GUEST COLUMN
Time to Say Thank You
This might be a good time to remind members of the State Bar of Texas
how fortunate they are to be licensed in Texas. We are one of 33 states
in which lawyers govern themselves through a unified, or integrated,
bar. But like everything in Texas, we tend to do it bigger and better.
Membership totals more than 103,000 lawyers, primarily in Texas, but
also scattered throughout the world. It is also time to say thank you to
those who serve the bar and Texas citizens every day.
In 1939, the Texas Legislature created the State Bar as an
administrative agency of the judicial branch of the state through the
State Bar Act in aid of its powers under the constitution to regulate
the practice of law. Since then it has grown into one of our country’s
premier legal associations whose mission is to:
“… support the administration of the legal system, assure all citizens equal access to justice, foster high standards of ethical conduct for lawyers, enable its members to better serve their clients and the public, educate the public about the rule of law, and promote diversity in the administration of justice and the practice of law.”
Our annual dues have not been raised since 1991. We get
to practice in an efficient self-regulated profession with an
independent grievance system for a maximum of $300, including a $65
legal service fee imposed by the state—that’s a pretty good deal.
Most importantly, the bar has proved that the Texas Legislature’s and
Supreme Court’s continued confidence are well placed. Over these past 80
years, our staff has been dedicated and responsive to annually changing
presidents and boards, as well as the desires and needs of the
membership. Our Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program provides confidential
help with substance abuse, mental health, and overall wellness issues.
Our Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator helps narrow the justice
gap by providing training and office space to new attorneys who want to
build their own practices serving low- and modest-income clients. Our
bar serves as a clearinghouse for legal information and resources during
natural disasters. Our Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans program—modeled
after an initiative started by the Houston Bar Association in 2008—is
renowned and replicated throughout the United States, and we have long
had the finest continuing legal education department in the nation. We
are indeed fortunate and should be grateful.
It is also a good time to say thank you to the Texas Young Lawyers
Association, or TYLA. A department of the State Bar composed of lawyers
36 years of age and under and those licensed for five years or less,
TYLA is commonly referred to as the bar’s “public service arm.” The
Legislature wisely recognized that TYLA is an integral part of the State
Bar by making its president, president-elect, and immediate past
president voting members of the bar’s board of directors and the TYLA’s
president a member of the bar’s executive committee. After all, they are
the state’s future advocates, legislators, judges, bar leaders, role
models, and mentors for the next generation of young lawyers. The need
for their perspective is critical. Again, TYLA has done it bigger and
better, having been repeatedly recognized by the American Bar
Association as the top state young lawyer association.
TYLA programs provide legal educational services to the general
public, help lawyers develop and maintain their practices, and aid
underserved members of the community. Recent projects include Free
From Violence, a web resource for survivors of domestic and elder
abuse; Safeguard Our Seniors, an informational video designed
to heighten awareness of the signs and symptoms of elder abuse; and a
website containing videos and printable files to educate the public on
human trafficking and related legal issues.
And finally, while we are at it, we should also thank our impressive
membership, among the most highly regarded lawyers in the world. Our
many fine law schools educate them well, including instilling their
graduates with the value of public service and pro bono representation,
and our bar continues it. Our firms can always do better, especially in
gender and minority diversity, but they and our bar continue to make it
a priority. Our Supreme Court justices are not just silent partners with
the bar in the provision of legal services to the poor, but active
leaders in the state and national access to justice effort. And we have
always been blessed with competent and dedicated legal aid lawyers who
have chosen a career serving the indigent.
Time has shown our unified bar has served the lawyers of Texas well.
More importantly, it has served the citizens of Texas well. The result
is a highly qualified, continually educated, and ethically policed legal
profession with a culturally instilled dedication to pro bono, access to
justice, and public service. A thank you to all who make it work is long
overdue.
Bill Whitehurst
Past President, State Bar and TYLA
