Please join the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at noon for a CLE discussing the life and work of Alonso Perales, a civil rights pioneer and the second Mexican-American lawyer licensed in the State of Texas.

REGISTER HERE

Live Webinar via Zoom

Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales

Thursday, November 14, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

1 hour MCLE credit

Presenter: Author Cynthia Orozco

Alonso Perales (1898-1960) was the second Mexican American lawyer licensed in the state of Texas. From humble beginnings as an orphan in Alice, Texas, Perales would go on to become one of the most influential Mexican Americans in the struggle for equal rights under the law. He was a World War I veteran, attorney, founder of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), public intellectual and author, and diplomat. His exhaustive work documenting discrimination against Mexican Americans—including returning World War II veterans—in the areas of housing, schooling and other services, in nearly 70 Texas counties in the 1940s and 1950s, helped set the stage for other Texas lawyers to break down long-standing barriers. Yet Perales was also not without his critics.

Author Cynthia Orozco joins us to talk about her new wide-ranging book about Perales, entitled “Pioneer of Mexican-American Civil Rights: Alonso S. Perales” and examines the legal legacy Perales left behind, and his impact on state and federal legislation still felt today.

Dr. Orozco is professor emeritus, Eastern New Mexico University, Ruidoso. She is the author of “No Mexicans, Women or Dogs Allowed: The Rise of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement,” the University of Texas Press’ best-selling academic book between 2010 and 2020. Her book “Agent of Change: Adela Sloss-Vento, Mexican American Civil Rights Activist and Texas Feminist” won the Liz Carpenter Award for Best Book in Texas women’s history 2020 from the Texas State Historical Association. She was named a 2023 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Scholar, a lifetime achievement award, and received the national LULAC Raymond Telles Education Award in 2023. She is currently writing a book about women in LULAC for the LULAC 2029 centennial.

Interested in joining the section? Dues are $20 annually for attorneys, and law students can join at no charge. Attorneys can join online via their My Bar Page (link here).

REGISTER HERE

Please join the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas on Thursday, October 31, 2024 at noon for a discussion of the issues regarding the recent rules for Licensed Legal Paraprofessionals and Licensed Court-Access Assistants.  Learn about the issues that gave rise to the rules, along with the details of the proposed rules. 

REGISTER HERE

Register for a Live Webinar via Zoom, FREE to Hispanic Issues Section Members

Paraprofessionals and Court-Access Assistants
Learn about the proposed rules

Thursday, October 31, 2024
12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

.5 hour MCLE including, .5 ethics credit
Zoom

Presenters:
Betty Balli Torres, Executive Director, Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Kennon Lily Wooten, Partner, Scott Douglass & McConnico

REGISTER HERE

The Hispanic Issues Section has issued its newest newsletter!

Click here for a copy of the newsletter.

Copies of prior newsletters can be found at this link.

The Hispanic Issues Section, along with the Texas Access to Justice Foundation, hosts the 5^th annual LAWtería virtual event on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 6 p.m. via Zoom.  LAWtería 2024 will again feature prominent Hispanic leaders committed to access to justice, intermission entertainment, and fabulous door prizes, with proceeds benefiting Texas legal aid.

The event is hosted by State Bar Past President Sylvia Borunda Firth and will include as Celebrity Callers Senator Judith Zaffirini, Justice Robbie Partida-Kipness, Justice Gisela D. Triana, and Justice Lori I. Valenzuela. Entertainment, artists, and special guests will include Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Justice Brett Busby, Judge David Sanchez and Dan Sanchez, Armando Lopez, Ruben Medina, and Patrick Gabaldon.

You can participate by becoming a sponsor, purchasing an electronic LAWtería card ($50 per card, one card is good for all games), or donating to the event.  Find more information, at: http://www.teajf.org/donate/LawTeria.aspx. 

We hope you can join us!

Click here to see the latest HIS newsletter, marking the end of the 2023-2024 bar year.

Thanks for being with us throughout the year!

For other past HIS newsletters, click here.

Please join the Hispanic Issues Section at this year’s State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting where we will be celebrating our 45th anniversary!

Hispanic Issues Section programming typically is held Thursday afternoon at the Annual Meeting, with an early evening reception to follow.  Stay tuned for updates. 

The Hispanic Issues Section has put together a poster commemorating this anniversary with pictures of all of our chairs, past and present.  (Click on the image to see it full size.)  We hope to celebrate with you soon!

