocence Project, and has taken up the cause of ensuring that no innocent person is unjustly imprisoned. He is truly passionate about ensuring that every individual have fair access to the justice system, and demonstrated this by donating his $20,000 honorarium to the Texas Access to Justice Summer Internship Program.

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