Handling meritorious personal injury and wrongful death cases, including 18-wheeler trucking collisions.

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2 Holiday Greetings from the Law Offices of Steven C. Laird, P.C. Please visit our new website. Handling meritorious personal injury and wrongful death cases, including 18-wheeler trucking collisions. RESULTS DETERMINATION INTEGRITY EXPERIENCE COURAGE AGGRESSIVENESS KNOWLEDGE CONFIDENCE CHARACTER PERSISTENCE ACHIEVEMENT SUCCESS Experienced Lawyers for Serious Cases LAW OFFICES OF STEVEN C. LAIRD, P.C TH AVENUE FORT WORTH, TEXAS

3 P resident s page As President of this wonderful organization, one of the hardest things to get used to is that you essentially have to write these messages for the President s Page a couple of months in advance. i am sitting here in October having already written the november message and am now writing the December message. We have yet to have Halloween and you will be by Mike Henry reading this after Thanksgiving. You would think that someone with 7 years of college could get a handle on that, but inasmuch as my november message was totally void of any reference to Thanksgiving, i hope you will consider what i have to say a reflection. it is safe to say that we do not celebrate Thanksgiving with the same depth and heartfelt meaning that the Pilgrims did in it seems that Thanksgiving now is more celebrated by the beginning of the holiday shopping season, the opening of which appears to be approaching the same time as our Thanksgiving meal. However, it does seem that everyone i talk to does give some degree of reflection and appreciation to good things that have happened. Here are just a few things that i am thankful for that doesn t even touch the list of the many blessings and kindnesses that have been bestowed on me. i am thankful that we live in a country that can react to a medical emergency both in the united States and abroad in a compassionate manner that addresses the safety of our citizens, those suffering from the disease, and the unbelievably brave healthcare providers that are involved in all facets of the problem. even though there are disagreements among friends, i am thankful that we live in a country that allows us to vote for our elected officials in a manner and fashion that is the envy of most of the world. i am thankful for both of my families. First and foremost, i am thankful for my wife, sons, mother, brother, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and the rest of my family that i have forgotten to name and probably offended. i am also thankful for my family of friends and colleagues. i am thankful that i have been able to live in the same wonderful community for 33 years and develop personal and professional friendships that make me, in large part, who i am. (The good parts, anyway.) i am thankful for the Thanksgiving celebrations that we have enjoyed as a family. On a personal basis, we celebrate Thanksgiving in Gainesville. My mother, not being one for traditions, got away from the turkeys and hams some time ago. i personally believe it was an effort on her part to spoil her grandchildren. in any event, we are able to request our favorite food and desserts for our Thanksgiving meal. it is quite a feast when the table includes chicken fried steak, shrimp, seafood gumbo, barbecued brisket, and ribs and we still have the turkey and ham. Most of you that know me well would not be surprised that this type of meal is something that i really look forward to. in the way of Bar business, i was privileged to serve as Moderator at the Paralegal Day luncheon. i had the honor of reading the Senate Proclamation recognizing Paralegal Day, a well-deserved recognition of an indispensable group. i introduced Bill Bowers, the speaker. Bill was on the hiring committee at Shannon Gracey and gave me a job in Fortunately, Bill remembered the early 80s like i did. Our conduct was impeccable on both a professional and personal basis. By the time you read this we will have heard our very own Justice lehrmann speak to us on pre-discovery expert reports. She will have spoken to us on the 12th of november, and i am sure that i will have seen all of you there. The books are closed on the Young lawyers & TCBA Golf Tournament, and it was a rousing success. i have called around and tried to get some specific names to praise and to give credit. everyone seems to refer to someone else or to readily admit it was a group effort, so thanks to the Young lawyers Board of Directors, the event Committee, Mira Vista Country Club, the spon sors, and everyone else associated with the event. in addition to the golf tournament funds, the sponsorships for the tournament raised $8,245 through the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. These funds will be used to provide internships for Texas A&M university law students who will work with the TlTV and TVAS pro bono programs. This internship program provides the law students hands-on experience in furnishing legal services to the underprivileged. Finally, my final reflection on giving thanks would be thanking all of you for allowing me to serve in this position and to work with so many wonderful people on staff, with the Tarrant County Bar Board of Directors, and with the Tarrant County Bar Foundation. Mike December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 1

