Civil District Courts
Community Justice Program
Community Relations/Media Response
Continuing Legal Education
County Courts
Criminal Law & Procedure
Federal Courts
Fee Dispute
Justice of the Peace & Municipal Courts
Law Day U.S.A.
Law School
Lawyer Referral
Library
Medical/Legal Liaison
Membership
Mentor/Lawyers Helping Lawyers
Military Liaison
Program
Publications
Technology
Unauthorized Practice of Law

Civil District Courts
Chair: Carl Robin Teague
210.222.1739 robin@teaguelaw.com

The District Courts committee strives to improve the quality of practice of the district courts in Bexar County by addressing issues of concern to the judiciary and the attorneys who practice in District Court. This committee currently is working with judges and other attorneys to determine whether to revise the local rules in the light of new changes in the Rules of Civil Procedure. The District Courts committee meets on the first Thursday of each month at noon, usually at the SABA offices. Please contact the chair for more information. A copy of each meeting's agenda is also available upon request from Robin Teague.


Community Justice Program
Co-chair: Judge Karen Pozza
210.335.2462 kpozza@co.bexar.tx.us
Co-chair: Justice Phylis Speedlin
210.335.2831 phylis.speedlin@courts.state.tx.us

The Community Justice Program expands access to and enhances the quality of justice in civil cases for low-income residents of San Antonio. The San Antonio Bar Association and other local bar groups are partnering with the Texas Supreme Court's Texas Access to Justice Commission, Texas Rural Legal Aid, Inc., St. Mary's Law School, paralegal professionals and the public to bring legal services and night court to neighborhood locations. Each month, on the 2nd Tuesday night from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., beginning on October 8, 2002, the Community Justice Program will sponsor a neighborhood legal service clinic. The Carver Academy, located on the East side of the city, has been selected as the first community site. Additional locations will be selected in the future with the goal of serving all areas of San Antonio.
Volunteer attorneys, paralegals, and law students from San Antonio will interview applicants and provide on site advice on civil legal matters at the neighborhood clinic. Applicants will be screened for eligibility for pro bono legal services based upon Federal Poverty Guidelines. Eligible applicants will be matched with attorneys who have agreed to accept pro bono cases for representation. Cases will include family, consumer, employment, housing, landlord-tenant, simple wills, probate, and bankruptcy matters.

In addition, assistance will be provided for individuals representing themselves in uncontested divorce, conservatorship and paternity matters.

Finally, uncontested or agreed pro bono matters will be finalized before a Civil District Judge at the neighborhood clinic site. These court services will be coordinated with Bexar County District Clerk's Office to allow court files to be taken to neighborhood clinic sites.

To volunteer, call Suzanne DeWalt of the San Antonio Bar Association at 210.227.8822 x24.


Community Relations/Media Response
Chair: Zachary Aoki
210.341.2020 zaoki@thurman-phillips.com

The Community Relations committee's goal is to educate the public and to build public trust in the legal profession. This committee acts as a liaison between attorneys and the public in several ways. First, the committee maintains a Speakers' Bureau that consists of various topics that may be of interest to the community or profession, and attorneys who are willing to speak on these topics. The committee also assists various groups in finding particular speakers. Not only are attorneys given an opportunity to speak and make contacts with community organizations, but the committee also publicizes these speeches. Second, the committee has established a Media Response Team to develop a relationship with members of the media and to inform them about the activities and efforts of the Bar Association and its members. The Media Response Team provides the media with contacts in the legal profession for commentary on legal issues, responds to inaccurate media reporting, encourages public service and charitable- and community-oriented projects in the legal community, and then publicizes these positive endeavors.


Continuing Legal Education
Chair: Judge Rene Diaz
210.335.2132

The Continuing Legal Education committee monitors the continuing legal education needs of lawyers, sponsors and coordinates monthly CLE programs as well as the programs for the Bench Bar Conference and Anatomy of a Civil Trial seminar. It also disseminates information concerning all CLE programs taking place in Bexar County. Individual members are responsible for developing ideas and speakers for future CLE programs and organizing the monthly programs.


