The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

White-Collar/Regulatory

Texas Bar in Turmoil, Leaders Denounce New President’s 2015 Facebook Post about BLM

A couple thousand lawyers, including leaders of the State Bar of Texas, used Facebook and other social media outlets this weekend to blast comments made by recently installed bar president Larry McDougal Sr. in a 2015 Facebook post calling the group Black Lives Matter “a terrorist group.” Scores of Texas lawyers demanded his resignation. But dozens and dozens of attorneys from across the state either applauded or defended McDougal’s comments about Black Lives Matter. McDougal has apologized. The Texas Lawbook has the details.

State Bar Discipline

The State Bar of Texas reported its formal actions for June, including 3 disbarments, 11 lawyers suspended and 2 public reprimands. There were no judicial actions reported.

Paxton’s Lawyers on Criminal Case Shuffle: ‘This Case Has Gone on Far Too Long’

It’s been five years since Texas AG Ken Paxton has been indicted for securities fraud, but the case is back to where it first began.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that that this case would be going five years later,” one of Paxton’s lawyers, Bill Mateja, told The Texas Lawbook. “Let alone that there would be two trips to the Court of Criminal Appeals, that we’d have the SEC case dismissed years before the criminal trial was even scheduled and that the case would be transferred to Harris County and back to Collin County.”

Remembering Ed Tomko – A Legend in White Collar Law

For 52 years, Ed Tomko was a mainstay in the white-collar criminal practice. He served as a state and federal prosecutor. He was the head of the Houston office of the SEC when it closed 30 years ago. His last big trial was last year when he defended a former administrators of the Forest Park Medical Center. Tomko died last Wednesday. He was 76.

Judge Dismisses Mandatory Dues Case Against State Bar

U.S. Judge Lee Yeakel has rejected a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of mandatory bar dues charged by the State Bar of Texas. The Austin jurist ruled that the mandatory dues and the activities they pay for are well within the official responsibilities authorized by the Texas Legislature and do not violate the First Amendment. Allen Pusey has the details.

Flying Cars: Who’s Directing Traffic?

North Texas is ground zero for flying car innovation. Last September, Uber Elevate announced plans to situate the first test site for its fleet of all-electric flying taxis at Frisco Station, one block north of the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facilities. But as is often the case, the speed of technological innovation has outpaced legal regulation. Attorneys at Carrington Coleman examine the emerging legal questions.

State Bar Discipline: 2 Judges Disciplined, 3 Lawyers Disbarred, 8 Lawyers Suspended

The State Bar of Texas reported disciplinary actions against 15 lawyers, two of them judges. A judge from San Antonio was disciplined for her Facebook posts about lawyers in her court and an Austin lawyer, previously suspended for a marijuana charge in Arizona, was disbarred for defrauding a client’s account and generally neglecting another client’s litigation.

© Copyright 2020 The Texas Lawbook
The content on this website is protected under federal Copyright laws. Any use without the consent of The Texas Lawbook is prohibited.