Please see below the video from the Hispanic Issues Section’s most recent CLE, McCarthyism vs. Clinton Jencks.  Thanks again to Raymond Caballero, former mayor of El Paso, Texas, for his informative presentation!

Thank you to all of the attendees of our special event at St. Mary’s University Law School commemorating the 70th anniversary of Hernandez v. Texas!

An additional thank you to St. Mary’s Unversity Law School, our panelists and moderators, and the members of the families that attended!

Click here for materials from the event, and click here to go to our Hernandez v. Texas at 70 page with more information.

See photos of the event below.

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Please join the Hispanic Issues Section for a FREE webinar CLE presentation by Raymond Caballero, former mayor of El Paso, Texas, discussing the 1957 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Jencks v. United States, which exposed the systemic injustices facing Mexican Americans in our court system at that time.  This presentation has been confirmed for 1.0 hours of CLE credit for Texas lawyers.

Date and Time: Thursday, March 28, 2024, 12:00 – 1:00 PM CST

Click here to register for the Zoom webinar.

Click here for a flyer with more information.

**UPDATE – We have added a page to our website regarding the 70th Anniversary of Hernandez v. Texas – click here to access.**

Save the Date

January 25, 2024

70^th Anniversary Commemoration of Hernandez v. Texas

 St. Mary’s University Law School

Members and Friends:

Mark your calendars and join HIS as it commemorates the 70^th Anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, regulating the legal intersection of the constitution, class and jury service, Hernandez v. Texas.  The CLE program, both in-person and available by Zoom, occurs from 12:30 p.m.  – 1:30 p.m. at St. Mary’s University Law School in San Antonio on Thursday, January 25^th.  Leading the commemoration are our distinguished jurists and panel members:

• Honorable Gina M. Benavides (13^th Court of Appeals);
• Honorable Chief Dori Contreras (13^th Court of Appeals); and,
• Honorable David M. Medina (Ret. Texas Supreme Court).

We thank our panelists for their upcoming presentation. The judicial trio continue the commemoration at the State Bar Annual Meeting in Dallas on June 20^th; our jurists will provide an analysis of the attorneys that obtained the victory at the U.S. Supreme Court.  More details forthcoming.

45^th Anniversary of HIS

At the State Bar Annual Meeting in Dallas, we also invite all past Chairs and members as we celebrate our 45^th anniversary with a discussion of our legal history and the attorneys who shaped our organization.  Please look for our ad in the February 2024 Texas Bar Journal.

Successful Fall Event- LawTeria

Thank you to our sponsors (and donors of fantastic prizes), our judicial celebrity callers, and all who participated in our 4^th annual LawTeria; we collectively raised over $50,000 for access to justice initiatives!  A special thanks to the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and it’s Executive Director, Betty Balli Torres, for a successful partnership!  TEAJF presented HIS with an Access to Justice Award (for substantial contribution and commitment to justice for low-income Texans) at its annual October Texas Supreme Court luncheon in Austin.  HIS Immediate Past Chair, Novert Morales and I accepted on behalf of HIS. 

Notable Loss

Frumencio Reyes, a co-founder of the Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, recently passed away on December 6, 2023.  Licensed for 50 years, his contributions to our profession will reverberate for years to come.  A legal leader, and friend, we extend our thoughts and prayer to his family.

Felices Fiestas to all.  We look forward to seeing you all in 2024!  Please join us in all our events!

Adelante – Angelica M. Hernandez, Chair 

The Hispanic Issues Section is thrilled to announce the return of LAWtería for 2023!  Join us for another fun evening with Celebrity Callers, door prizes, and raffles as we raise money for access to justice programs.

Date: September 14
Time: 5:30 PM
Held via Zoom
Door Prizes and Intermission Entertainment!

LawTería Sponsorship Flyer 2023

Donate at the Texas Access to Justice website here!

Thanks to our Celebrity Callers and special guests for joining us!

The Hispanic Issues Section is proud to co-host a free 6-hour CLE on the Intersection of Immigration and Family Law together with the Family Law Section and the Immigration and Nationality Law Section.  Registration links and details below.  We hope to see you there!