County Courts
Chair: Steven B. Treu
210.736.6600 streu@langleybanack.com

The County Courts committee assists with the management of the county court system, and works with various judges and attorneys to improve its performance and efficiency in both civil and criminal matters. For example, in the past year, this committee has assisted in developing two auxiliary courts to handle excess cases and guilty pleas, and recently assisted in implementing a new dismissal docket. In the upcoming year, the committee plans to work with the Bexar County legislative delegation to lobby the legislature to approve three new county courts for Bexar County. The committee has recently included a survey in the Subpoena to gather advice from Bar Association members on improving the county court system, and also hopes to coordinate with the district attorney's office to improve the efficiency of misdemeanor filings.


Criminal Law & Procedure
Co-Chair: John Convery
210.738.9060 hasconpc@aol.com

The Criminal Law and Procedure committee promotes the criminal law practice and the education of criminal law attorneys (both defense attorneys and prosecutors). This committee's main project is planning and presenting the annual Judge Anees A. Semaan Criminal Law Seminar, which is designed to present practical and useful information to prosecutors, defense attorneys, and the criminal court judiciary. Additionally, the committee sponsors the annual Pat Henley Happy Hour where attendees can socialize and honor the memories of the unique and flamboyant Mr. Henley, an inductee into the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association Hall of Fame. The committee also works with the San Antonio Plan Committee, offers suggestions for improving court procedures, and promotes the ethical representation of criminal defendants.


Federal Courts
Chair: George Parker, Jr.
210.226.1166 george.parker@bracepatt.com

The Federal Courts Committee assists the federal courts in addressing the problems and challenges facing the federal judiciary, and makes recommendations for improving the federal court system and the interests of attorneys who practice in federal courts.


Fee Dispute
Chair: Gilbert Vara, Jr.
210.732.6040 gvara@stic.net

The Fee Dispute committee serves as an arbitration panel to resolve fee disputes between attorneys and their present or former clients, as well as fee disputes among attorneys. Parties who appear before the Fee Dispute Committee must submit to binding arbitration, and the committee generally resolves disputes promptly, usually in one afternoon. The committee provides an inexpensive forum where members of the public can seek resolution of a dispute concerning the fees charged by attorneys. Moreover, the activities of the committee can help to create a more favorable image of attorneys in an era where our profession is under constant attack. The committee is composed not only of attorneys, but also members of the lay public. Not only do members of the committee derive satisfaction from delivering prompt, tangible results, and from assisting individuals in resolving disputes, but members also gain valuable knowledge concerning attorney-client relations and public perceptions of attorney's fees. Members may draw upon this knowledge to educate their own clients about the nature and extent of the work performed, in an effort to diminish clients objections to their fees.


Justice of the Peace & Municipal Courts
Chair: Robert Ray
210.733.4399 robertnray@justice.com

This committee reviews the operation of the JP and municipal courts and fosters communication between attorneys and the judiciary. It also works to make the court system more efficient by making recommendations for improvement.


Law Day U.S.A.
Chair: Richard Loza
210. 212.3700 rloza@trla.org

The Law Day committee plans and promotes Law Day activities, which include a luncheon featuring a nationally prominent speaker and activities designed to educate the public about its rights and responsibilities under the legal system.


Law School
Chair: Chris Heinrichs
210.366.0900 chrish@heinrichslaw.com

This committee sponsors law-related education programs that are designed to increase the public's legal knowledge and inform the public of the legal issues that affect their daily lives.


Lawyer Referral
Chair: James Peterson
210.349.5555 jamesppeterson@aol.com

The Lawyer Referral committee administers the San Antonio Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service and seeks to improve the availability and quality of legal services available from the service. The committee is currently seeking to establish comprehensive screening of the attorney applicant’s qualifications and more closely determine their areas of competency in order to provide a quality referral to those seeking assistance from the service. The Committee is also attempting at this time to secure low-cost malpractice insurance coverage on referrals made through the Lawyer Referral Service for attorneys who do not participate because of their inability to comply with the legal malpractice coverage requirement.


