BRAINSTORMING SESSION FOR COMING YEAR AND ELECTION OF NEW BOARD
Our annual general membership business meeting is coming up June 18th at the Winstead Law Firm. We hold our annual election for the Board at this meeting. The slate will be forwarded by a separate e-mail reminder of the event. As always, the slate is simply the recommendation of the outgoing Board, and nominations from the floor are welcome.
This is the session where we plan for the coming year. We would love your input on what type of events you would like to see TCWLA undertake in the coming year, CLE topics of interest to you, and, of course, suggestions for improvement in any area are always welcome. This is your organization and it is what you make of it. So please plan to attend to share your thoughts and suggestions.
Austin is Hot in the Summer!
But don’t forget there are many fun things to do:
1. Take an early morning walk around town lake (with sunscreen)
2. Volunteer at the Townlake Animal Shelter
3. Take a dip in Barton Springs
4. Organize a clothing or back to school drive for local charities 5. Donate a fan to the Family Eldercare Fan Drive
6. Visit the Austin Nature and Science Center
301 Nature Center Drive
7. Take an Austin Ghost Tour (853-9826)
8. Attend a live Auctionwith your own food and drinks austinauction.com
9. Go see Blues on the Green in Zilker Park (check online for Wednesday’s schedule)
10. Go to Unplugged at the Grove on Thursdays at Shady Grove 11. Check out the local farmers market Saturday mornings (4th and Guadalupe)
Meet your PRESIDENT-ELECT Rande Herrell
June 2008
PracticeArea: CivilAppellateLaw. IbeganmylegalcareerattheFifthDistrictCourtofAppealsinDallas as briefing attorney to Chief Justice Clarence Guittard. After some time as an associate in a Dallas business litigation firm and as an associate general counsel for a Fortune 500 company, I made my way back to a full time appellate practice as staff attorney to Justice John Cornyn (now Senator Cornyn) at the Supreme Court of Texas. Shortly after that, I managed to become certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. This year I under went my third recertification. Fifteen years sure flew by fast!
Employer: Office of the Attorney General. I have spent a large part of my legal career with the Office of the Attorney General. I started out in the Tort Litigation Division. I have also served in the Energy Division, Natural Resources Division, Elder Law Division and Financial Litigation Division. My most recent position is theManagingAttorneyoftheAppellateSectionoftheChildSupportDivision. Iamonceagaindevotedfull time to the practice of appellate law in what is literally a state-wide practice. Working to ensure the children of Texas receive the support they need is extremely satisfying.
Education: I have 3 and a half degrees from Southern Methodist University: a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, a Master of Arts in psychology, a Juris Doctor, and 15 graduate hours in computer science.
Family: I have a great husband, Barry Brooks, who is also a lawyer (S.M.U. undergrad and UT School of Law). Barry and I have almost 30 years together. He is the Managing Attorney for the Special Collections Unit, Child Support Division, Office of the Attorney General. I had an inside track in law school with Barry to mentor me. We have two wonderful sons. Our oldest, Brandon, attended St. Stephens’ Episcopal School here in Austin (class of 1999) and graduated from S.M.U.’s Cox School of Business in 2003. He met a wonderful young lady his junior year of college, Brenda Flaming, and they are getting married in a sunset ceremony in St. Lucia on June 12th. Brenda is also a graduate of S.M.U.’s Cox School of Business and is a CPA with Ernst and Young. Our youngest, Morgan, attended Westlake High School (class of 2005) and is a risingsenioratVanderbiltUniversity,majoringinbiology. HejustfinishedtheMCATandismakinghis applications to medical schools this summer.
Loves to do: I love to cook and entertain. There is nothing better than good food, good wine, and friends and family. All four of us scuba dive, and are looking forward to seeing some spectacular dive sites while in St. Lucia for the wedding. I am also an avid reader and look forward to a lot of relaxing beach time with several good books too.
Tidbits: A wedding on the beach so intimidated me that I immediately went to work on weight loss and have shed 55 pounds over the last 9 months. I simply refuse to look like a beached whale in the photos of my son’s wedding. No picture accompanies this piece because I need to get a new one that looks like me! Thankfully the old one doesn’t look anything like I am today. And yes I will share the secret – its eating the food the human body was designed to run on and getting “industrial” food out of your diet. The pounds really do melt away. Now it is a lot of fun to indulge in my guilty pleasure – running away on a spring afternoon with the top down on my baby blue convertible!
Advice for Women in the Workplace
By Barbara Klein, Senior Vice President & CFO of CDW Corporation
1. Embrace Change. It’s inevitable and if you have a positive attitude, good things will come and your career will prosper.