Register Here for In-Person Attendance

Register Here for Zoom Attendance

Click Here for Agenda

EVENT DETAILS:

A Collaboration of The Family Law Section, Hispanic Issues Section, and Immigration & Nationality Law Section

The Intersection of Immigration and Family Law

FREE CLE

Friday, April 14, 2023
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
At South Texas College of Law Houston
Garrett-Townes Auditorium
1303 San Jacinto St., Houston, Texas
with ZOOM option
Proposed 6 Hours MCLE, 1.25 Hours Ethics

The Intersection of Family & Immigration
A View From the Bench
I-751 Waivers
VAWA
U Visas
Public Charge
Family Matters Affecting Citizenship & Removability
International Adoption / Custody
LGBTQ, Surrogacy and Other Modern Families
Special Juvenile Immigration Status
Family Preparedness

BOXED LUNCH PROVIDED FOR IN-PERSON ATTENDEES

The Hispanic Issues Section has raised over $90,000 benefiting legal aid through its LawTería event over the last two years, thanks to our sponsors and ticket purchasers like you!

LawTería returns for 2022, and we hope you can join us as we again raise money to benefit legal aid programs serving those most in need.

Date: November 1, 2022
Time: 5:30 PM
Held via Zoom
Door Prizes and Intermission Entertainment!

LawTería Sponsorship Flyer 2022

Donate at the Texas Access to Justice website here!

We are thrilled to be joined by our special Celebrity Callers for this event – we hope that you will join us!

The Hispanic Issues Section wishes everyone a wonderful Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15 each year.

We invite you to revisit our combined legal heritage with interviews of two prominent Texas Hispanic attorneys, Adelfa Callejo – one of the first Hispanic women to earn a law degree – and Justice Raul A. Gonzalez, Jr. – the first Hispanic appointed or elected to statewide office in Texas.  These interviews were conducted as part of the Texas Legal Legends series in 2008-2009.

You can view these interviews, along with others from the Texas Legal Legends series, at this link.

The Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas celebrates Women’s History Month and recognizes our many members who have contributed greatly to the progress of women in the legal profession and the judiciary, and serve as role models for future generations of leaders.  

Highlighting some of the wonderful members in our leadership and on our council:

First row (L-R): Judge Antonia (Toni) Arteaga, 57th Civil District Court, Bexar County, Texas; Judge Maria Salas-Mendoza, 120th Civil District Court, El Paso County, Texas

Second row (L-R): Angelica Hernandez, Linebarger; Chief Justice Dori Contreras, 13th Court of Appeals of Texas; Veronica Legarreta, Legarreta Law Firm

Third row (L-R): Erica Benites Giese, Jackson Walker; Ashley Aten, Munsch Hardt

The Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas is delighted to host a free CLE webinar titled Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: Where We Were and Where We Are Now.

This webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, March 30, and it has been approved for one hour of MCLE credit. Use the link below to register.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence: Where We Were and Where We Are Now

Wednesday, March 30

1 p.m. – 2 p.m. CDT

FREE

1 hour MCLE credit

Description:

The landmark Vanessa Guillen Act changed the law for many sexual assault and domestic violence victims. Join our distinguished panel as they discuss these changes and learn why they are so important.

Speakers:

Panelist: Natalie Khawam

Natalie Khawam is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center. She also holds an M.B.A. and an M.S. degree. Attorney Khawam founded the highly regarded Whistleblower Law Firm in Tampa, Florida and is also the founding partner of Khawam Ripka, LLP based in Washington, DC. Khawam Ripka focuses on active-duty military medical malpractice cases.

She is passionate about serving our military and veterans, fighting for justice, and seeking truth and accountability. Ms. Khawam practices federal law, with a focus on whistleblower laws, while she advocates military rights and protections. Natalie proudly spearheaded the passage of two bills in Congress for her clients: the SFC Richard Stayskal Military Medical Accountability Act and the I Am Vanessa Guillen Act. These acts provide new rights and protections that our military never had before.

Natalie doesn’t just change the law — she changes history!

Panelist: Jacquelyn “Jackie” Davis

Jacquelyn “Jackie” Davis is an attorney and group coordinator for the Domestic Violence and Family Law Team at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA). For the past 15 years, Jackie has dedicated her practice to working with survivors of violence in family law and immigration matters. The DV & Family Law Team covers 68 counties of Southwest Texas and is TRLA’s largest practice group. In addition to leading the team, Jackie manages attorneys and her own litigation caseload.

