State Bar of Texas Podcast

Why bother to become a board certified attorney? As it turns out, there are tons of advantages for your legal practice. The State Bar of Texas Podcast host Rocky Dhir welcomes Leo Figueroa to discuss the process of board certification and debunk common misconceptions.  Leo Figueroa is executive director of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.   Special thanks to our sponsor, LawPay.  

Time to meet your candidates! On March 10, Joe Escobedo and Cindy Tisdale participated in a live, virtual forum hosted by Rocky Dhir. Get to know Joe and Cindy as they share their priorities for the State Bar of Texas and answer audience questions.  Register to join their next live forum on April 5!  Joe Escobedo is a partner at Escobedo & Cardenas, LLP, in Edinburg, Texas, where he devotes his practice to tort litigation and mediations.  Cindy Tisdale is a small firm attorney in Granbury, Texas, where she dedicates her practice to family law. She is also Of Counsel with Lynch, Chappell & Alsup in Midland. Special thanks to our sponsor, LawPay.

Women play a vital role in the legal profession, and their leadership should be encouraged and supported as we move into the future. State Bar of Texas podcast host Rocky Dhir talks with four deans of Texas law schools, Joan R.M. Bullock, Jennifer Collins, Felecia Epps, and Patricia Roberts, about their perspectives on women and the law. They discuss changing dynamics in work-life balance, overcoming bias, and how unique viewpoints from women in law enrich the legal profession.   Joan R.M. Bullock is Dean of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law.  Jennifer M. Collins is the Judge James Noel Dean and Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Felecia Epps is Dean at the University of North Texas College of Law in Dallas.  Patricia Roberts is Dean of Saint Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio.    Special thanks to our sponsor, LawPay.

The pandemic made many employers realize that they actually can do business with a remote staff, but there are still many issues to untangle as remote and/or hybrid work continues. To help attorneys understand the nuances of employment law for these new work situations, Rocky Dhir welcomes business and employment trial lawyer Trang Tran. They discuss how today’s common work situations interact with current laws and offer advice for protecting both employers and employees.  Trang Tran is a trial lawyer who has been serving individuals and businesses for over 20 years. Special thanks to our sponsors, Clio and LawPay.

Happy New Year! To ring in 2022, host Rocky Dhir welcomes Warren W. Harris and Kirsten Castañeda to look back at 2021 appellate law happenings and explore the lessons to be learned. Warren and Kirsten discuss topics from their recent appellate law articles for the Texas Bar Journal and offer guidance for attorneys on current issues.  Warren W. Harris is a partner in Bracewell in Houston, where he heads the firm’s Appellate Practice Group.  Kirsten Castañeda is an attorney with Alexander Dobose Jefferson LLC.   Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

Every lawyer hopes to present themselves as poised and intelligent, but some struggle to put their best foot forward when engaging clients or fellow professionals online, especially in video communications. Elisabeth Steele is here to help! Host Rocky Dhir welcomes Elisabeth to walk lawyers through the elements of effective virtual presence and communication. She shares tips on: cultivating connection and authenticity for your audience; setting up a workspace that minimizes distractions; and, enhancing your credibility and authority in online interactions.  Elisabeth Steele Hutchison is a faculty specialist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center for Teaching Excellence. She coaches attorneys, faculty, and remote leaders to communicate well on video. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

Legal advertising has become more and more sophisticated in our tech-driven age, and the State Bar of Texas’ advertising review department is striving to become equally sophisticated in giving lawyers speedy, straightforward feedback on ad compliance. Rocky Dhir welcomes Gene Major to learn all about the department’s new advertising review portal, which is now available for all State Bar members. Gene Major is the attorney compliance division director and director of advertising review for the State Bar of Texas. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

E-filing systems are quicker and more efficient, but there is certainly still room for human error, as was seen in a recent case heard by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans— a lawyer who had agreed to use e-filing later missed a motion for summary judgment that landed in his spam folder, leading to his failure to respond to the motion in time and, ultimately, to the court tossing the lawsuit. What does all this have to do with Texas lawyers? Rocky Dhir welcomes D. Todd Smith to talk through the functions of automated certificates of service in the state and how this technology could prevent circumstances similar to those that led to the recent 5th Circuit case. D. Todd Smith is an attorney and civil appellate specialist at Butler Snow LLP. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.

We may not give much thought to how trademark laws affect our daily lives, but the Lanham Act has played a huge role in protecting us as consumers. How? Rocky Dhir welcomes intellectual property experts Joe Cleveland and Craig Stone to discuss the evolution of trademark law and its functions in our economy. They also honor Texas Congressman Fritz Lanham’s contributions to this area of the law and explain how his namesake Act has promoted trust and reliability in United States commerce and inspired other countries to model their laws after its statutes. Joe Cleveland is a director and shareholder at Brackett & Ellis, P.C., and has practiced in the area of commercial and intellectual property litigation for over 20 years. Craig Stone is Senior Counsel, Intellectual Property at Phillips 66 Company. Special thanks to our sponsor, Clio.  

The Texas Bar Journal has been striving to make sure diverse voices are represented in its pages. State Bar of Texas podcast host Rocky Dhir talks with Angelica Hernandez, a current member of the editorial board, to learn how articles are selected for the Journal and how the unique perspectives of diverse authors benefit all Texas legal professionals. Angelica Hernandez is a partner at the law firm of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson.