austinbar.org JUNE 2024 | VOLUME 33, NUMBER 5
Austin Bar Members Go for the Gold at Bench Bar
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hank you to the nearly 200 people who came out for the 2024 Bench Bar Conference! This year’s conference took place at Kalahari Resorts in Round Rock, and featured plenty of members of the bench. Bench Bar Committee CoChair Scott Brutocao kicked off the morning by introducing Corinne Smith, a life coach and Austin attorney. Smith led the crowd in an icebreaker in which the members of each table shared their best life or career advice in the form of a hashtag. The table voted on who had the best hashtag, and that person then went up on stage to present to the crowd. Austin Bar President-Elect Mary-Ellen King came up with #stopthestigma. “As the incoming president of the Austin Bar, I want to make sure everyone knows that it’s OK to ask for help,” she said. Another table’s hashtag was #itsnotaboutthemistakesyoumake butitshowyoufixthem. Judge Sylvia Holmes came up with #hideyourjob. “If you’re looking for a contractor or need work done on your home, don’t tell them you’re a lawyer,” she said. “Your bid will not be what you want it to be.” Another table came up with #sayless. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
The Bench Bar Olympians gather for a group photo. After this photo was taken, many retreated into dark rooms to plot how they would win next year’s “Lawyer Olympics.”
this table was made up of mostly criminal defense lawyers. One table came up with #cantmakethisstuffup. Another selected #dreamyourlifeliveyourdream. Zach Wiewel came up with #nosuchthingasaformerclient. “If you know, you know,” he said. Other hashtags included #wearsunscreen and, simply, #brevity. James Parker came up with #dontcompoundamistakewitha crime. “We all make mistakes,” he said. “When that happens, ask for help and don’t try to cover it up, especially in a criminal way.” Chase Hamilton came up with #checktherules. “That seems to be something
“Lawyer Olympics” teams hand off water balloons with relative ease.
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(L-R): Justice Gisela Triana, Chief Justice Darlene Byrne, Judge Scott Jenkins (ret.), and Judge Tim Sulak (ret.) stand beside their respective portraits honoring their time as Travis County District Court judges. Photo courtesy of Kennon Wooten.