Jackie is a 2006 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, a proud third-generation Longhorn following in the footsteps of her grandfather from Del Rio, Texas, who was the first in his family to attend college. Jackie is drawn to the creative problem-solving and consensus building inherent in the practice of law, particularly as someone raised in a mixed-heritage household, and the only lawyer in a big family. Jackie serves as a law school mentor for aspiring public interest lawyers and on the weekends can be found cheering her kids on from the sidelines or rescuing dogs.

Moderator: Veronica I. Legarreta

Veronica I. Legarreta founded the Legarreta Law Firm, PLLC, bringing nearly two decades of litigation and negotiation experience to her current practice which is focused on criminal defense cases and family law matters. She has worked with clients at all phases of the litigation process and is an empathetic and fierce advocate committed to fighting for a just outcome no matter how challenging the circumstance.

Throughout her career, Veronica has repeatedly been recognized as one San Antonio’s Top Criminal Defense/DWI Attorneys (2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021) and was recently honored by SA Scene Magazine as one of the Best S.A. Female Lawyers in 2021. Veronica serves as a member of the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas, as well as a member of the San Antonio Bar Association, and was invited to join the Hispanic Issues Section of the State Bar of Texas as a council member. Veronica has also received the Latino American Who’s Who award twice and continues to actively participate as a public speaker on a variety of legal topics. As a sustaining member of the Junior League of San Antonio Veronica continues to promote volunteerism and support community outreach.

Veronica earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and served as an American diplomat stationed in Mexico City where she interned for the Department of Justice and for the NSA. She attended St. Mary’s University School of Law where she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers for her exceptional skills in trial advocacy.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

In 2020, the Hispanic Issues Section raised over $40,000 benefiting legal aid through its LawTeria event, which was a phenomenal success thanks to our sponsors and many ticket purchasers!

LawTeria returns for 2021, and we hope you can join us as we again raise money to benefit legal aid programs serving those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Date: September 16, 2021
Time: TBD
Held via Zoom
Door Prizes and Intermission Entertainment!

Title Sponsor: Chamberlain Hrdlicka

LawTeria Flyer 2021

Donate at the Texas Access to Justice website here!

The Hispanic Issues Section is co-sponsoring an exciting CLE program entitled An Overview of Texas Courts of Appeal, which will be presented by 10 chief justices. This CLE program is part of the State Bar of Texas virtual Annual Meeting on Thursday, June 17.

To sign up for the program, go to the State Bar’s website, and register for the Thursday of the virtual Annual Meeting. The registration fee for the day is $185, and you can watch up to 10 hours of the CLE programs that are presented.

Take a peek at the full course brochure to review the additional 45+ CLE programs you can watch throughout the day.

The presentations are only available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CDT on June 17, so mark your calendars now! This topic has been approved for two hours of CLE credit, including 0.5 hours of ethics.

An Overview of Texas Courts of Appeal

Co-sponsored by:

Hispanic Issues Section

Texas LatinX Judges

Appellate Section

Women and the Law Section

LGBT Law Section, State Bar of Texas

National Association of Women Judges

Texas Women Lawyers
Mexican American Bar Association of San Antonio

Thursday, June 17

During the SBOT Virtual Annual Meeting

2 hours of MCLE credit, including 0.5 hours ethics

Registration: $185 (Thursday only)

The Hispanic Issues Section has issued a statement condemning racism in light of recent anti-Asian bias and hate incidents.

Click here to read the full statement.

The Hispanic Issues Section is announcing the creation of a Hardship Committee to identify needs of and to assist section members facing difficult issues in their lives and practices, whether or not related to the pandemic or recent winter crisis.

Please see this letter for more details. 

And please help us identify needs and useful resources by completing this survey. (We expect the survey to take on average 15 minutes to complete.)

With your help, we can support our colleagues when they need us most!

PLEASE VISIT THIS TEXAS ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOUNDATION LINK TO SIGN UP AND DONATE!

DATE AND TIME: September 16, 2020, 5:00 – 6:30 pm

The Hispanic Issues Section is sponsoring a fun game night featuring a version of the popular loteria game benefiting legal aid.

Benefiting  
The Texas Access to Justice Foundation and legal aid efforts throughout Texas.

Special Guests
Distinguished Guest: Justice Eva Guzman
Host: Sylvia Firth, SBOT President-elect
Retired Judge Elsa Alcala
Justice Leticia Hinojosa
Justice Rebeca Martinez
Amanda Arriaga
Pablo Almaguer
Domingo Garcia
Jim Harrington

Where
Zoom
The Zoom link will be sent to you upon registration. 

