The 2011 Texas legislature made revisions to several sections in the Texas Penal Code, Texas Health and Safety Code, and Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that affect the drafting of jury instructions for intoxication and controlled substances trials. Click here for a complimentary download of a summary of those revisions.

A new edition of Texas Pattern Jury Charges—Business, Consumer & Employment is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012. But we’d like to give Texas practitioners a chance to preview the changes planned for the 2012 edition.

The committee strives for objective, well-drafted charges and commentary that accurately reflect Texas law. Your comments will help the committee achieve that goal. Please send all feedback to books@texasbar.com.

A new edition of Texas Pattern Jury Charges—General Negligence & Intentional Torts is scheduled for release in the fall of 2012. But we’d like to give Texas practitioners a chance to preview the changes planned for the 2012 edition.

The committee strives for objective, well-drafted charges and commentary that accurately reflect Texas law. Your comments will help the committee achieve that goal. Please send all feedback to books@texasbar.com.

TexasBarBooks recently released Raising the Bar, by Talmage Boston. Boston encourages to follow the examples of consummate lawyers, modern, historical, and fictionalized, and “raise the bar” by restoring the legal profession’s venerable reputation.

Take a quick look at the Introduction. It’s sure to hook you!

TexasBarBooks recently released The Noble Lawyer, by William J. Chriss, about our legal system and how it’s conceived of in the minds of the public. Interested? You should be! Here is a free chapter for your reading pleasure.

An updated version of the Texas Collections Manual 2011 digital product is available for download.

The updated version includes links that allow you to preview supplementary materials cited in the manual.

To download the updated version of the digital product, follow the instructions in the Digital Product Documentation pages of your copy of the Texas Collections Manual, 4th ed.

Paul T. Martin has actively practiced law in Tennesse, Florida, and Texas as an insurance defense attorney in private practice and as in-house counsel for State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.

How have your own professional and personal experiences with disasters influenced the content of Bracing for Impact?

My very first day of law school at the University of Miami remains one of the most memorable in the school’s history.  That’s because we didn’t make it to class that day; Hurricane Andrew came ashore hours before we were supposed to start class.  Classmates and professors were left homeless as a result.  Right after graduation, I moved to Memphis, which sits very near the New Madrid fault line, an active source for earthquakes in the region.  Later, I took a job in Fort Lauderdale, where I had an office with a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean.  It dawned on me my very first day on the job that a hurricane would do serious damage to our office.  Add to that the recent wildfires we’ve experienced in Texas, and one thing is clear to me: regardless of where we are, there are all sorts of perils around us which can affect our law practices.  Ignoring them won’t make them less of a problem.  For our sake and for our clients’ well being, we should all take some precautions to be better prepared for emergencies.

Why do you think lawyers are a particularly important audience for a guide book on preparing for disasters?

Our rules of professional responsibility arguably require attorneys to have a disaster preparedness plan.  Unlike other businesses, we have an obligation to safeguard client property.  Some might argue that not only includes evidence a client has entrusted to us, but also the attorney’s files for that client.

In what ways do you think the book will benefit attorneys and their staff members?

My hope is that those attorneys who want to become better prepared but have no idea where to start will be able to pick up this book, read it, and quickly be able to formulate a good incident response and business continuity plan for their office. 

As a volunteer firefighter, I learned that  we have to take care of ourselves first if we expect to be of any help to others.

Learn more about Bracing for Impact: A Practical Guide to Preparing for Disasters.

In The Noble Lawyer, author William J. Chriss presents the jury trial as the cornerstone of democracy and examines the sad state of the public’s current perception of attorneys, whose calling is to defend the legal system. Chriss explains why those working in this noble profession deserve admiration, rather than disdain, and he provides an eloquent and passionate defense of this country’s legal system.

Read more about this heartfelt and spirited work by William J. Chriss here.

Author Bill Chriss proudly presents his book, The Noble Lawyer

On this 71st day of triple digit temperatures in Austin, NPR’s Morning Edition featured a couple stories on the drought:

Drought Puts Texas Ranchers, and Cattle at Risk

Texas Drought Takes its Toll on Wildlife

Our “Books 4 Pro Bono” initiative offers free or deeply discounted Texas Family Law Practice Manuals to lawyers who attend “Family Law Essentials for $200 or Free” seminar and agree to take on pro bono cases in underrepresented areas of the state. We met pro bono volunteer Michelle Latray at this month’s Advanced Family Law Seminar, and here’s what she had to say:

“Through Books 4 Pro Bono, I received a copy of the Texas Family Law Practice Manual (download), and I am absolutely thrilled.  It’s proven to be a wonderful resource and has been a great timesaver.  Recently in a custody case involving a military family with one party stationed in Hawaii, the Family Law Practice Manual came to the rescue with the form including the exact language for the long distance travel provisions. 

“Even better, as a result of the pro bono cases I accepted through Legal Aid, I received multiple client referrals.  The pro bono work ended up ‘paying off’ in more ways than one!”

Look for Family Law Essentials seminars in rural areas next summer!