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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2026

Media Contact: Rebecca Johnson
Public Affairs Director, State Bar of Texas
512-427-1714, rebecca.johnson@texasbar.com

Journalists invited to State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in Houston June 11-12 

HOUSTON — The 2026 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting will take place June 11-12 at the Marriott Marquis in Houston. News media are welcome to attend; free registration is required. To register, contact the State Bar of Texas Public Affairs Department at 512-427-1714 or at rebecca.johnson@texasbar.com. 

At the Annual Meeting, legal experts from around the state and beyond will discuss issues ranging from legal deserts in rural Texas, to the controversies shaping sports law, to Texas’ new business court, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in legal practice, constitutional law, immigration law, and more. To view the full schedule, go to texasbar.com/annualmeeting and select “digital programming guide.” After June 1, you also can download the State Bar app from the Apple App Store or Google Play by searching using the term “State Bar of Texas events.” Use the app to plan your personal meeting itinerary by bookmarking your favorite sessions and events. 

Featured speakers at the meeting include: 

  • Justice Evan A. Young of the Supreme Court of Texas and Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, who will headline the Bar Leaders Recognition Luncheon on June 11. 

  • Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock of the Supreme Court of Texas, who will deliver the keynote address at the Bench Bar Breakfast on June 11. 

  • Damien Riehl, a Minneapolis attorney and technologist, who will discuss “LawGPT” — how AI is reshaping legal practice, access to justice, and the judiciary — at the General Session Luncheon on June 12. 

Other special events include: 

  • The Texas Supreme Court Historical Society will present “The All-Woman Texas Supreme Court: A Reenactment of W.T. Johnson et al. v. J.M. Darr et al.” at 1:30 p.m. on June 12 featuring current Supreme Court Justices Debra Lehrmann, Jane Bland, and Rebeca Aizpuru Huddle. For background on the 1925 case, go here: https://www.txcourts.gov/supreme/about-the-court/court-history/all-woman-supreme-court/. 

  • Justice Evan A. Young of the Supreme Court of Texas and Corpus Christi attorney and historian William J. Chriss will present “The Texas Constitution: An Examination of the Texas Constitution on its Sesquicentennial Birthday” at 2:30 p.m. on June 12. The discussion will be moderated by Dallas attorney Alia Adkins-Derrick. 

  • G. David Smith of Rockwall will be sworn in as the 2026-2027 president of the State Bar of Texas at noon on June 12 during the General Session Luncheon. 

  • Sarah Clower Keathley of Corsicana will be sworn in as the 2026-2027 State Bar of Texas president-elect on June 11 during a board of directors meeting.

Notes to editors: For free media registration, contact the State Bar of Texas Public Affairs Department at 512-427-1714 or at rebecca.johnson@texasbar.com. Upon arrival, sign in at the State Bar Registration Desk at the Marriott Marquis and pick up your badge for access. The official Annual Meeting hashtag is #sbot26. 

 

Presentations, materials, advertisements, and other information distributed at Annual Meeting should not be deemed an endorsement by the State Bar of Texas or the views expressed therein. State Bar policy is adopted by the State Bar Board of Directors or by the Supreme Court of Texas through its rulemaking authority. 

 

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 X and Instagram @statebaroftexas, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/statebaroftexas, or visit texasbar.com. 

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