Legal Ethics and Texas Legal Practice
Austin College’s annual Dr. Kenneth Street Law Symposium is set for Friday, February 19, beginning at 11 a.m. on campus. Theme for the 2016 event is “Legal Ethics and Texas Legal Practice: Persisting Principles, New Realities.” Approval of continuing legal education (CLE) hours is pending.
Morning and afternoon panels address various topics within that theme and a keynote address by The Honorable W. Royal Furgeson Jr., Dean, UNT – Dallas School of Law, will highlight a luncheon.
The event is open to attorneys, students interested in careers in law, and interested members of the public.
Cost for the event is $50 for attorneys and $20 for the general public. All sessions are free to Austin College students, faculty, and staff. Online registration should be completed, by February 12. Event sponsors include the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation of Dallas, Austin College Pre-Law Society, Austin College Student Assembly, and Austin College Alumni “L” Law Association.
All panel sessions are held in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall, with the luncheon in Mabee Hall of Wright Campus Center.
THE SCHEDULE:
11 a.m. Welcome by Shannon Hutcheson, president of the Austin College Alumni “L” Law Association
Sherman Hall, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
PANEL 1: “Trial Layer Perspectives on Ethical Issues in Litigation”
11:05 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.
Moderator: Judge Amos L. Mazzant III, U.S. District Court Judge, Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division
Panelists: James “Jim” W. Walker, Cole Schatz, P.C., Dallas;
Kevin J. White, Hunton & Williams, LLP, Washington D.C. and Houston;
Kevin M. Sader, Baker Botts, LLP, Palo Alto
Sherman Hall, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
Luncheon & Keynote Address
12:15 – 1:45 p.m.
Keynote Address by the Honorable W. Royal Furgeson Jr., Dean, UNT—Dallas School of Law:
“The Texas Lawyer’s Creed After 26 Years: What’s the Verdict?
Wright Campus Center, Mabee Hall
PANEL 2: “Judicial Perspectives on Ethical Issues in the Courtroom”
2 – 3:20 p.m.
Moderator: Judge David Peeples, Presiding Judge, Fourth Administrative Judicial Region
Panelists: Judge Tonya Parker, Presiding Judge, 116th District Court of Dallas County
Judge Jim Jordan, Presiding Judge, 160th District Court of Dallas County
Judge Robert Burns, Presiding Judge, Dallas County Criminal District Court No. 1
Sherman Hall, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
PANEL 3: “Ethical Issues in Attorneys’ Use of Social Media”
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Panelists: John G. Browning, Thompson Coe, Dallas
Constance K. Hall, Law Office of Constance K Hall, Arlington.
Sherman Hall, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
Panel 4: “The Role of Memory and Eyewitness Identification in Civil and Criminal Litigation”
4:35 – 5:35 p.m.
Moderator: Christopher L. Elliott, Graves Dougherty, Austin
Panelists: Dr. Charles A. Weaver II, Department Chair and Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Baylor University, Waco;
Michael L. Ware, Director of the Innocence Project of Texas, Adjunct Professor at Texas A&M University School of Law and the supervisor of the Texas A&M Innocence Project, Fort Worth;
James “Jim” W. Walker, Cole Schatz, P.C., Dallas.
Sherman Hall, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
Closing Reception at Collins Alumni Center
5:45 – 7:15 p.m.
About Keynote Speaker The Honorable W. Royal Furgeson Jr.
Royal Furgeson Jr., United States District Judge, Northern District of Texas, was named the founding dean of the UNT Dallas College of Law in January 2012. He assumed his position as dean in mid-year 2013 after retiring from the federal district bench.
Furgeson is the former Senior U.S. District Judge in the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division. Prior to taking Senior Status, he served in the El Paso, Midland, and San Antonio divisions of the Western District of Texas. He served as a federal judge for more than 18 years.
A native of Lubbock, Judge Furgeson graduated from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and earned his law degree at the University of Texas School of Law, where he was an associate editor of the Texas Law Review. After law school, he served the U.S. Army for two years, attaining the rank of Captain. Following a tour in Vietnam, he returned to Lubbock as law clerk to the Honorable Halbert O. Woodward.
Before taking the bench, Furgeson was a practicing lawyer for 24 years with the Kemp Smith firm in El Paso, Texas. He is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute, and Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Civil Trial Law. While in private practice, he was general campaign chair and president of the El Paso United Way, president of the El Paso chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and president of the El Paso Bar Association.
Honored on numerous occasions, Furgeson has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award by the Texas Tech Alumni Association, the West Texas Legal Legend Award by the Texas Tech University School of Law, the 2010 Distinguished Counselor Award by the State Bar of Texas Antitrust and Business Litigation Section, the Luke Soules Award by the State Bar of Texas Litigation Section, the Leon Green Award by the Texas Law Review, and the Faculty Award by the University of Texas School of Law.
The Symposium
The annual law symposium is organized by the Alumni “L” Law Association and Austin College Pre-Law Society, under the direction of Dr. Frank Rohmer, Austin College associate professor of political science and John D. Moseley Chair in Government and Public Policy. The event honors Austin College Professor Emeritus Kenneth W. Street. A professor of political science at Austin College from 1959 to 1997, Street held the John D. Moseley Chair of Government and Public Policy and founded and directed the Social Science Laboratory, which allowed students to experience field research, observe political and social behavior, and test hypotheses about needs in the community. He also served many years as the advisor for students considering careers in law and launched many professionals in the fields of law and public service.
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. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.