Executive Director’s Page
State Bar Invests in Texas Lawyers
Whether you’re managing a personal budget or your law firm’s, a
prudent manager knows there’s a time to save and a time to spend.
For the past two years, under the leadership of Immediate Past
President Joe K. Longley and President Randy Sorrels, the State Bar’s
financial focus has been on saving money. This was the right approach
for the time. Because of these efforts to control costs, the bar
succeeded in reaching a longtime goal of three months of operating
expenditures in reserve, which is in line with auditor
recommendations.
This year, under the leadership of President-elect Larry McDougal,
State Bar leaders believe it’s time to strategically spend money to help
Texas lawyers.
The bar’s proposed 2020-2021 budget focuses on investing in
information technology infrastructure and enhancing services to members.
As proposed, the budget would add resources to programs that provide
tangible services to Texas lawyers—including member benefits, law
practice management, and the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program—while
maintaining the long-term goal of keeping three months of operating
expenditures in reserves.
We can do this without a dues increase thanks to wise
fiscal management dating back many years. In fact, Texas lawyers have
paid the same annual dues—up to $235 depending on years of
practice—since 1991. As former State Bar President Frank Stevenson likes
to say, that means Texas lawyers are being sworn in today who weren’t
alive the last time our dues went up. And no dues increase is being
contemplated.
In keeping with our mandate, the budget also fulfills the State Bar’s
statutory obligations by regulating the legal profession and improving
the quality of legal services in Texas.
A budget summary appears on page
159 of this issue for your review. Everyone is invited to our public
hearing April 7 in Austin, or you can send questions and comments to
Finance Division Director Tracy Jarratt, CPA, at tjarratt@texasbar.com or
800-204-2222, ext. 1481. We welcome your feedback.
Mandatory Bar Litigation
I’ve been updating you on federal litigation against the mandatory bar
structure in multiple states. So far, the trend reflected in court
rulings is that the law allowing mandatory bars is settled and can be
changed only by the U.S. Supreme Court. Plaintiffs in North Dakota and
Wisconsin have filed petitions asking the Supreme Court to consider
their cases. Other lawsuits are pending in Louisiana, Michigan,
Oklahoma, Oregon, and Texas. You can read the court filings on the State
Bar website at texasbar.com/mcdonaldvsorrels.
Sincerely,
Trey Apffel
Executive Director, State Bar of Texas
Editor-in-Chief, Texas Bar Journal
(512) 427-1500
@ApffelT on
Twitter.
GOVERNANCE INFORMATION
A public hearing on the proposed State Bar of Texas budget will take
place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in Room 101 at the Texas Law
Center, 1414 Colorado St., in Austin.
The State Bar Board of Directors will vote at its next quarterly meeting, on April 17 in Bryan, to present the proposed budget to the Texas Supreme Court for review and approval.
Have a question for Trey? Email it to trey.apffel@texasbar.com and
he may answer it in a future column.
