Texas Bar Journal • October 2026

The 2026 Local Bar Leaders Conference

The intersection of local bar associations and innovative leadership.

Written by Lowell Brown, Will Korn, and Patricia Busa Mcconnico

LEARNING TOGETHER
More than 200 delegates from over 65 local bar associations across Texas came together July 23-24 in Houston for the 2026 Local Bar Leaders Conference, where they learned about trends shaping the bar, access to justice issues in Texas, how to handle a crisis with help from the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program, and more. Co-hosted by the State Bar of Texas Local Bar Services, the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), and the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the conference, which was held at the Westin Galleria, offered two days of networking, programming, and informative breakout sessions, in which attendees collaborated directly to develop strategies on growing membership, generating non-dues revenue, and driving increased turnout at their bars’ events. During the conference’s opening luncheon, Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jesse F. McClure III spoke to attendees about how all individuals, regardless of stature or title, can find a way to lead in almost any situation. He encouraged attendees to view successful leadership as a collective accomplishment, highlighting that “good leaders share the credit” and that “sharing the credit doesn’t diminish what you did.” Friday’s luncheon featured remarks by State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith and TYLA President Armin Salek, as well as the presentation of the Deborah G. Hankinson Awards by Supreme Court of Texas Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann. Highlights from the conference follow.

BEING A GOOD LEADER

Above: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jesse F. McClure III kicks off the 2026 Local Bar Leaders Conference at the opening luncheon on July 23 in Houston. Photo by Will Korn.

“Good leaders care,” Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Jesse F. McClure III told the crowd at the opening luncheon on Thursday. In a session titled “Leading from Anywhere,” McClure discussed building meaningful connections, being committed to the commitment, and how each of us can lead wherever we are—and that we don’t have to be in the corner office to do it. To prove his point, McClure told the story of a 2002 football game involving a quarterback who broke his leg but refused to quit. The team was losing when the player was injured, and after he came back in—and played his heart out—they still lost. But did they? “His teammates saw that he cared more about the team than himself,” McClure said.

“Good leaders care about sharing credit,” he said. “One lesson we can take from this idea of leaders caring is that you should care to share the credit. Sharing the credit doesn’t diminish what you did. In fact, if you share the credit with other people, other people will look to you in the future to work with you because they will know that their efforts will be seen and they will work hard for you.”

McClure said that good leaders treat people “below” them well, adding that he was putting quotation marks around “below.” He said one of the best lessons he learned as a new lawyer was when a partner took him aside and told him that for the first three years, the administrative staff would know more about practicing law than he would—and to remember that. “If you are good to the people who are below you on the org chart … those people will run through walls for you,” McClure said. “If you don’t care about them and if you treat them like well, ‘I have a law degree and you don’t,’ at best, they will be passive observers of your demise and at worst, they will sabotage you.”

Above: Supreme Court of Texas Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann (far left) and State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith (far right) present the Division I Hankinson Award to Gregory K. Simmons and Cindi Parker, of the Bell County Bar Association. Photo by Will Korn.

McClure urged attendees to consider that their titles or positions are not necessarily indications of leadership—sometimes it is the opposite. “If you’re a young lawyer and you’re the lowest associate in the firm, or you are the misdemeanor prosecutor that is prosecuting Class C speeding tickets, you can still be a leader,” he said. “You are much more influential than you think you are.” If the lawyer lowest on the trial team knows what is going on, McClure said he would look to that person no matter that person’s age or appearance. “Every time you have a chance to interact with people, you have a chance to show some leadership.”

In closing, McClure shared a quote he had recently heard that, in essence, said not to rely on “they” because there is no “they”—only “we.” He said that if you want something to get done, then care about the people you’re going to do it with and convince them of your goals. “I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys do.”

Above: Supreme Court of Texas Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann (far left) and State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith (far right) present the Division I Hankinson Award to Gregory K. Simmons and Cindi Parker, of the Bell County Bar Association. Photo by Will Korn.

A COMMITMENT TO ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Supreme Court of Texas Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann, on behalf of the Texas Access to Justice Commission, presented the Deborah G. Hankinson Awards at the conference luncheon on Friday. The Hankinson Awards honor local bar associations and young lawyer affiliate associations that demonstrate a commitment to access to justice. “I know that many of you know Justice Hankinson; she was a justice on our court for many years, and she devoted decades and decades of her life to access to justice,” Lehrmann said. “We are all dedicated, and I know that everyone in this room is, to ensure that access is available to everyone regardless of their ability to hire an attorney.” Lehrmann presented four awards.

Above: Supreme Court of Texas Senior Justice Debra Lehrmann (left) and State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith (right) present the Division III Award to Sarah Huffman, of the Tarrant County Bar Association. Photo by Will Korn.

Two winners were selected from Division I, which includes bar associations with less than 500 members. The Bell County Bar Association was selected for its commitment to serving veterans through pro bono service, including hosting two legal clinics in which 17 volunteer attorneys served at least 27 veterans. The Jefferson County Bar Association was selected for its commitment to fostering access to justice across Jefferson, Orange, Liberty, and Hardin counties. Through its Pro Bono Program, 40 volunteer attorneys donated 625 hours to close 57 cases and open 41 new cases for low-income Texans.