4 C ontents Features Tortfeasors 5 Departments Year in Review - It All Happened at the Bar Free Marketing Seminar - Kick Start Your Marketing 1 President s Page 4 YLA Snapshot 6 TVAS Plans for Calling All Lawyers The Education Advocate Project for Foster Youth is coming to Tarrant County Club Members 9 The IP Domain: Patent Suits on the Decline 11 Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans Tarrant County Chapter 14 Snippets Pro Bono Celebration 18 Transition to Practice 19 New Members 19 In Memoriam Carl Victor Vic Anderson 20 LegalLine In every issue 22 Classified Advertising 22 Other Associations 24 Calendar of Events 24 Advertisers Index Cover Comment Bench Bar XXII APRIL 24-26, 2015 back cover Mark Your Calendars for the next Bench Bar Conference La Torretta Lake Resort & Spa Montgomery, Texas The 2014 Holiday Party Committee from left to right, Ami Decker, Robert Blankenship, Pamela Boggess, Shannon Pritchard, Karmen Johnson, Lori Spearman, John Corbin and Theresa Copeland, getting ready for the Rat Pack--themed festivities Tarrant County Bar Association Fax website: tcba@tarrantbar.org Officers President... Michael J. Henry President-Elect...David E. Keltner Vice President...Robert G. West Secretary-Treasurer...Dabney D. Bassel Elected Directors Nick Bettinger Steven K. Hayes Claudine Jackson Elected Directors Leslie Barrows John Cayce Lance Evans Appointed Directors Connie Hall Karmen Johnson Immediate Past President Ann Diamond Fort Worth-Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association Ryan Scharar, President (Fall 2014) Chris Stoy, President (Spring 2015) Executive Director Patricia Graham, PLS, CLAS Ex-Officio Members State Bar of Texas Directors Robert E. Aldrich, Jr. J. Benjamin Barlow ABA Delegate Janna W. Clarke Bar Bulletin John F. Murphy, Editor H. Dennis Kelly, Assistant Editor Ameera Hallaq, Staff Editor ameera@tarrantbar.org Graphics/Production Park Place Enterprises, Inc. ggpark@flash.net The Tarrant County Bar Bulletin is a monthly publication of the Tarrant County Bar Association. Articles, photos, events for the calendar, suggestions, or comments should be directed to: 1315 Calhoun Street Fort Worth, Texas Deadline for submission is the 1st day of the month, one month prior the date of the issue (e.g. April 1 for the May issue). Items for publication may be ed to ameera@tarrantbar.org in Word format. Articles published in the Bar Bulletin do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Tarrant County Bar Association, its officers, or the Board of Directors. Calendar listings, classifieds, advertisements, and feature articles should not be considered an endorsement of any service, product, program, seminar or event. 2 December 2014

5 Ring-a-Ding-Ding Holiday Party Thursday, December 11, pm Hey, guys and dolls, The holidays are upon us, and all you swingin cats need to jump on down to the Tarrant County Bar office for our annual shindig. This year we ll be celebrating Rat Pack style, with cool sounds from Frank, Dean, and Sammy, and enjoying a feast fit for a couple of good New Jersey Italian boys. Oh, and to especially honor Sammy, we ll have some latkes and brisket, too! There might just be a little special libation to share, as well, but don t expect Dean to show up with the drink c art - that s reserved for Las Vegas, baby!!! The fun starts at 5:00 sharp, so shimmy over for some holiday fun, and remember your stuffed bears and other animals for the kiddies!! Plus lots of door prizes including tickets to a Mavs game donated by John Doyen of LexisNexis SPONSORED BY December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 3

