News From Around The Bar
October 2022

 

Books
ABOVE: From left, Brittny Mandarino Curry, Theresa W. Chang, Jackie Alvarenga Gerber, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, Regina Bynote Jones, Kim Ogg, and Elaine Carlson speak on the Women in the Law panel at South Texas College of Law Houston. Photo courtesy of South Texas College of Law Houston


STCL Houston welcomes women leaders in law for 2022 Alumni Reunion Week

Houston attorneys discussed how women have changed the legal profession at the Women and the Law panel on September 22 at the Joe Green Auditorium on the campus of South Texas College of Law Houston. Part of the law school’s 2022 Alumni Reunion Week celebration, the panel was moderated by STCL Houston Professor of Law Elaine Carlson and alumna Brittny Mandarino Curry, assistant public defender at the Harris County Public Defender’s Office. Panelists included Theresa W. Chang, an attorney and special commissioner of the eminent domain administrative hearing in Houston; Jackie Alvarenga Gerber, a partner in Mayer in Houston; former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman; Regina Bynote Jones, chief legal officer of Baker Hughes in Houston; and Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. For more information, go to stcl.edu.



UH Law Center opens new John M. O’Quinn Law Building

The University of Houston Law Center officially opened its new John M. O’Quinn Law Building during a ribbon-cutting ceremony and celebration on September 22. The $93 million facility is one of the newest law school buildings in Texas and nationwide. “This has been a decades-long dream of alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends who wanted a new building that represented the quality and caliber of the Law Center,” said University of Houston Law Center Dean Leonard M. Baynes in a press release. The 180,000-square-foot, five-story building was designed by the women-owned architecture firm Shepley Bulfinch and features scenic views of the school’s campus and downtown Houston. It includes a two-story library, courtrooms, and research and event spaces. Other amenities for students include a meditation room, commuter showers with changing rooms, a student lounge, and a convenience store. The ceremony was held at the John M. O’Quinn Law Building, located at 4170 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Houston. University of Houston President Renu Khator and Baynes were in attendance. The festivities continued on September 23 with a celebration and dedication conference at the O’Quinn Law Building, which featured some of the most notable names in bar association leadership, the judiciary, law firms, and academia. For more information about the new law building, go to law.uh.edu/news/fall2022/0831Building.asp.



Texas Access to Justice Foundation awarded additional $20 million to provide free housing legal services

The Texas Access to Justice Foundation, or TAJF, announced it received an additional $20 million in funding from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, or TDHCA, to continue the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. The state’s largest funding source for civil legal aid, TAJF was granted the first $20 million in August 2021 to help Texans access legal assistance with housing issues during the coronavirus pandemic. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program, or ERAP, provides legal information and representation to help Texans maintain or obtain housing. The new funds granted by the TDHCA will support a second year of the program’s legal services through August 31, 2024. “Since 2021, the Emergency Rental Assistance Program has provided legal services and housing stability clinics to thousands of Texans across the state,” said TAJF Executive Director Betty Balli Torres in a press release. “The program’s work to keep Texans housed plays a vital role in our mission. With these funds, we can continue helping current and future generations of Texans.”



State Bar of Texas wins national award for 2022 bar election communications

The State Bar of Texas received a national award for communications related to its 2022 elections. The National Association of Bar Executives Communications Section on September 23 awarded the State Bar of Texas a 2022 Luminary Award for Excellence in PR/Marketing/ Social Media Campaigns in the large bar category. The State Bar deployed a multimedia campaign to promote participation in the 2022 bar elections. Voting took place from April 1 to May 2 and included races for State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association presidents-elect and district directors. The campaign emphasized the importance of Texas lawyers’ unique system of self-governance and included design of a logo, articles and advertisements in the Texas Bar Journal, mass email messages, website and social media content, and two virtual candidate forums, including a forum recorded as an episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast.



State Bar Accepting Expressions of Interest for 2023-2024 Standing Committees

The State Bar of Texas is accepting expressions of interest to serve on committees for the upcoming bar year, which begins June 1, 2023. The survey form to express interest is available at texasbar.com/committeeform and is due December 1. Information provided will be submitted to the president-elect for consideration. Standing committees are established by the board of directors, and members are appointed by the president-elect to consider matters of interest to the bar membership, update professional materials, recommend changes to policies and procedures, and study legal issues affecting the legal profession and the public. For the list of committees and their roles, go to texasbar.com/committees.TBJ

 

{Back to top}