2. No one cares as much about your career as you do. Take responsibility for your future; take charge of your life.
3. Learn about finance. It’s the “bottom line” for everything in business. Take a class, study; know the various ratios in the industry, what they mean and how they impact what you do.
4. Never stop learning. We live in a global economy, learn about different cultures and remain open to new perspectives and ideas.
5. Solid communication skills are vital – both verbal and written.
6. Learn what it takes to go from an individual contributor to a manager.
7. Hire the very best talent you can find. Look for individuals with skill sets complimentary to your own so that you can achieve together as a team.
8. Work hard and recognize that work sometimes requires sacrifices.
9. Have a mentor. If you don’t have one, seek one out.
10. Networking is invaluable – both for today and for your future success. Be careful not to get too caught up in simply completing the task at hand. Always take the time to build relationships.
11. Travel as much as you can. Travel broadens your horizons, especially international travel.
12. Give back. Get involved with charitable organizations, be a mentor to others, give to the world, the community and to others. Remember that you wouldn’t be where you are today if it weren’t for the influence and inspiration that you have received from others.
13. Don’t forget your family and friends. As you reflect on your life, you likely won’t be saying “I should have spent more time on that work project.”
14. Ask questions, and then really listen to the answers. The 5 why’s help in getting to the heart of an issue. As children we do this, and we forget what a great strategy it is to uncover answers.
15. Don’t forget to have some fun along the way! Find a healthy balance between work and your personal life. 3
TCWLA 2008 Scholarship Recipients
The Recipients of the Marian Boner Scholarship:
Kelly deAnne Davis
Kellyisa2ndyearstudentatUTLawSchoolwithaninterestinenvironmentallaw. Shehasvolunteered many hours to causes such as the Gulf Coast Fair Housing Center, Save Our Springs Alliance, the EnvironmentalLawSocietyatUT,andtheEnvironmentalLawClinic. Shehopestopursueacareerinthe environmental justice field and to remain in Austin.
Busi Mlambo
Busi will graduate from UT Law School this spring, and is interested in international human rights, especiallytherightsofwomen. ShehailsfromZimbabwe,wherehergrandfatherwasthefirstblack judge in the country. At the law school she has been involved with moot court, Texas International Law Journal,andtheBlackStudentsAssociation. Asachildshetoldhergrandfathershewouldbecomethe first female Chief Justice, and he told her he believed in her.
The recipients of the Farris-Cisneros Scholarship are:
Sara Kim
Sara is completing her 2nd year of law school. She is involved with the Women’s Law Caucus, Domestic Violence Support Network and helping to start a Law Student’s Family Law Association. She will also be working for Texas Rural Legal Aid.
Stephanie Kolmar
Stephanie is completing her 1st year and is presently a volunteer at Political Asylum Project and translated at the weekly Texas Rural Legal Aid Clinic. During the summer she is going to work for ProBar in South Texas and is President Elect of the Public Interest Law Association.
Court Appointed Advocate CLE – 7.25 Hours Rent this DVD now or watch online (coming soon!)
TCWLA sponsored and filmed a CLE titled “What You Need to Know to be a Court Appointed Advocate”on May 21, 2007. The CLE covered the nuts and bolts of representing children and parents in CPS cases, as well as teaching the participants about available services for clients with mental illnesses and other disabilities, ethical considerations, mediation of CPS cases, attorney general and DRO cases, and guardianships. The CLE lunch portion featured a judicial panel, in which the following Texas judges and former judges participated: the Hon. Craig Enoch (former Texas Supreme Court Justice), the Hon. Eva Guzman (14th Court of Appeals, Houston), and the Hon. Darlene Byrne (126th Judicial Civil District Court (Travis County)). The panel was moderated by TCWLA board member, the Hon. Orlinda Naranjo (419th Judicial Civil District Court (Travis County)).
Viewing of this DVD qualifies for 7.25 hours of CLE credit with the Texas Bar, including one hour of Ethics, and counts towards the 30 hour training requirement in Travis County.
Rental fee: $100 plus shipping & handling for DVD rentals
For questions concerning the rental of this DVD, please contact Paige Chappell at tcwlaorg@gmail.com.
The TWL Annual Retreat and Planning Session
The TWL Board met in San Antonio for its annual retreat and planning session last month. The annual CLE was a huge success in Austin with 200 lawyers attending from all over the state. The TWL Marternity Survey Report was presented at the Annual Meeting and will be available for a “road show” powerpoint tour. That survey found paid leave ranged from zero time to 12 weeks and usually depended upon the size of the firm, with smaller firms providing more flexibility, and the majority of women returning to work full time. The report is available on the website: www.texaswomenlawyers.org
TWL has an opening for the Vice President position and is looking for an attorney to plan the next board retreat for April 19, 2009. Law student liaison positions are also available. Membership focus for the coming year will target the DFW Metroplex and Corpus Christi.