6 YLA Snapshot With november behind us, we speed into yet another holiday season. i hope everyone had a chance to gather with friends and family on Thanksgiving for a day of feasting, football, and festivities. This time of year brings with it so many activities and your Fort Worth Tarrant County Young lawyers Association (TCYlA) has been busy hosting events and planning for an exciting spring On Saturday, november 8, 2014, TCYlA hosted its Fall Family Picnic at my house and several current members, Ryan Scharar President, FW-TCYLA board members, and past presidents attended with their families. The weather was beautiful as everyone enjoyed an assortment of picnic fare and food from the grill while watching the college football matchups of the day. The kids enjoyed riding bikes, throwing, kicking, and hitting every ball in sight, and playing with trucks in the sand pit. But their favorite thing of all was the combo bounce house and slide that definitely made for some tired kiddos that evening our son at least was asleep before the sun went down. everyone had a great time, and we look forward to hosting a similar event in TCYlA Director Amber Altemose did an excellent job planning such a fun, family-oriented event. TCYlA continues to host monthly Cle luncheons on the third Tuesday of each month and a happy hour on the third Thursday of each month. Attendees at our november luncheon received Cle ethics credit and enjoyed an informative presentation by Jonathan Smaby, executive Director of the Texas Center for legal ethics. We also hosted our monthly happy hour sponsored by u.s. legal Support at landmark Bar & Kitchen. Thanks to TCYlA board members Clark Rucker and Rob Henry for their efforts in planning these events. TCYlA s schedule will quiet down during December as we will not have our monthly luncheon or happy hour, but, be on the lookout for new events we have planned after the new Year. On January 20, TCYlA will be hosting a joint happy hour/networking reception with the Fort Worth Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs at Martin House Brewery. On January 31, we re planning a Super Bowl themed party where TCYlA will host an event at Cook Children s Child life Zone with activities, food, and games benefiting the patients and families at Cook Children s Health Care System. if you haven t yet had the opportunity to join us for one of our events, i encourage you to come out, meet your peers, and get involved. if you would like more information about TCYlA, please visit TCYlA s website at org and our Facebook page at TCYlA. Ryan 4 December 2014

7 Mark Your Calendars for Saturday, March 28, 2015 Tortfeasors is gearing up for another show! Director Rik Sehgal and his fellow writ- Yes, ers, Kevin Clark, Ronnie Hall, Courtney Key, Kimberly Stoner, and Chris Troutt are raising the bar in providing you two hours of entertainment with skits about the legal world! Having eavesdropped on their writing sessions, we can tell you that everyone will relate to this year s skits. And there are rumors that some of our past favorites may make a comeback! For those of you not familiar with the show, for the past four years, the Tortfeasors crew has been performing skits that poke fun at the legal profession. The writers, actors, and stage assistants are as excited as ever to get preparation for Tortfeasors 5 underway. The proceeds from the Tortfeasors shows provide important and invaluable funding for the Tarrant County Bar Foundation s Pro Bono Programs, Texas lawyers for Texas Veterans (TlTV) and Tarrant County Volunteer Attorneys Service (TVAS), which are both programs that provide legal services to Tarrant County residents who would otherwise be unable to afford legal services or representation. Your sponsorship is the most valuable way you can contribute and can help change the lives of members of the indigent population who find themselves in situations where legal assistance is the only way out. Your contributions are tax deductible (less the cost of the tickets provided with your sponsorship). We hope you will consider a Tortfeasors sponsorship, large or small! if you are interested in a sponsorship or purchasing an ad in the Tortfeasors 5 program, contact Trisha at or trisha@tarrantbar.org. if you are interested in getting involved in this great show, call Ameera at or ameera@tarrantbar.org. And remember to mark your calendars for the show on Saturday, March 28, at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center! Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. for an audience reception, with the show beginning at 7 p.m. sharp. December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 5

8 tvas Plans for 2015 By the end of 2014, a number of low income individuals and families will have received pro bono assistance from TVAS. This would not be possible without the efforts of the many volunteers in the Tarrant County legal community. TVAS extends its gratitude to its volunteers for taking the time to screen applicants, accept cases, mentor other lawyers, or otherwise volunteer at the pro bono clinics. TVAS also appreciates the individuals and firms who have donated to TVAS or sponsored a clinic. A special thanks to McDonald Sanders for sponsoring the recent TVAS Wills and estate Planning Clinic in november. The efforts of volunteers and financial support truly make a difference in the lives of many. looking to 2015, TVAS anticipates a number of program developments that are intended to expand its services to the community and to support and connect its pro bono volunteers: Follow TVAS on Facebook or Twitter in order to receive updates about the program and related news about local, statewide, and national pro bono efforts. You can find TVAS on Facebook under Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services and on Twitter. TVAS will hold its first guardianship pilot project with the Probate Court number #1 in early TVAS volunteers will file applications for guardianship on behalf of families with children turning 18 and in need of a guardianship by the parents. TVAS will provide its volunteers with free Cle provided by Judge King and other experts, and it hopes to provide ad litem certification in connection with the Cle. Thanks to a grant provided by the Real Estate, Probate and Trust law Section of the State Bar of Texas (RePTl), TVAS plans to expand its Wills and estate Planning services and volunteer opportunities. in 2015, volunteer attorneys will be able to accept wills and estate planning cases outside a scheduled clinic and take advantage of an upgraded web tool in providing pro bono services. if you are interested in being on the list of volunteer attorneys for a wills and estate planning case, please contact Megan Cooley at megan@tarrantbar.org. TVAS is also looking forward to assisting Texas Lawyers for Children (TlC) in its development of the education Advocate Project to Tarrant County. if you are interested in becoming a volunteer attorney for the project (described on the next page), please contact Megan Cooley at megan@tarrantbar.org. TVAS Event Sponsorships Available If you or your firm, company, or other organization is interested in totally or partially sponsoring a Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services pro bono event by funding supplies and any other costs associated with the event, please contact Megan Cooley at megan@tarrantbar.org for more information. 6 December 2014