Library
Chair: Reed Greene
210.826.1233 cgreene2@satx.rr.com

This committee advises the Bar and Bexar County commissioners on operation of the county law library. This year's focus is providing services to pro se litigants and examining how the library can take advantage of changing technology in the world of legal research tools.


Medical/Legal Liaison
Chair: Bruce Anderson
210.341.9711

The Medical-Legal Liaison committee is composed of members of both the San Antonio Bar Association and the Bexar County Medical Society. Its purpose is to promote good relations between physicians and attorneys in our community, as well as to informally resolve disputes that arise between physicians and attorneys. Quarterly dinner meetings are held at local restaurants, and the dinners include time for both informal socializing and committee business. The committee is co-chaired by an attorney and a physician. When a complaint from a physician or an attorney comes to the chairs, an attorney is assigned to serve as an investigator/advocate for the attorney, and a physician is assigned to serve as an investigator/advocate for the physician. The complaint is then investigated and the lawyer and physician report back to the committee the results of the investigation. There is generally lively discussion among the members of the committee regarding the issues involved and a recommended course of action. Over this past year, the committee has dealt with such issues as fees charged by physicians for giving depositions, attorneys failing to make good on letters of protection, attorneys advertising on bags used by pharmacies for prescriptions, and ex parte contracts with treating physicians. The committee presents an opportunity for physicians and attorneys to get to know one another and to work together to resolve both specific problems and more general issues between the two professions. As a result, each profession is able to do a better job for its respective clients and patients without stepping on the other profession's toes. The committee is receptive to hearing from any attorneys who have a problem or issue that might be addressed by the physician and attorney committee members.


Membership
Chair: Vilma Aguayo-Gaona 210.561.2323 attorneygaona@earthlink.net


Mentor/Lawyers Helping Lawyers
Chair: Jonathan Yedor 210.349.8888 jyedor@elmslaw.com
The Mentor committee is implementing a program to provide experienced lawyers as mentors for beginning attorneys. The committee will also host brown bag luncheons in which judges or other attorneys will speak on a variety of topics of interest to young lawyers, such as getting around the courthouse or obtaining court appointments.


Military Liaison
Chair: James Higdon 210.349.9933 jnhigdon@hhzlaw.com
The Military Liaison committee promotes professional and social interaction between active-duty military legal officers and the civilian bar. The committee annually updates the roster of local Army and Air Force legal officers and personnel, provides military legal points of contact for use by civilian attorneys, and hosts a military law CLE seminar. The committee also plans a Spring social mixer to promote professional and social relationships between the military and civilian legal communities.


Program
Co-Chair: Jane Macon 210.270.7142 jmacon@fulbright.com
The Program committee is responsible for selecting speakers for the monthly Bar Association luncheons (not including the Law Day Program).


Publications
Chair: Judge Barbara Nellermoe 210.335.2507 bnellermoe@bexar.org
Vice-Chair: Pat Autry 210.734.7092 autryp@plunkett-gibson.com
The Publications committee serves as the editorial board for the Bar's bimonthly magazine, the San Antonio Lawyer, and the Bar's monthly newsletter, the Subpoena. Member duties include selecting topics, soliciting and authoring articles, and editing and proofreading articles for publication.


Technology
Chair: Mark I. Unger 210.366.9676 miunger@gmail.com
The Computer & Technology committee is currently developing the San Antonio Bar Association Web Page, and the accompanying information and materials that will be posted on the web page. Maintaining and updating the web page with new information that will benefit Bar Association members will be an ongoing project. Additionally, the committee hopes to expand its scope to serve an educational role in informing the legal community about the availability and use of technology in legal practice.


Unauthorized Practice of Law
Chair: Steve Cennamo 210.979.9299 scenn@stic.net
The Unauthorized Practice of Law committee is a committee formed by state legislation that investigates complaints by consumers and others concerning individuals who are practicing law without a license. Once a complaint is received, an individual member of the committee writes a cease-and-desist letter, conducts the investigation, and oversees any resulting litigation. Although the committee attempts to resolve complaints informally at a meeting held during the investigation, the committee does have the authority to sue these individuals and to obtain temporary and permanent injunctions. This committee does receive some state funds to aid in its investigations.