State Bar of Texas
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2014
MEDIA CONTACT
Lowell Brown, communications division director
State Bar of Texas
800-204, 2222, ext. 1713, or 512-427-1713
lbrown@texasbar.com
State Bar of Texas to honor Fort Worth attorneys, Tarrant County Bar Association at Annual Meeting
AUSTIN — Presentations of awards honoring exceptional service to the public and the legal profession will be a highlight of the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, to be held June 26-27 at the Hilton Austin and Austin Convention Center.
The following Fort Worth individuals and organizations are among those being honored:
- Laura W. Docker, President’s Award of Merit, presented by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Docker is an attorney with Brackett & Ellis, P.C., in Fort Worth.
- Julie Sherman, Liberty Bell Award, presented by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Sherman is a paralegal at Cantey Hanger LLP in Fort Worth. The award recognizes an outstanding nonlawyer in Texas who has made the most selfless contribution to his or her community to strengthen the effectiveness of the justice system by instilling better understanding and appreciation of the law.
- Tarrant County Bar Association, Award of Merit, which honors exceptional work by local bar associations in the areas of member service, community service, access to justice, law student/young lawyer outreach, communications, and social activities. From 2012 to 2013, the Tarrant County Bar Association enhanced several programs for its members, the community, and access to justice. The association and its 18 sections provided members various venues for 137 continuing legal education hours and networking opportunities. The association produced a free seminar on mandated e-filing, providing attorneys and paralegals with information on e-filing practices and timelines and allowing vendors the opportunity to discuss procedures, fees, and services. The association celebrated the 20th anniversary of its LegalLine program, a free legal help line providing the community with sufficient legal information to make informed decisions, educating callers on when a lawyer is needed, and sharing available resources. In 2013, the Lawyer Referral and Information Service had a total membership of 140 attorneys and handled more than 10,000 calls from the community. Other community service projects include a canned food drive, a blood drive, the Bears & Books Project, National Adoption Day, the Elder Law Handbook, and the People’s Law School. The association continues to support pro bono programs and increase access to justice through the Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans—Tarrant County Chapter and the Tarrant County Volunteer Attorneys Service. The relationship between young lawyers and law students and the bar remains strong; the bar has 25 paired mentors and mentees through its Transition to Practice program and counts 135 law students as members.
- Shauna Wright, Pro Bono Coordinator Award. Wright is a partner at Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP and is the firm’s pro bono coordinator. In the past year, Kelly Hart hosted three in-house events to offer support, continuing education, mentors for pro bono matters, and opportunities for attorneys to accept pro bono cases. Additionally, Wright managed two pro bono events that included summer clerks, further establishing a culture of pro bono priority in the firm. Wright collaborates with the Tarrant County Bar Association and co-chairs Tarrant Volunteer Attorney Services (TVAS). Through her leadership at TVAS, Wright has coordinated a countywide effort to encourage Tarrant County attorneys to provide pro bono services. She is also working with the chair of Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans to support the expansion of services that can be provided to veterans in North Texas.
For more information about the Annual Meeting, visit www.texasbar.com/annualmeeting.
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The State Bar of Texas is an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Texas that provides educational programs for the legal profession and the public, administers the minimum continuing legal education program for attorneys, and manages the attorney discipline system. For more information, visit www.texasbar.com.