9 Calling All Lawyers the education Advocate Project for Foster Youth is coming to tarrant County! Will you help make a difference in the life of a child? In 2013, 30,204 children were in the managing conservatorship of the state of Texas, removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. At least 20% of these children will never obtain a permanent home, 65% of them will have six or more school changes, and they will average four to twenty living placements before turning eighteen. More than 37% of these children will drop out of school prior to graduation, and less than 2% of all foster children in Texas attain a bachelor s degree or higher. in addition to these hurdles, 54% of Texas s foster children suffer from one or more diagnosed mental illnesses, at least 25% become homeless within six months of turning eighteen, and they suffer from exponentially increased rates of unemployment due to their lack of education and life skills. To combat these issues and bring educational success to foster children in Tarrant County, the Tarrant County Bar Association (TCBA) and the Tarrant County Volunteer Attorney Services (TVAS) are partnering with Texas lawyers for Children (TlC) and the Texas Young lawyers Association (TYlA), to implement a pro bono education Advocate project, starting in the 323rd Judicial District Court, in which volunteer attorneys are court appointed to specifically help reach this goal. The education Advocate Project is modeled after a similar project initiated in Dallas County, where the appointment of education Advocates has shown to make a significant difference in academic outcomes for foster children. in one case, an education Advocate helped a seventeen-year-old client, who had a history of seventeen different foster care placements and academic failures due to discipline, get accepted to Café Momentum, a local nonprofit providing on-the-job training in his dream career field. Many other clients now have access to education resources and support they were lacking both at school and at home. Requirements for education Advocates include good standing with the State Bar of Texas, participation in 8.75 hours of free Cle provided by TlC, and a minimum one-year commitment to the Program. no additional experience in family law, child welfare law, or education law is required. Malpractice insurance will be provided through TVAS and TYlA. The Tarrant County Program will start in January 2015 with the initial recruiting session to take place at noon on January 12, 2015, at the TCBA. For more information or to sign up for the introductory training session, please contact Patricia Hogue at patricia.hogue@texaslawyersforchildren.org or December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 7

