CLE hours approved

Sherman, Texas -- Austin College hosts the 2020 Dr. Kenneth Street Law Symposium, titled “Legal Ethics and Client Advocacy in Civil and Criminal Litigation” on Friday, February 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Lawyers, students, and others interested in the law profession are welcome to attend the discussion of timely issues in law and ethics.

Symposium registration is $50 for attorneys, $15 for members of the Grayson County Bar Association, $25 for the general public, and free no charge to students, faculty and Austin College staff. The State Bar of Texas has approved 5.75 CLE hours, 4.25 ethics hours. Registration deadline is February 24; complete details and registration are available online at www.austincollege.edu/lawsymposium.

The symposium includes four panel discussions in Sherman Hall’s Hoxie Thompson Auditorium and a luncheon where Honorable Amos Mazzant delivers the keynote. Since 2014, Mazzant has served as U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Texas. From 2009 to 2014, he served as the U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Texas and as a justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals in Texas. A graduate of the University of Pittsburg, he earned his law degree at Baylor University School of Law. 

The first panel, “Developments in Texas Anti-SLAPP Litigation,” begins at 11:00 a.m., moderated by Jim Walker ’82 of Cole Schotz P.C. of Dallas. Panel members are Jim Hemphill of Graves Daugherty, Hearon & Moody in Austin; Tom Leatherbury of Vinson & Elkins in Dallas; and Justice William Whitehill of the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas.

The second panel, “Legal Ethics and Client Advocacy in Criminal Litigation: The Lawyer’s Perspective,” is moderated by Buck Files of Bain, Files, Jarrett & Harrison, P.C. at 2:15 p.m. Panel members are Glenn Roque-Jackson, assistant U.S. Attorney of the Eastern District of Texas; J. Michael Price II ’92, of Plano; and Tom Hall ’78 of the Law Offices of Tom Hall.

The third panel, “Legal Ethics and Client Advocacy in Civil Litigation: The Lawyer’s Perspective,” begins at 3:15 p.m. and is moderated by Max Ciccarelli of Thompson & Knight in Dallas. Panelist include Court Smith ’95 of Plunk Smith in Frisco; Tonya Hohannse of Estes Thorne & Carr in Dallas, Joe Cleveland of Brackett & Ellis in Fort Worth; and Brandon Montminy ’10 of Locke Lord in Dallas.

The final panel, “Legal Ethics and Client Advocacy in Civil and Criminal Litigation: The Judge’s Perspective,” begins at 4:15 p.m. and is moderated by Clyde Siebman of Siebman Forrest in Sherman. Panelists include Chief Justice Robert Burns ’86 of the Fifth District Court of Appeals in Dallas; U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Priest Johnson of the Eastern District of Texas; and Judge Andrea Bouressa of the 471st District Court of Collin County.

A reception immediately follows the Symposium at The President’s Home at Wood House, 921 North Grand Avenue.

The event honors longtime Austin College faculty member, the late Dr. Kenneth W. Street. A revered professor of political science at Austin College from 1959 to 1997, Dr. Street held the John D. Moseley Chair of Government and Public Policy and founded and directed the Social Science Laboratory. As an award-winning teacher he also served many years as the advisor for students considering careers in law and launched many professionals in the field.

The Law Symposium is organized by the Alumni “L” Law Association and Austin College Pre-Law Society, under the direction of Dr. Frank Rohmer, associate professor of political science and John D. Moseley Chair of Government and Public Policy. The 2020 symposium sponsors include the Austin College Pre-Law Society, Hatton W. Sumners Foundation, Grayson County Bar Association, Appellate Section of the State Bar of Texas, Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas, Brandy Baxter-Thompson ’99, J. Michael Price II ’92, Locke Lord LLP, Plunk Smith PLLC, and Austin College Student Assembly.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.