Bar Leaders Conference 2019
By Adam Faderewski, Patricia Busa McConnico, and Eric Quitugua
Some 300 local bar leaders traveled to Houston from across the state
in mid-July to learn about leadership, access to justice opportunities,
ways to engage members, resources to help grow their organizations, and
more at the Bar Leaders Conference at the Westin Galleria. Hosted by the
State Bar of Texas Local Bar Services Committee, the Texas Young Lawyers
Association, and the Texas Access to Justice Commission, the annual
conference offers education and networking for local bar executives,
young lawyer affiliates, and other volunteer leaders through panel
discussions, roundtable discussions, team building exercises, and award
presentations. Outreach to local bars helps to fulfill one of the
purposes outlined in the State Bar Act. The following are highlights
from this year’s conference.

Photo by Eric Quitugua
Where You Start May Not Be Where You Finish
When
the topic of bar leadership comes up, most people don’t think of
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical Hamilton. But
according to Elizabeth Derrico (above), the keynote speaker at the State
Bar of Texas Bar Leaders Conference in Houston, there are many
similarities. First and foremost, bar leaders need to be flexible and
open to possibilities. Miranda was on vacation when he read Ron
Chernow’s book Alexander Hamilton—an acclaimed biography of one
of America’s Founding Fathers and the nation’s first secretary of the
treasury—and decided to create a musical chronicling his life. Derrico,
who is a principal in Elizabeth Derrico & Associates and assists
organizations throughout the country with everything from strategic
planning and board development to organizational assessments and
executive searches, stressed that bar leaders need to think in new
combinations, defer to the talents of others, and realize when they are
wrong. And of course, they need to build and maintain relationships. She
pointed to the connection Miranda had with legendary lyricist Stephen
Sondheim. Derrico ended with this quote from Hamilton: “If you
stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for?”
Professionalism and Civility
Members of the State Bar of Texas Professionalism Committee discussed
why professionalism and civility in the legal profession are more
important than ever right now. A young attorney often can learn about
the importance of decorum and professionalism from an experienced
mentor. The panelists provided resources for local bars to implement a
mentorship program, directing attendees to the SBOT Mentoring Network at
texasbar.com, and sponsor a Day
of Civility, which is an opportunity to reaffirm the Texas Lawyer’s
Creed.
Creating a Strategic Plan for Your
Organization
Derrico, the principal in Elizabeth Derrico & Associates, said
strategic plans give associations a chance to clarify, redirect, reset,
affirm, commit, and reposition aims. She said bars should consider what
they want their impact to be and what they want their members to say
about their bar. Derrico said operational plans created through
strategic planning are most effective when they are for the association
itself, rather than a one-year plan put in place for a single person’s
term.
Incubating Socially Conscious Law
Practices
Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator Director Anne-Marie Rábago
gave an overview of the status of justice incubators across the country,
stating that the initial focus—teaching lawyers the business of running
a law firm—has changed to providing access to justice to all Americans.
She said only 1 in 5 low-income Americans and 2 in 5 modest-income
Americans find help for their civil legal services. Learn more about
TOJI on pages 701
and 702.
Access to Justice Update
Betty Balli Torres, executive director of the Texas Access to Justice
Foundation, and Trish McAllister, executive director of the Texas Access
to Justice Commission, gave attendees a primer on the state of access to
justice in Texas. Some 8.67 million people are in need of and qualify
for legal aid, McAllister said. She highlighted some areas to consider
to increase services to the poor: upping funding to hire more lawyers
for legal aid programs, utilizing more pro bono attorneys, and making it
easier for courts to help people and for people to help themselves.
McAllister and Torres gave an update on the 86th Legislature and said
there were several bills benefiting those whom legal aid programs serve,
such as HB 996, which addresses “zombie debt” by prohibiting debt buyers
from suing to collect on time-barred debts, and SB 234, which expands
the list of allowable documentation to break a lease to include a letter
from a domestic violence advocate.
Helping
Attorneys Before They Need Help From TLAP
Five panelists shared their stories of battling addiction and
depression and the ways they’ve managed the stress of being attorneys.
State Bar of Texas Past President Allan DuBois suggested getting out of
the mindset that you’re defined as a lawyer. Texas Lawyers’ Assistance
Program Staff Attorney Erica Grigg said she connects with people outside
of the legal realm because lawyers live in an “alternate universe.” She
said it’s important to have an outside perspective of the world. TLAP
Director Chris Ritter suggested learning how to process trauma and
calendaring yourself at least one hour a day to focus on your wellness.