10 See your name in lights!!! Become a member of the exclusive TCBA Club and see your firm s or organization s name in print in every issue of the Bar Bulletin for the remainder of this bar year! To qualify, law firms, government agencies, law schools, and corporate legal departments of four attorneys or more must have 100% of their attorneys enrolled as members of the TCBA. If your firm is not listed, please contact our Director of Membership, Cindy Rankin, at or cindy@tarrantbar.org. We are proud of the 100% bar membership for the following law firms and other groups! Or at least in the TCBA Bar Bulletin! 100 Club Members Adams Lynch & Loftin, PC Albert Neely & Kuhlmann LLP Allmand Law Firm, PLLC Anderson & Riddle, LLP Anderson Law Firm Bakutis McCully & Sawyer PC Barlow Garsek & Simon, LLP Beadles Newman & Lawler PC The Berenson Firm PC Blaies & Hightower, LLP Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, PC Boyle & Lowry, LLP Brackett & Ellis, PC Broude Smith & Jennings PC Bourland, Wall & Wenzel, PC Brown, Dean, Wiseman, Proctor, Hart & Howell, LLP Bruner & Pappas LLP Cantey Hanger LLP City Attorney s Offi ce-city of Fort Worth Cook Childrens Health Care System Cotten Schmidt & Abbott, LLP Curnutt & Hafer, LLP Dawson Parrish, PC Decker Jones McMackin McClane Hall & Bates PC Forshey & Prostok, LLP Friedman, Suder & Cooke FTSI Services Gardner Aldrich, LLP Gordon & Sykes, LLP Griffi th, Jay, & Michel, LLP Harris, Finley & Bogle, PC Harrison Steck PC Haynes and Boone, LLP Holland Johns & Penny LLP Johnston Legal Group, PC 8 December 2014 Kelly Hart & Hallman LLP Koons Fuller, PC Law, Snakard & Gambill, PC Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP Lively & Associates, LLP Lovelace Killen, PLLC Macdonald Devin PC McDonald Sanders Law Firm Mellina & Larson, PC Moses, Palmer & Howell, LLP Murphy Mahon Keffler Farrier, LLP Naman Howell Smith & Lee, PLLC Nelson Bumgardner Casto, PC Noteboom Law Firm Padfield & Stout, LLP Phelps Dunbar LLP Pope, Hardwicke, Christie, Schell, Kelly & Ray, LLP Jim Ross & Associates Ross & Matthews, PC Second Court of Appeals Shannon, Gracey, Ratliff & Miller, LLP Tarrant County DA s Office Taylor Olson Adkins Sralla & Elam, LLP Texas A & M School of Law The Berenson Firm PC The Blum Firm, PC The Colaneri Firm, PC The Wolf Law Firm, PC Thompson & Knight, LLP Wallach & Andrews, PC Watson Caraway Midkiff & Luningham LLP Whitaker Chalk Swindle & Schwartz PLLC Whitley Penn, LLP Wilson, White & Doby, LLP Winstead PC

11 the IP DoMAIn: Patent Suits on the Decline? By Tom Williams and Dustin Johnson Patent lawyers and other observers have for some time been expecting a decline in the number of patent-infringement cases, and a recent study by unified Patents, a patent-litigation monitoring firm, indicates that at least in the short term, this anticipated decline has become a reality. 1 unified Patents reported that the total number of new patent cases filed in the third quarter of 2014 (1,145) declined 23% from the number of new cases filed in this year s second quarter (1,473). By comparison, the second quarter filings were a 16% increase over the 1,269 new patent cases filed in the first quarter of this year. 2 in addition to the overall decline, there was an even greater decline in the number of new patent cases filed by non-practicing entities (npes). npes filed 554 new patent cases in the third quarter of 2014, compared to 855 news cases in the second quarter, a remarkable 35% decline. 3 even more interestingly, the decline came about primarily in the High Tech area, which includes hardware, software, and financial patents. 4 Some commentators speculate that the decline in new patent cases in the High Tech area is a direct result of the u.s. Supreme Court s ruling on June 19, 2014, in Alice Corp. v. ClS Bank, 5 which may be causing many npes to reevaluate their patent portfolios prior to filing new lawsuits. in Alice, the Supreme Court held that Alice Corporation s patents were invalid as being directed to abstract ideas ineligible for patenting. Particularly, the Court held that a generic process to an abstract idea, performed on a generic computer, is not enough to transform that idea into a patentable invention. Since a relatively high percentage of all patent cases filed in the third quarter were High Tech cases, a significant change in the number of High Tech cases can change the national outlook relatively quickly. Other commentators suggest that the decline is also due to changing litigation tactics and the use of new post-grant proceeding introduced by the America invents Act (AiA). The post-grant procedures, including the increasingly utilized inter-parties Review proceedings, were expected to decrease abusive patent litigation practices by reducing the issuance of low quality patents and by providing a lowercost administrative procedure for challenging issued patents. 6 it is possible that these proceedings are having their expected effect of decreasing frivolous lawsuits by knocking out the overly broad patents often used in npe patent litigations. Contrary to the national trend, the filing of new patentinfringement suits in the northern District of Texas has actually increased through the latter half of 2014, but with only a limited sample size, the data may not be significant. There have been 16 new patent infringement cases filed in the northern District of Texas so far in 2014, filed by eleven different plaintiffs. Of these 16 cases, 2 were filed in the first quarter, 6 in the second quarter, and 8 in the third quarter. As expected, these numbers pale in comparison to those of the eastern District of Texas, where a whopping 912 new patent infringement cases were filed in the first two quarters of this year alone. Whether the national decline in patent cases is a shortterm anomaly due to evolving requirements for patent eligibility, a longer-term trend due to the higher risk of a patent being held invalid, or a trend based on other factors has yet to be seen. Tom Williams is a partner in the Fort Worth office of the law firm of Haynes and Boone, LLP. He may be reached at thomas. williams@haynesboone. com or Dustin Johnson is a partner in the Fort Worth and Richardson offices of the law firm of Haynes and Boone, LLP. He may be reached at dustin. johnson@haynesboone. com unified Patentshttp://unifiedpatents.com/2014/10/28/88-of-the-decline-in-patent-litigationactivity-in-the-3q-2014-is-the-result-of-fewer-npe-law-suits/ 2 Id. 3 Joe Mullin, is-the-result-of-fewer-npe-law-suits/ 5 Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int l, 134 S. Ct (June 19, 2014). 6 Q. Todd Dickenson, at as posted Dec. 17, December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 9

