Texas

ABA model rule deeming discrimination and harassment misconduct violates free speech, Texas AG says

Updated: A modified ABA professional conduct model rule that makes discrimination and harassment based on race, sex and religion an ethical violation for lawyers violates free speech rights, according to the Texas attorney general. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shared his view with Charles Perry, a Republican Texas state senator…

Dec 21, 2016 1:15 PM CST

Should law firm keep secret an email requesting legal help? Settled case raises issue

Baker Botts recently settled a suit that raises questions about a law firm’s obligations to keep confidential an unsolicited email requesting legal help with a possible whistleblower claim and suggesting the information could help the law firm’s clients. Kent Langerlan, an environmental investigator for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,…

Dec 20, 2016 10:52 AM CST

Texas judge rules school nurse’s aide can put up her Bible-quoting Linus poster, with one addition

A judge in Texas has ruled against a school district that ordered a nurse’s aide to take down her poster featuring Linus and his biblical quote from A Charlie Brown Christmas. Judge Jack Jones of Bell County issued a temporary restraining order Thursday, the Killeen Daily Herald reports. The order…

Dec 16, 2016 11:10 AM CST

Texas AG interprets state’s Merry Christmas Law in dispute over school employee’s poster

A Bible-quoting poster made by a school nurse’s aide in Killeen, Texas, has led to a disagreement over the meaning of the state’s Merry Christmas Law. On the one side is the board of the Patterson Middle School, which met on Tuesday and backed its principal’s decision to ask the…

Dec 15, 2016 11:48 AM CST

With question of accreditation looming, Texas OKs bar exam for UNT Dallas law grads

Corrected: While the University of North Texas Dallas College of Law is pursuing ABA accreditation, the state supreme court on Tuesday granted a request from the dean that its graduates be able to sit for the July 2017 bar exam. Texas law prohibits graduates from non-accredited law schools from talking…

Dec 15, 2016 11:45 AM CST

Legal tech’s future is in lawyers’ mindset, Randi Mayes says (podcast)

When you ask Randi Mayes about the future of technology in law firms, she says its growth will stem from attorneys' behavior rather than specific product offerings.

Dec 14, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Suit claims Texas state bar board maintains unconstitutional ‘quota scheme’ for four of its members

The group that challenged a race-conscious admissions program at the University of Texas has filed a lawsuit that contends the State Bar of Texas maintains “a race- and sex-based quota scheme” for its board of directors. The Project on Fair Representation filed the suit (PDF) on behalf of a white…

Dec 5, 2016 2:50 PM CST

Texas Supreme Court justice serves as juror in shoplifting case

Texas Supreme Court Justice Jeff Brown says the two days he spent as a juror in a shoplifting case last week reaffirmed what he had experienced as a trial judge: Jurors are very conscientious and they work hard to follow their instructions. Brown was chosen as jury foreman in the…

Dec 5, 2016 9:20 AM CST

Don’t click! Lawyers get fake emails about a complaint; hyperlink installs malicious software

Lawyers who receive emails about a complaint filed against their business may have a problem—but it’s not because of an angry client.

Dec 5, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Law firm is ordered to pay nearly $27K for suit over bad online reviews

A Texas judge has tossed a suit filed by a law firm over bad online reviews and ordered it to pay nearly $27,000 in attorney fees as a sanction for bringing the legal action. The firm’s former client, Lai Cai, won dismissal of the case last week, her lawyer, Michael…

Dec 1, 2016 7:00 AM CST

Texas law firm with 80-year history is disbanding

A Texas law firm will be dissolving at the end of the year amid lawyer defections and partner retirements. The firm, Shannon Gracey Ratliff & Miller, has operated for more than 80 years, report the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Texas Lawyer. It lists offices in Fort Worth, Dallas, Arlington, Austin,…

Nov 28, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Federal magistrate judge tells new citizens they can move if they don’t like Trump

A federal magistrate judge in San Antonio delivered a message to new citizens at an induction ceremony on Friday. U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo said the new citizens had a choice if they didn’t like President-elect Donald Trump, KENS-TV reports in a story noted by the Dallas Morning News, the…

Nov 21, 2016 11:57 AM CST

South Texas College of Law announces its latest new name

The South Texas College of Law has opted for a tweak rather than an entire name change after losing an injunction fight over its plan to change its name to the Houston College of Law. The law school’s new name will be the South Texas College of Law Houston, according…

Nov 7, 2016 2:31 PM CST

Texas lawyers may use competitors’ names in keyword marketing

As more potential clients search for attorneys online, lawyers are finding new ways to gain a competitive advantage in advertising.

Nov 1, 2016 2:20 AM CDT

Judge orders law school to stop using its new name

A federal judge in Texas has barred the newly named Houston College of Law from using the name. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison granted a temporary injunction on Friday in a trademark infringement suit filed by the University of Houston Law Center, the Houston Chronicle (sub. req.) reports in an…

Oct 17, 2016 9:43 AM CDT