James E. Brill is a solo practitioner from Houston whose practice emphasizes probate, estate planning, and real estate. He has served as editor, project director, and principal author of the Texas Probate System since 1971.n

You’ve led the development of Texas Probate System, which Forms Builder is based on, for many years. Tell us how these materials have evolved.

The first edition of Texas Probate System was published just in time for the 1972 State Bar Convention. It covered independent administrations and muniment of title proceedings. Two years later it was expanded to cover small estates, temporary and regular dependent administrations, administrations with will annexed, and proceedings to determination heirship. Although I had been sole author of Texas Probate System, I collaborated with several other lawyers to prepare this expanded version.

Over the years, Texas Probate System has been revised and updated at least five times. During this period, one edition was written by me with the help of my legal assistant Linda Woodall Bennett. In the remainder of the updates, Sue Mills, a member of the TexasBarBooks publications staff, provided research and writing assistance and carefully and gently edited my drafts. One recent development was the introduction of an electronic version available in WordPerfect, as well as in Word.

When you were first approached for contributing to Forms Builder, what were the stated goals of the project?

The original books were paper-based, but advances in technology enabled later versions to be a combination of paper and word processing. Similarly, new technology has made it possible to advance to an even higher level—that of document assembly. The integration of the material into a document assembly system has been the goal from the outset, and the result is the Texas Probate Forms Builder Document Assembly System, or simply, Forms Builder.

What do you think could potentially be the main benefits of Forms Builder for new and experienced attorneys and their legal assistants?

When properly understood and used, Forms Builder will prepare the necessary forms and letters, calculate due dates, be a repository for the factual data of each estate, and prompt the user regarding future required actions. Since it and the user perform and prepare documents at such rapid speed, lawyers will need to rethink their reliance on hourly billing and consider flat fees and other alternative billing methods.

What are your expectations for Forms Builder?

I expect even greater statewide standardization not only of forms, but also of administrative and substantive procedures through the use of Forms Builder.

What are you reading now?

I am reading The Dumbest Generation (How the Digital Age Stupifies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future) by Mark Bauerlain and The Age Of The Unthinkable (Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It) by Joshua Cooper Ramo, son of Roberta Cooper Ramo, first woman president of the American Bar Association.

Learn More About Texas Probate Forms Builder Document Assembly System.

Sharon Sandle, Director of TexasBarBooks interviews Doug Caroom, Robin Smith and Ed McCarthy about their work on Essentials of Texas Water Resources.

David Ashmore has worked as a publications attorney for TexasBarBooks for almost 11 years. He’s contributed to a number of publications over the years, the most recent being Bankruptcy Road Map: Navigating the Landscape, Avoiding the Pitfalls and Arbitration Road Map: A Guide to Clauses, Procedures, and Hearings.

You volunteer for CASA of Travis County. What does a CASA do?

CASA volunteers act as the eyes and ears of the court in making a determination of what is in a child’s best interest. It generally works like this: when a situation arises wherein local child protective services decide to remove a child from the home, the legal system will be involved. Early on in the process, the court will appoint CASA to advocate for the child throughout the duration of the case, which usually will last for one year. As a CASA volunteer, my duties include not only getting to know the child, but also principal people in the child’s life, such as the child’s parents, teachers, and medical providers. I also prepare status reports for the court on the progress of child.

How long have you been a CASA? How has your role changed since you first started out?

I’ve been a CASA volunteer since July 2009. Before my appointment, I was required to complete 30 hours of instruction, plus 5 hours of court observation. My training was geared toward the typical situation where a child is removed from the home and is temporarily placed with relatives or in foster care so that parents can do what is necessary over time to be reunited with the child. However, I was assigned to a case involving an older teen who was not going to be reunited with his family. Accordingly, my role has been to mentor and help prepare this young man for adult living when he turns 18. He’s really a bright kid and is on track to graduate from high school this spring. He plans to attend college in the fall, so I’m helping him to stay on track and realize his goals.

What do you find most rewarding or interesting about volunteering your time to this organization?

One of the more interesting aspects is being able to work with a great group of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of children who’ve been dealt a pretty bad hand. I see some of these kids and their circumstances and it makes me realize just how minor my problems are in comparison. There is that saying, “Think globally, act locally.” I may not be able to change the world, but I might be able to help make a difference in one kid’s life. That is my reward.

What advice do you have for people interested in volunteering to be a CASA?

The advice I would give is that you have to keep a very open mind and reserve judgment about a particular issue until all the facts are in. It is very easy to come to a snap decision when you see or read something about a family situation, but until you know all the factors involved, you run the risk of making an ill-informed recommendation to the court.

What are you reading now?

I’m finishing up on The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, in preparation for my vacation overseas. I’m also looking for some good detective novels to read while flying. Got any suggestions?

For more information, visit CASA of Travis County.

Rough Road to Justice by Betty Trapp Chapman.

What inspired you to write Rough Road to Justice:The Journey of Women Lawyers in Texas?

So little has been written about Texas women’s entry into the workplace, especially the professions. I felt that this omission kept our history from being complete. When I was asked to work on this project, I was thrilled to be able to put the spotlight on women, not only their difficult experiences but also on their successes in the legal arena.

What did you find most rewarding about the experience of writing Rough Road to Justice?

It was so rewarding to uncover the many stories about these women–face to face, through e-mails, or just by reading about them. Each truly became alive to me, even those I never met and those who lived years ago. Their determination and dedication to their pursuit was so very real to me that at times I felt as though I was sharing in their experiences.

What was your most interesting experience when researching Rough Road to Justice?

When you are researching, it is always a high point when you find a piece of information that confirms what you have read as fact. I was able to find the newspaper article in a 1902 issue of the El Paso newspaper that told about Edith Locke (the state’s first licensed female attorney) passing her bar examination. A librarian at the El Paso Public Library sent me a copy of the article. Holding that in my hand was like finding a buried treasure on my hunt for information. And, of course, there were many experiences like this one.

State one compelling reason why attorneys should have this book on their shelves.

Rough Road to Justice is a valuable piece of women’s history in that it recounts what was happening in the lives of females who aspired to become attorneys. It is also, I think, an important piece of American history because our Texas women were having the same experiences as women across the country in gaining equal rights – in this case, to practice law. Young women today may not be able to imagine this kind of discrimination and it, hopefully, makes all of us appreciate where we are today. It certainly, I hope deepens our appreciation for those pioneering women who made today possible.

What are you reading now?

I tend to have several books going at any one time. Right now I am reading: a biography of Frances Perkins, the first woman to serve in a U.S. president’s cabinet; a collection of John Cheever’s short stories; and a fascinating book titled, Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History.

To order Rough Road to Justice: The Journey of Women Lawyers in Texas, call the State Bar Sales Desk at 800.204.2222, ext. 411 or follow this link.