FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2024
Contact: Rebecca Johnson
Public Affairs Director, State Bar of Texas
512-427-1714, rebecca.johnson@texasbar.com
State Bar of Texas holds leadership election and
rules referendum April 1-30
AUSTIN — Texas attorneys will choose new leaders and vote on 12 proposed disciplinary rule amendments in a combined election and referendum beginning April 1. Voting will continue throughout the month, with results announced April 30.
In the race for State Bar president-elect, attorneys will choose between Denise Scofield, of Houston, and Santos Vargas, of San Antonio. Members of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) will also pick a president-elect, choosing between Michael Hanson, of Richmond, and Alyson A. Martinez, of Laredo.
The winners will begin their presidential terms in June 2025 and serve for one year. Additionally, attorneys in some districts of both the State Bar and TYLA will elect new members to their boards of directors. More information on the election and the candidates is available at texasbar.com/elections.
In the accompanying rules referendum, attorneys will vote on 11 proposed changes to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct and one proposed change to the Texas Rules of Disciplinary Procedure. The changes under consideration deal with topics such as terminology, conflicts of interest, duties to prospective clients, special responsibilities of a prosecutor, dealing with underrepresented persons, responsibilities of a partner or supervisory lawyer, unauthorized practice of law/remote practice of law, jurisdiction, choice of law, and termination of custodianship.
Proposed individually between 2021 and 2023, these changes were recommended by the bar’s Committee on Disciplinary Rules and Referenda to its board of directors. The board petitioned the Supreme Court of Texas for a rules referendum, which the court ordered in October.
Details about the rules vote, including summaries of and commentaries on the proposed changes, are available at texasbar.com/rulesvote.
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Note to editors: Photos of the president-elect candidates are available upon request.
The State Bar of Texas is a public corporation and an administrative agency of the judicial department of state government 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, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @statebaroftexas, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/statebaroftexas, or visit texasbar.com.
