I am honored to again serve as the Chair of the State Bar of Texas Corporate Counsel Section and I am privileged to work with an amazing cast of dedicated, hardworking and intelligent attorneys who serve on this section's Council. As we're beginning to emerge from this unprecedented disruption in our world, this Council has embraced the new virtual working environment to keep this Section's mission on target. I'm always interested in learning about emerging trends and innovations in delivering legal services to clients and increasing access to justice, so please reach out to me directly if you have ideas that could benefit the mission of this Section.
Our membership is one of the largest in the State Bar of Texas and includes seasoned attorneys, recently admitted attorneys, in-house counsel, law firm lawyers, law students and judges. Though the vast majority of us live and practice in Texas, we also have members around the country and the globe.
Last year, we redesigned our website to make it more user-friendly, both on the web and via mobile device. If you're a Section member, you'll have exclusive access to the searchable
member roster (where you can update your own profile with a photo, social media links, etc), our
Corporate Counsel Review publication, as well as
Lexology (the most comprehensive source of legal updates, analysis and insights - which we've filtered to the most relevant topics for in-house counsel).
In 2021, we will surpass
$850,000 in Pro Bono Grants awarded since 1997 (keep in mind, all funds for these come from sources
other than member dues). If you know of a pro bono legal service provider in need, please contact our
Pro Bono Committee and let them know. We also encourage law firms to consider being a
Champion of Pro Bono to provide pro bono opportunities for in-house counsel and support pro bono organizations throughout Texas.
This past year, we have
also committed to improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by forming a new
DEI Committee
that will create CLEs, scholarship and other opportunities to
advance not just awareness, but actual activities that will result in tangible
improvements. Our first step was to
become a signatory to Equal in Legal
, a global community of organizations
committed to learn from each other, connect people and make the world better
for everyone.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are more than just words for
our Section. We have also committed to improving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion by forming a new DEI Committee that will create CLEs, scholarship and other opportunities to advance not just awareness, but actual activities that will result in tangible improvements. Our first step was to become a signatory to Equal in Legal, a global community of organizations committed to learn from each other, connect people and make the world better for everyone.
We're always looking for members who would like an active role on our Council and encourage you to look at our list of
Committees to join.
I welcome you to our Section and I look forward to continuing to serve you. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or suggestions on how we can serve the in-house community better.
Sincerely,
Chair, 2020 – 2022