In Division III, which includes bar associations with 2,000 or more members, the Tarrant County Bar Association was selected for its strong culture of service. Through the LegalLine program, volunteer attorneys provided legal guidance by phone to more than 800 community members this year.

The Jefferson County Young Lawyers received the award in the Young Lawyer Affiliate category for its work with its parent organization, the Jefferson County Bar Association, to assist with their pro bono program and veterans legal clinics.

Above: State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith talks about his theme for the year, "Bringing It Home," at the luncheon on Friday. Photo by Will Korn.

BRINGING IT HOME
“This profession depends upon connection—connection to our communities, connection to each other, and connection to the profession that we serve,” said State Bar of Texas President G. David Smith at the conference luncheon on Friday. Smith, who practices at Smith & Lee Injury Lawyers in Rockwall, talked about his theme for the bar year, “Bringing It Home,” which focuses on practical efforts to support lawyers. “We are going to bring home the tenet of what good bar service is all about to the people that we serve, the lawyers in our communities, and our law students who are going to be our legacy,” he said. Smith highlighted four priorities that will guide this effort: supporting local bar associations, strengthening access to justice, expanding access to affordable CLE, and encouraging mentorship, professionalism, and lawyer well-being. Smith said part of the effort is to ensure that everyone understands that the State Bar of Texas is here to help. Smith encouraged the crowd to take one concrete step. “It all starts with your leadership,” he said. “Go out, do good, be good, and help those in need.”

Above: Texas Young Lawyers Association President Armin Salek talks to the crowd about the importance of relationships and collaboration at the luncheon on Friday. Photo by Will Korn.

LEADING THE WAY
TYLA President Armin Salek started off speaking at the conference luncheon on Friday through his nonprofit lens. He is the founder and executive director of the Youth Justice Alliance, a nonprofit that provides support for high school students from underrepresented communities on the path to law school. Salek said today, nonprofits want to combine resources, but some of those partnerships might be misaligned. “In that world, it is tough on those collaborations, but when I get to step into this space, the partnerships come so naturally,” he said. “It is so organic. There is so much opportunity for collaboration in this room.” He talked about meeting someone at the conference who works with the El Paso Women’s Bar Association program Mentors in Law & Equality, which he thought could feed into TYLA’s signature program this year, the Texas Future Lawyers Alliance, which supports aspiring first-gen lawyers through legal lessons, experiential learning, access to a network of lawyers, and funded LSAT support. “There’s so many relationships already in this room and so many that can be built up,” Salek said. “It’s about those relationships. It’s about that collaboration. It’s about all the partnerships that exist or will exist in the future in this room.”

Above: Members of the Texas Young Lawyers Association gather between sessions. Photo by Geoffrey Hinkson.

BUILDING YOUR FIRST AI SKILL
“The gap is widening,” said Joshua Weaver, director of the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator, at a session titled “Local Bars—Local Bar Leadership in the AI Era.” The gap between artificial intelligence (AI) developers and the people who are not using AI is widening over time, he said, pointing out that if you haven’t used AI or haven't used it in a while, you are underestimating what these models can do. In this session, Weaver talked about building an AI skill (a plain text file that saves instructions for a repetitive task) and walked the group through three examples—a monthly newsletter, a new member welcome email, and board minutes. In the prompt, you would tell the AI that you want it to build a skill to make a monthly newsletter but to interview you first about voice, length, style, and so forth. You provide it with past examples. If you don’t like the output, then you simply go back to the chat and say what you don’t like, how to fix it, and to update the skill. “I want to make the point here that anyone can do this,” Weaver said. “This is not technical.”

Above: The Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the Texas Access to Justice Commission present a discussion on access to justice issues in Texas. Photo by Geoffrey Hinkson.

LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, AND OPPORTUNITY HIGHLIGHT “WHAT’S NEXT”
Attendees at the “What’s Next: Pathways to State Bar Leadership for Local Bar Leaders” session heard a common theme: meaningful leadership begins with service. Panelists focused on opportunities for lawyers to get involved in State Bar sections, standing committees, grievance panels, and young lawyer initiatives while building their professional networks and leadership skills.

Above: State Bar of Texas Executive Director Trey Apffel acknowledges conference sponsors. Photo by Geoffrey Hinkson.

Sections Department Director Lyndsay Jackson highlighted the value of section participation, noting that many offer free membership to new lawyers, affordable CLEs, leadership opportunities, and community engagement. Opportunities include serving on section councils and committees and contributing to section publications.

Committees Coordinator Ben Walter discussed the annual standing committee application process and encouraged applicants to demonstrate relevant experience and connect their backgrounds to the committees they hope to serve.

Chief Disciplinary Counsel Seana Willing said one of the most important ways a lawyer can serve the profession is to volunteer for appointment to a district grievance committee. About 400 attorneys and public members statewide serve on grievance committees, which review complaints and determine whether professional misconduct has occurred. “Self-regulation can’t happen without our district grievance committees,” Willing said.

Immediate Past Board Chair Britney E. Harrison encouraged lawyers to consider service on the State Bar or TYLA governing boards—or wherever they see a need they can address. “Don’t wait until you feel ready,” she said. “Get out there and try it. There’s something for everyone.”