Executive Director’s Page
A Mission-Focused Bar
Many people think of the State Bar of Texas as the group that handles
MCLE and grievances. Granted, MCLE compliance and attorney discipline
are two of the State Bar’s major responsibilities, but they are not the
whole story.
The complete story becomes clearer when you read our mission
statement, which appears below. Everything the State Bar of Texas
does—every action taken or not taken—goes back to our mission, which is
based on the bar’s governing documents.1 In short, the State
Bar exists to protect the public, to serve Texas lawyers, and to help
lawyers better serve their clients.
The State Bar of Texas is not an association or trade group—designed
simply to benefit a profession—although serving lawyers is one of our
core commitments. By statute, the bar is an administrative agency of the
Texas Supreme Court with mandatory membership and seven defined purposes
related to improving the administration of justice, advancing the
quality of legal services to the public, maintaining high standards of
conduct in the profession, and providing services to
attorneys.2
Many people have a role in overseeing the State Bar—from the Supreme
Court, which approves the bar budget and exercises administrative
control; to the Legislature, which reviews bar operations under the
Texas Sunset Act; to the 60-member State Bar of Texas Board of
Directors, which develops and implements bar policy and hires an
executive director to manage day-to-day operations.
State Bar board members volunteer their time. Other volunteers include
the Commission for Lawyer Discipline, a 12-person standing committee
(with an equal number of public and attorney members) that provides
oversight to the chief disciplinary counsel, which administers the
attorney discipline system with help from volunteer grievance panels
located across the state.
More than 44,400 Texas lawyers belong to voluntary State Bar sections.
Nearly 600 volunteers serve the State Bar through standing committees,
where they work on a variety of issues affecting our profession. More
than 260 lawyers from across the state volunteer through our SOLACE
program to assist attorneys or their families when catastrophic events
or health situations take place. And another 930 lawyers support peers
in crisis as volunteers for the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program.
The 26,311-member Texas Young Lawyers Association acts as the bar’s
public service arm, under the leadership of its 48-member, all-volunteer
board of directors. And nearly 10,000 lawyers donated a total of $1.4
million in voluntary access to justice contributions on their dues
statements in fiscal year 2018-2019.
Have you noticed a key word here is “volunteer”?
Yes, the State Bar has a professional staff, and I am proud to work
with them every day. But what makes attorneys unique among professionals
in Texas is our system of self-governance, which gives all bar members
the right to vote on the people who represent us, the rules that
regulate us, and the dues we pay for the right and privilege to practice
law. The State Bar of Texas is all of us, and this system doesn’t work
without volunteers.
If you are one of those volunteers, I extend a sincere thank you. If
you’re not, I encourage you to get involved.
Join a section of lawyers who practice in your specialty area.
Volunteer for a standing committee or a pro bono program. Become a
mentor to new lawyers. Seek election to the bar board or appointment to
a local grievance panel. If you’re not sure how to get involved, please
reach out and I’ll help you get connected.
There are 105,125 active members of the State Bar of Texas. My hope is
that all of us can work together in pursuit of the State Bar’s
mission.
Sincerely,
Trey Apffel
Executive Director, State Bar of Texas
Editor-in-Chief, Texas Bar Journal
(512) 427-1500
@ApffelT on Twitter.
STATE BAR OF TEXAS MISSION STATEMENT
The mission
of the State Bar of Texas 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.
Have a question for Trey? Email it to trey.apffel@texasbar.com and
he may answer it in a future column.