Tricks to Building Effective and
Eye-Catching Social Media Posts
State Bar of Texas Pro Bono Programs Administrator Hannah Allison and
Adam Faderewski, State Bar social media coordinator and Texas Bar
Journal associate editor, showed how to make quick and compelling
graphics for social media. Faderewski suggested using Canva, an online
graphics program, to make images for social media and recommended
creating templates to save time. Allison discussed tactics for Instagram
posts, including making Boomerangs and using the Typorama app to make
engaging text graphics to be added to photos or videos.
The G.O.A.L. of Law-Related
Education
The State Bar of Texas Law-Related Education, or LRE, team discussed
opportunities for attorneys to learn more about civic education and
engagement. LRE Director Jan Miller and LRE Coordinator Dodie Kasper
walked the crowd through the LRE website, texaslre.org, which is
chock-full of TEKS-aligned resources for educators and students wanting
to learn more about the law, including games such as Citizen
Bee, Liam Learns, I was the first. Vote for Me!,
Bee in a Box, and Justiceville. The most significant
way for students to learn about civics is for attorneys to get in the
classrooms and talk about their profession, provide materials, and
discuss the importance of the rule of law.
ATJ Pro Bono Poverty Simulation
To get some
outside perspective on the struggles faced by low-income clients,
participants took part in a simulation of what it takes for some to even
get through their day-to-day lives. Each was given a script identifying
who they are and a list of errands they needed to run. Working with
barriers such as an allotted amount of transportation passes or factors
such as long lines, participants needed to navigate getting loans,
paying bills, getting groceries, or—more dramatically—finding a shelter.
No matter the task, when their scripts prompted, the participants would
have to open from their packet an envelope that represented an
unexpected life surprise. The name of the game for this experiment:
realizing just how desperate the need for pro bono attorneys is.
Google Does Not Trust You; How Can You Make
It?
MediaSmack President Amanda Snowden led a session showing
organizations how to look more critically at their websites to see if
Google should trust them. A firm’s website must focus on end-user
experience and have a responsive website design, she said. To gain
Google’s trust, Snowden suggested creating each page with unique content
of about 750 words, responding to online reviews posted on other
websites, and creating content for other websites to build backlinks to
your website. The rewards are higher rankings in search results and more
traffic to your site.
Show Up and Step
Up
Members of Houston’s legal profession gathered to discuss diversity.
Audrey Chang, of Greenberg Traurig, said attorneys should use their
leverage to bring others—whether lawyers or clerks—into the fold. As an
example of this, Chevazz Brown, of Jackson Walker, pointed to the U.S.
District Court for the Southern District of Texas, where bankruptcy
judges have recognized the need for diversity and have invited law
students to events to get the word out to their schools as well as
members of the profession. Moderator Juan Garcia offered a point to
consider when recruiting people from different backgrounds: “There is a
question of why they should join the firm or bar, etc.”
Building on that, the session turned into a conversation among
attendees.
Technology and Mental
Health
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Director Chris Ritter primed his
audience on the pitfalls of not limiting your screen time. Technology
reminds people of the things they haven’t done, wastes time that could
be spent on self-care or sleep, results in an addictive cycle of
stimulation, and substitutes for actual social interaction, he said. The
TLAP director offered four main pieces of advice to curb the ill effects
of too much tech: 1) check email two to three times a day; 2) limit
social media to 10 minutes per platform per day; 3) monitor use with
apps such as Screen Time; and 4) use “do not disturb.”
Staying Relevant: Serving a Diverse Community
This session was a chance for local bar leaders to learn how they can
put together projects that best serve their communities. Led by Texas
Young Lawyers Association leadership, “Staying Relevant” showcased some
of TYLA’s signature projects with some insight from directors on their
goals and tips for making sure those projects reach the public. TYLA
Vice President Donald Delgado discussed Slavery Out of the
Shadows, the group’s Telly-winning documentary that details stories
of victims caught in human trafficking in America and was designed to
help educate the media, lawyers, district attorneys, and the public on
signs of human trafficking. TYLA Immediate Past President Sally
Pretorius talked about Proud to Be an American, which includes
videos giving students K-12 an overview of basic civic duties such as
voting, jury duty, or obeying laws. TYLA Secretary Michael Ritter gave
advice on how to spread project ideas to other bars—simply visit with
others to talk about your own ideas. “They do that and odds are someone
will roll out a similar project.”TBJ

Texas Young Lawyers Association President Victor A. Flores (far left)
and TYLA Immediate Past President Sally Pretorius (far right) present
awards to members of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. Photo by
Patricia Busa McConnico.