Door Prizes & Intermission Entertainment!

SIGN UP HERE!

Flyer with More Information

The Hispanic Issues Section has proudly joined its colleagues in the African American Laywers Section, the Asian Pacific Interest Section, the LGBT Law Section, the Native American Bar Section, the Women in the Law Section, and the Texas Minority Counsel Program, in issuing a joint statement regarding recent comments by State Bar of Texas President Larry McDougal, and in support of the position taken by the African American Lawyers Section.

Read the entire statement here.

View the video presentation here!

The Hispanic Issues Section gives out three named awards each year at the Annual Meeting of the State Bar of Texas, along with several other awards.

This year our awards recipients are:

• Reynaldo G Garza Lifetime Achievement Award: Roy R. Barrera, Sr.
• Pete Torres Jr. Community Service Award: Jose Angel Gutierrez and Chris Luna
• James W. Wray, Jr. Founder’s Award: Renato Santos, Jr.
• Judge of the Year Award: Justice Gisela D. Triana
• Legislator of the Year Award: Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia
• Chair’s Award: Justice Gina M. Benavides
• Access to Justice Award: El Paso Bar Association

You can learn more about our awards, and find a list of our past award recipients, by clicking this link.

The Hispanic Issues Section has issued a statement (click here to view) regarding the death of George Floyd.  We encourage our members and all of our colleagues across the country to take a stand for equality and justice.

The Hispanic Issues Section encourages all members to nominate attorneys to apply for the LeadershipSBOT program, a diversity initiative designed to recruit, train, and retain Texas lawyers for leadership positions in the legal community and the State Bar of Texas.  See the nomination form (click here) or the notice letter (click here) for more details!  The deadline for nominations is Tuesday, June 30.

Here is a list of upcoming events involving the Hispanic Issues Section or local Hispanic bar associations, or other sections of the State Bar of Texas.  Click on event listings for registration information.

Special Events

Want your event on the list?  Email us!

• June 25, 2020 – SBOT Virtual Annual Meeting (HIS programming is in the afternoon) – Details

Local Hispanic Bar Association Monthly Meetings

This list has information about regular monthly meetings for local associations around Texas.  If you have any updated information or want to add your group to the list, please email us!

Austin – Hispanic Bar Association of Austin

When held, monthly meetings typically are held on the second Friday of the month at noon at the offices of the Austin Bar Association, 816 Congress Avenue, 7th Floor.  Main website – email

Houston – Mexican-American Bar Association of Houston

Monthly meetings typically are held on the second Monday of each month at 5:30 (monthly CLE) and 6:45 (meeting) at Lupe Tortilla, 1511 Shepherd Drive.  Facebook page – email

HIS was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Judge Timoteo (Tim) Gonzalez, an HIS Member, as well as a member of the Mexican American Bar Association of Texas and a former president of the Dallas Mexican American Bar Association.

A memorial mass for Judge Gonzalez will be held Wednesday, November 6, 2019, 6:30 pm at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 9643 Ferndale Road, Dallas, TX 75238.

You can read Judge Gonzalez’s obituary information here.  Our thoughts are with Judge Gonzalez’s family at this difficult time. 

The Hispanic Issues Section’s latest newsletter is out now!  Click here to read the newsletter.

Are you a member, but did not receive the newsletter?  Let us know!

The Hispanic Issues Section and all of its members’ thoughts are with the citizens of El Paso following the tragedy that unfolded on August 3, 2019.

Attorneys from El Paso and throughout the state have mobilized to provide a variety of forms of assistance to survivors, their families, and others affected.

The State Bar of Texas has collected a list of resources that are available – please click here to review the list.

The Texas Bar Journal has published an article about El Paso and the El Paso Bar Association and the legal community’s tremendous response.

Click here for the Texas Bar Journal’s online version of the article.

Click here for a PDF of the article.

Article republished courtesy of the Texas Bar Journal and Amy Starnes.

The Hispanic Issues Section has selected its officers for the 2018-2019 bar year.  Your officers for 2018-2019 are:

• Justice Gina M. Benavides, Chair
• Valerie Carrillo, Chair-Elect
• Larry Banda, Vice-Chair
• Judge Victor Villareal, Secretary
• Jamie Vasquez, Treasurer
• Betty Balli Torres, Immediate Past Chair