News From Around The Bar
May 2023

Stephen F. Malouf receives 2023 Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award

Stephen F. Malouf, of Malouf & Nockels in Dallas, is the recipient of the 2023 Pat Nester Innovation in Professional Development Award. This award was established by the State Bar of Texas CLE Committee in 2017 and recognizes an individual whose innovative contributions have substantially advanced continuing legal education in Texas. A speaker and author for TexasBarCLE for over two decades, Malouf has been a go-to resource on the virtues and perils of technology. According to a press release, Malouf has helped his fellow lawyers improve their practices through the use of technology, from using the internet for discovery, upping the game with trial presentation technology, selecting the best hardware and software for a practice, and preparing for a virtual trial.

CHILD PROTECTION LAW SECTION PRESENTS VERSEL RUSH WITH RUTLAND ADVOCACY IN EXCELLENCE AWARD

The Child Protection Law Section, or CPLS, of the State Bar of Texas presented Versel Rush with its Rutland Advocacy in Excellence Award during a luncheon in March at the section’s fifth annual Advanced Child Protection Law Course in Houston. The award honors a lawyer who demonstrates distinguished legal service in the area of child protection law. For decades, Rush has demonstrated great commitment and expertise in this area of practice, producing numerous legal articles that have addressed important practice subjects, and she has regularly shared her expertise with the bar, according to a press release. For more information about CPLS, go to childprotectionlawtx.com.

STATE BAR OF TEXAS VOLUNTEER AND STAFF GUIDES ADDED TO DIGITAL ARCHIVES COLLECTION

State Bar of Texas Volunteer and Staff Guides from the years 2004-2023 are now available online as part of the State Bar of Texas digital archives. This resource is useful for understanding the organizational structure and administration of the bar: its divisions, departments, committees, sections, leadership, staff, and volunteers. The guides are available via search at texasbar.com/digitalarchives.

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS HONORED BY TEXASBARCLE

Eight Texas attorneys have been selected as winners of A Standing Ovation Award from TexasBarCLE and were chosen based on their exceptional volunteer contributions to CLE programing in 2022. The following lawyers were recognized: Judge Ann-Marie Carruth, of Lubbock; Penny R. Robe, of Plano; Jennifer L. Falk, of Dallas; Michael D. Jones, of Houston; Matthew Kolodoski, of Dallas; G. Roland Love, of Dallas; Jim Mueller, of Dallas; and Kuruvilla Oommen, of Irving.

STATE BAR OF TEXAS APPELLATE SECTION ACCEPTING TEXAS APPELLATE HALL OF FAME NOMINATIONS

The State Bar of Texas Appellate Section is accepting nominations for this year’s Texas Appellate Hall of Fame class. The Hall of Fame posthumously honors advocates and judges who made a lasting mark on appellate practice in Texas. New Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at a luncheon ceremony held by the Appellate Section during the State Bar of Texas Advanced Civil Appellate Practice course on September 7. Nominations should be submitted in writing to halloffametx@outlook.com no later than May 30. Nominations should include the nominator’s contact information, the nominee’s biography or resume, the nominee’s photo if available, and reasons for the nomination, including the nominee’s unique contributions to the practice of appellate law in Texas.

TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION CERTIFIES 175 ATTORNEYS AND 35 PARALEGALS

The Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s newly certified attorneys and paralegals were inducted at the annual induction ceremony on March 24 at the A&T Executive Education and Conference Center in Austin. More than 300 attorneys and paralegals attended the ceremony, joined by family members from across Texas as well as justices of the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals. Of the more than 110,000 licensed Texas attorneys, only about 7,100 are certified by TBLS in the organization’s 27 practice areas. Attorneys who are certified in a practice area are required to be licensed for at least five years, devote a certain percentage of their practice to a specialty area for at least three years, attend continuing education, be evaluated by lawyers and judges, and pass a written exam. Attorneys who remain certified apply for recertification every five years. Paralegals can become certified in eight areas of law and must similarly satisfy experience requirements, attend continuing education, and pass a written exam. Paralegals apply for recertification every five years. For more information about the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and its certifications for attorneys and paralegals, go to tbls.org. ^TBJ