TCWLA is taking a summer break after our June meeting. There will be no newsletters or meetings until September. You can expect new board members, CLE topics and exciting events. Please continue to email us with questions over the Summer at tcwlaorg@.gmail.com. In the meantime, stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and enjoy the Summer sun (see a list of things to do in Austin on pages 1 & 8). We look for- ward to returning to you refreshed in the Fall.
Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association Holds Annual Charity Awards Luncheon
The Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association and Foundation (“TCWLA”) held their annual Charity Awards Luncheon, honoring women lawyers for their contributions to the Austin legal community and awarding $25,000 in grants to area nonprofit groups providing legal services to women and children. The event took place on Thursday, May 15, 2008 at the Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin.
This year, Roxanne Wilson of “The Apprentice” emceed the event. Wilson also conducted a live auction for tickets to “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert.”
TCWLA recognized the following outstanding women lawyers: Kristine A. Huskey (Public Interest); Gloria Leal (Contribution to the Minority Community); Alicia G. Key (Government Service); Beverly Stringer (Pro Bono); Beverly Reeves (Litigation); Karen J. Bartoletti (Transactional); Christine Sweeney (Transactional); Nancy Matchus (Outstanding Achievement); and Elizabeth Branch (President’s Award). Casey, Gentz & Magness, L.L.P was chosen for the Outstanding Firm Award.
The TCWLA Scholarship Foundation awarded four scholarships to law students at the University of Texas School of Law. The 2008 scholarship recipients were Kelly deAnne Davis, Busi Mlambo, Sarah Kim, and Stephanie Kolmar.
At the luncheon, TCWLA also announced their 2008 Grant Recipients. $25,000 in grants were awarded to: Advocacy, Inc.; Austin Children’s Shelter; KAZI Radio; Capital Area AIDS Legal Project; Casa of Travis County; The Center for Child Protection; Family Eldercare; Texas C-BAR; and Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas.
Founded in 1977, TCWLA is an organization created to foster communicationamongwomenlawyers. TheAnnualCharity Awards Luncheon is one of the ways the organization fulfills its mission of strengthening the image of women lawyers in the Austin community.
2008 TAKE YOUR DAUGHTERS TO WORK DAY: “DATING VIOLENCE” MOCK TRIAL AND JAIL TOUR
On April 17, 2008, eighteen fifth-grade girls from East Austin Norman Elementary visited the 419th District Court and the county jail. Judge Orlinda Naranjo, a Board Member of TCWLA, hosted the girls as part of the 6th annual “Take Your Daughters to Work Day”. Fourteen of the lucky girls were able to participate as an assistant prosecutor, co-defense counsel, and jurors in a Teen Dating Violence Trial. This year we again focused on this very germane topic for these girls who are predating age. The fact pattern involved a young teenage couple where the boyfriend’s violent behavior escalates from controlling to finally physically pushing her and grabbing her hair.
The girls were able to observe experienced professionals and individuals that role played: Defense Attorney Jana Ortega and her client, Nicholas Bates, Court Clerk I from the District Clerk Criminal Division, County Attorney Assistant Linda Magee, and her client, Sarah Racanelli, a junior from Cedar Park High School. The girls/jury found the Defendant not guilty. After the trial, they had a discussion about the education requirements and experiences of our participants; the participants role in the legal system; and dating violence. The girls defined dating violence, discussed the importance of this issue with teenagers, identified the abusive behavior they saw in the trial, how can they prevent abuse, and what they can do if their friend/relative is being abused.
The girls were provided pizza and drinks at Wooldridge Park. After lunch, the girls were led by TCSO Director of Community Relations, Kelly Page, and TCSO Community Liasion, Andrea D. Buckley, who provided the girls with a tour of the Teen Dating Violence Awareness vehicle. Thereafter, Travis County Sheriff’s Officer Cindi Sassmanshausen took the girls through a tour of the Travis County jail and Central Booking accompanied by Travis County Sheriff Officers, Nakeisha Davis, Brian Anderson and Officer Castaneda. Judge Naranjo wrapped up the day by presenting each student with an official TYDTW t-shirt, and a Certificate of Appreciation for their participation in the legal system.
A special thanks goes to the above volunteers, and our drivers who helped drive the girls to and from the school; our sponsors, the law firm of Ewbank and Byrom, P.C., and Papa Johns, and also to Sheriff Greg Hamilton for his help in organizing the jail tour. This was an excellent opportunity for these girls to see role models and to have a positive, learning experience about our legal system, judges, and deputies, as well as discuss very important social and timely issues for these young ladies.
By Judge Orlinda Naranjo
419th District Court
Chair, Take Our Daughters to Work Day
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