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Document and Records Management systems share many similarities. In fact, in this digital age, the features and functionality required to manage electronic documents provide a solid foundation for records management. There are however nuances to managing documents and records, so it is important to understand how these disciplines differ and where they overlap. What is Document Management? Document management is the practice of providing structure to unstructured data using various tools and strategies. It’s important to remember that a document is a form of information that is generally considered to be ‘unstructured’, as opposed to the structured rows and columns…
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The State Bar of Texas Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. on September 24 at the St. Anthony Hotel in San Antonio. Attorneys and members of the public can watch the meeting live on the State Bar’s YouTube channel. Public comment will be accepted in person at the meeting and virtually via Zoom. To sign up to speak during the meeting, please email amy.starnes@texasbar.com or call (800) 204-2222, ext. 1706 (toll free) before 5 p.m. CDT on September 23. Written comments regarding agenda items may be sent to boardofdirectors@texasbar.com and must be received before 5 p.m. CDT…
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Free legal resources are available to low-income individuals affected by flooding and other conditions created by Hurricane Nicholas. The State Bar of Texas’s toll-free disaster legal services hotline—800-504-7030—puts callers in touch with legal aid providers in their areas who can help with: Replacement of important legal documents lost or destroyed in the disaster; Life, medical, and property insurance claims; Home repair contracts and contractors; Consumer protection issues such as price-gouging and avoiding contractor scams in the recovery process; Counseling on landlord-tenant problems; and other matters. The hotline assists callers in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. People who qualify for assistance will…
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Erica Grigg Erica Grigg credits the Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program with saving her life. This month, she became director of the 37-year-old program. The Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program (TLAP) provides confidential help, referrals, and peer assistance programs to lawyers, judges, and law students experiencing mental health or substance use disorders. “Years ago, I reached out to TLAP for help while in the throes of alcohol addiction and untreated, severe depression. This program and its resources saved my life and career,” Grigg said. “It is the honor of a lifetime to now have the opportunity to give back to TLAP and…
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Clearly defining all expectations and responsibilities related to fees, billing, and payments during client intake can go a long way toward preventing chargebacks and payment disputes down the road. In this article, we’ll share a few examples of sample billing language for attorneys that can help reduce late and non-payments and make sure you get paid for your hard work. Sample Billing Language for Attorneys: 3 Essential Examples To be confident that you and your new clients are on the same page from the initial conversation, there are a few topics you should consider covering either in your attorney fee…
St. Mary’s University School of Law will launch the first fully online juris doctor program approved by the American Bar Association in fall 2022. St. Mary’s University plans to enroll 25 students in the first cohort of the five-year pilot program. The St. Mary’s University program is the first to offer all credit-bearing courses online by design. “As the only law school serving San Antonio and the southernmost school serving South Texas, St. Mary’s Law has a tradition of excellence in legal education stretching back to its founding in 1927,” said Patricia Roberts, St. Mary’s Law Dean and Charles E.…
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Shannon Davis Hunter, of Coats Rose, has been selected as a fellow in Leadership Houston Class XL. Leadership Houston XL is a 10-month signature program for community leaders that will culminate with a civic class project to effect positive change and the development of individual, personal plans for future civic engagement. Hunter is a partner in Coats Rose’s Affordable Housing and Community Development Practice in Houston. She represents public housing authorities, housing developers, syndicators, and investors with leveraging various products, including HOPE VI funds, low-income housing tax credits, private activity tax-exempt bonds, investment syndications, and conventional loans. For more information…
Editor’s Note: In recognition of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Texas Bar Blog is republishing this article from the May 2005 issue of the Texas Bar Journal about Texas lawyers called to active-duty military service. By Morgan Morrison More than 300,000 members of the U.S. Reserve and National Guard have been called to active duty military service since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and many others served in the preceding decade on missions throughout the world. These men and women left their civilian lives for assignments such as training soldiers for the new Afghan and Iraqi…
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The Texas Office of Court Administration has selected three vendors to support the new statewide Uniform Case Management System, or UCMS. The three vendors selected to support the UCMS are Icon Software, iDocket, and Tyler Technologies. UCMS is an opt-in court case management system aimed at supporting Texas counties with a population less than 20,000, which equates to more than half of the state’s counties. Counties will be able to choose one of the three vendors to access UCMS. The system is free to counties and supported by more than $30 million in state appropriations to OCA. “The new contracts…
By Doryn Glenn The State Bar of Texas Jury Service Committee is warning the public against criminals that would seek to make them victims of scams that are becoming increasingly common. Individuals, pretending to be local law enforcement officers, are calling citizens stating that they have failed to appear for jury duty or some other court proceeding. These individuals go on to claim that a warrant has been issued for the citizen’s arrest and/or a large sum of money is owed as a fine for failing to appear. Scams such as this have been reported throughout Texas and in other…