12 You Are Invited to Join District Attorney Joe Shannon and his friends In the Celebration of 51 years of Public Service Wednesday, December 10, :00 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Times Ten Cellars 1100 Foch Street, Fort Worth East 4th Street Suite 250 Fort Worth, Texas George Parker Young Vincent P. Circelli 10 December 2014

13 texas Lawyers for texas Veterans Tarrant County Chapter Serving those Who Served by J. Michael McBride It is indeed great to be an attorney in Tarrant County! There are many opportunities for lawyers to invest our time and resources into our community. One such opportunity that i have taken advantage of is volunteering with Texas lawyers for Texas Veterans. Several years ago, i just happened to read an announcement about the establishment of a TlTV committee for Fort Worth. As soon as i read the announcement, i knew that i had to be a part of this organization. Although i am not a veteran, i have always had a strong sense of obligation to support our military. now i have the chance to do so. At our most recent clinic, sitting across the table from a Vietnam veteran and his wife, i was reminded of the phrase there are no unwounded veterans of war. While counseling the veteran and his wife on their legal issue, i actually spent the bulk of the interview discussing the personal repercussions resulting from the veteran s service. While every client brings his or her own issues to a legal consultation, i found it particularly gratifying to provide the necessary legal advice while at the same time listening to and absorbing this man s life story. Happily, at a TlTV legal clinic, the lawyers who volunteer have the ability to spend whatever time is necessary with their clients to both fully listen to their stories and appreciate their situations as well as provide the necessary legal advice. A TlTV clinic will typically have a dozen lawyers with a variety of areas of expertise. As in any consumer clinic, the primary legal needs revolve around family law, criminal law, and consumer litigation, such as landlord/tenant or collection. in addition, our population of veteran clients also has a need for advice regarding guardianship and wills and estates. The clinics meet once a month, typically at the VA clinic on Campus Drive or one of the other Tarrant County College locations. They are held on the third Friday of each month and provide a wonderful opportunity for attorneys to volunteer their time to support veterans. in addition, many of the cases that come through the clinic are assigned to a pro bono attorney for handling to a conclusion. This is another way that attorneys can volunteer their time: by agreeing to take a veteran s case pro bono. it would be ideal if every attorney in Tarrant County agreed to take one veteran s case per year. Another wonderful thing that we have done at the clinic is to integrate both law students and baby lawyers, typically lawyers with a degree/bar card but little experience, into the process. We like to pair each student or young lawyer with a more seasoned attorney, so they can sit in and watch the interview/consultation process with the veteran client from start to finish. in addition, they often have the opportunity to talk with the attorney about the file after the consultation is completed and discuss the interview techniques that were used and legal issues that were involved. in this way, our goal is to expose and mentor young lawyers or law students in the actual practice of law. in addition to the volunteer lawyers who assist with the clinics, the Tarrant County Bar Association (particularly, Megan Cooley and Ameera Hallaq) and legal Aid of northwest Texas will also have plenty of volunteers caring for the veterans through the intake and pre-qualification process. While any veteran or spouse of a veteran can have a free consultation, only those veterans who financially qualify can have their cases assigned to a pro bono attorney for representation. As an attorney, i believe we have been given much and much is expected from us. Part of that giving back yields a rich reward when an attorney listens to a veteran who has given so much already. December 2014 TCBA Bulletin 11