Defending People

Category: TDRPC Amendments

  • “The Texas Supreme Court Made Us Do It!”

    The Supreme Court has ordered that the referendum proceed with this structure that appears on the ballot. And we’re complying with the court’s order. Texas lawyers elected not to adopt these rules. We expect that this will not be the end of the Supreme Court’s interest in making revisions to these rules. The first quote […]

  • We Win. For the Moment.

    Texas Lawyer Blog: State Bar of Texas members vote down proposed amendments to Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct A big “thank you” to all who voted and encouraged others to do the same. Forty-percent turnout is apparently astounding for such a referendum. State Bar President Terry Tottenham said, “We expect that this will not be […]

  • Texas Disciplinary Rules Referendum: Former Committee Member Urges “No” Vote

    Harlingen, Texas criminal defense lawyer Larry Warner has been practicing law for 37 years. He served for three years on the State Bar Disciplinary Rules Committee charged with drafting the proposed rules. He served as a member of the Texas House of Representatives and has taught professional responsibility to law students. He is also board […]

  • Vote Now (and Vote No)

    You, being a Defending People reader, have probably already voted in the bar referendum, but there are apparently many Texas lawyers who haven’t. If you haven’t (or if any of your friends or associates haven’t), here’s the link: State Bar of Texas 2011 Referendum When asked to justify the changes, the State Bar’s argument has […]

  • Steve Fischer to Chief Justice Jefferson on the Bar Rules Amendment Referendum

    From lawyer Steve Fischer of Rockport, Texas, in response to Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, who has been tubthumping for the amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct:

  • Why Straight-Ticket Referendum Voting Is Right

    Finally, I think it irresponsible to vote against ALL of the changes based upon your opposition to one rule.  The ballot has 6 questions.  Why throw the baby out with the bath water?   If you actually look at some of the other proposals, you might find you agree with them. That’s SMU lawprof Fred Moss’s […]

  • Because We Said So

    As I have said before, the proposed rules have been vetted by the State Bar Disciplinary Rules Committee, the Supreme Court Task Force, the Board of Directors and the Supreme Court itself. To suggest that the final result is a product as flawed as the critics would have you believe is just a bit disingenuous. […]

  • Other Blawgospheric Voices on the Referendum

    Thanks to the following bloggers, and especially to our out-of-state colleagues, for weighing in on the State Bar of Texas’s attempts to amend the Disciplinary Rules and efforts to do away with flat fees:

  • An Unlawful Referendum

    The State Bar of Texas is conducting an unlawful referendum on amendments to the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. Any rules that pass the referendum will be subject to years of litigation; even if they are ultimately upheld by the courts, they will still be illegitimate.

  • SBOT General Practice, Solos, and Small Firm Section: Vote “No.”

    From Brian Burris of the Council of the General Practice, Solos, and Small Firm Section of the State Bar of Texas, a voluntary section that “devotes its energies primarily to the interests of lawyres who practice as solos and in small firms: