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PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Good Works The work of the HBA depends on the willingness of Houston lawyers to share their time, their expertise and their labor. Fortunately, a culture of volunteerism exists within our membership that has again this year allowed the HBA to provide its good service to the profession, the community and the courts. This final issue of The Houston Lawyer for this bar year highlights the service of our volunteers and allows me the opportunity to mention a few of the many programs and persons who have allowed the HBA to continue to pursue our mission of service this year. The HBA’s volunteer efforts with Habitat for Humanity were expanded by instituting a first-ever Habitat estate planning initiative. The HBA and HVLP sent speakers to talk with new Habitat homeowners about wills, durable powers of attorney, medical directives and other important estate planning documents. We followed by matching the homebuyers with our volunteer lawyers to provide them with, what was in almost every case, their first estate planning documents. The scope of this new program has already been extended by beginning to reach back to prior Habitat homebuyers. Generous donors and committed volunteers, rallied and led by my predecessor, Glenn Ballard, and his co-chairs, Tim McConn and Rebecca Koch, allowed the HBA to raise the funds to simultaneously build our tenth and eleventh Habitat for Humanity houses in April and May, reaching our goal of 11 houses in 11 years. Watching Ballard on a ladder with hammer and nails in hand once again was a sight to behold. While his technique with a hammer may be questioned, there is no question of his commitment, and the commitment of the many other volunteers, to helping these Habitat homeowners who are trying to help themselves. We established our Juvenile Consequences Partnership, a joint venture with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, the Houston Police Department, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and the Houston Bar Association. Meeting with a new group of juvenile probationers and their families each month, the partners discuss their roles in the juvenile justice system and shed light on the stark realities they face as a consequence of juvenile misconduct. While providing a “what to expect” orientation, these encounters hopefully will help achieve a perspective that may motivate some to determine they do not want to be a part of the criminal justice system, and to modify their conduct accordingly. Our programming this year incorporated presentations about the urgent need to recognize and get help for those in our profession suffering in the shadows with mental health issues. Statistics and studies have continued to show members of the legal profession are at a much greater risk of depression and suicide than the general population. The State Bar of Texas’ video profiling four Texas attorneys and their battles with depression, Practicing from the Shadows: Depression and the Legal Profession, served as a centerpiece for exploring this issue. The family courts have continued to see their efforts to administer justice hamstrung by outdated and overcrowded facilities. I am pleased the HBA was able to help with the efforts to get approval for a new family courthouse. With two notes of personal thanks, Editor David Wilson and his editorial board, in cooperation with the HBA staff, are to be credited for publishing six outstanding issues of The Houston Lawyer this year. They did a wonderful job addressing topics of interest and concern to the profession. On a lighter note, the Golf Committee, led by Michael Lowenberg, Marc Whitehead and Mary Van Orman, planned and executed a great tournament. I particularly want to thank Michael for his work to meet my request to break down the barriers and get us back to the legendary course at Memorial Park after so many years away. And, we continued with the other good works of the HBA. All of our existing programs, along with the work of the committees and the sections, marched on. Proceeds from our annual John Eikenberg Fun Run benefiting The Center Serving Persons with Mental Retardation allowed us to make a contribution of $52,000, upping our lifetime contribution to The Center to more than $775,000. Our annual Harvest Party raised $472,500 for the Houston Bar Foundation to allow continued funding of the critical pro bono services provided by the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program. None of our work could be accomplished without the outstanding work of a first rate professional staff who deserve our appreciation, led by executive director, Kay Sim, and her department heads, Rusty Bienvenue, Lucy Fisher, Ron Riojas, and Tara Shockley. It has been enjoyable and rewarding for me personally, and I thank you for allowing me the privilege of leading the HBA this year. Serving as the president of one of the largest, most regarded bars in the country is certainly a highlight of my personal and professional career, as I know it will be for my successor, Travis Sales. However, after a productive year at the helm and surviving relatively unscathed, moving on to the position of immediate past president will be a pretty wonderful position, too.
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