How do institutions of higher education handle allegations of student-on-student sexual misconduct? Sean Flammer joins Rocky Dhir to talk through this legal process as outlined in his article in the March edition of the Texas Bar Journal. Sean explains how new Title IX regulations beginning in August 2020 have affected cross-examination requirements in misconduct hearings and what concerns around due process that have arisen in the wake of these changes. Sean offers insights on how the current system works and whether it effectively balances the needs and rights of complainants and respondents.

Sean Flammer specializes in Title IX, student affairs disputes, employment issues, constitutional litigation, and general litigation.

The legal community is, at times, either uninformed or ill-equipped for dealing with the unique needs of LGBTQ+ clientele. Rocky Dhir welcomes Liz Brenner to discuss her article in the February 2023 edition of the Texas Bar Journal and the evolving legal issues faced by those in the LGBTQ+ community. Liz explains the impacts of the 2015 Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which required states to extend equal access to marriage to same-sex couples, and also dives into the specifics of estate planning and probate law for these couples and their families.

Elizabeth Brenner is an attorney with Burns Anderson Jury & Brenner in Austin, where she practices probate and trust litigation, probate administration, and guardianship law.

Each December, the Texas Bar Journal features the year’s developments in the profession through a series of articleswritten by Texas legal experts. Rocky Dhir talks with three of 2022’s authors to learn more about new case law and trends in their areas of the law. Emily Black shares insights from antitrust and business litigation, Shawn Tuma gives an update on rapidly-evolving requirements in cybersecurity and data privacy, and Roland Love gives an overview of new laws and court-issued opinions related to real estate law.

Emily Westridge Black is a partner in the Austin office of Shearman & Sterling, where she specializes in complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense.

Shawn Tuma is a partner at Spencer Fane LLP in Cyber Risk Management, Cyber Incident Response, and Cyber Security, Hacking and Data Breach Litigation.

Roland Love is vice president of business alliances & field operations at Independence Title in Dallas, TX.

Even though bankruptcy touches so many areas of the law, many attorneys outside bankruptcy practice lack an adequate understanding of how it all works. Rocky Dhir brings on experts Catherine Curtis and Robert Vanhemelrijck to get an overview of what all lawyers should know about this area of legal practice. They discuss different types of bankruptcy, outline filing and court processes, and share pro tips for things to look out for when working with clients in bankruptcy proceedings.

Catherine Curtis is an Associate Attorney at Wick Phillips, where she represents clients in a broad range of insolvency and bankruptcy matters.

J. Robert Vanhemelrijck is the founding and managing partner of Vanhemelrijck Law Offices, LP in San Antonio, Texas.

On an October morning in 2017, Lisa Torry Smith was walking her son to school when they were struck by a car while in a crosswalk. Lisa died at the scene, her son was badly injured, and the driver was only ticketed for the incident. Lisa’s family fought for change after this tragic event, seeking real consequences for negligent driving and greater driver awareness and care across the state. Brian Middleton, now District Attorney in Fort Bend County, Texas, drafted the Lisa Torry Smith Act, which was passed into law in June of 2021. Tune in with State Bar of Texas podcast host Rocky Dhir as he talks with Brian about the implications of this new law and its aim to create accountability for driver negligence in crosswalks.

Read Brian Middleton’s article in the Texas Bar Journal: The New Stop and Yield Law: The Death of Lisa Torry Smith

A surprising shift has swept through Texas courts since COVID-19, likely traceable to the public’s collective new awareness of suffering due to pandemic-era hardships. In recent months, there has seemed to be a marked change in jurors’ thoughts on awarding non-economic damages, resulting in larger damages verdicts in many courts. To discuss this phenomenon, Rocky Dhir talks with Randy Sorrels about his article, Fully Acknowledging Human Damages, which appeared in the October issue of the Texas Bar Journal.

Randy Sorrels is a partner at Sorrels Law in Houston, Texas, and holds board certifications from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and the National Board of Trial Advocacy, including: Personal Injury Trial Law, Civil Trial Law, and Civil Trial Advocacy.

An individual’s use of the justice system shouldn’t solely be based on a cost-benefit analysis, but for many, it is just that. With such a major hurdle in access to justice, a retooling of legal practice is needed to make justice affordable for all. Rocky Dhir talks with Joshua Weaver about the innovative ways the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator helps lawyers offer high-quality services to low and modest income people.

Joshua Weaver is director of the Texas Opportunity & Justice Incubator (TOJI), a flagship program of the State Bar of Texas focused on supporting attorneys as they build sustainable solo practices serving low-income and modest-income communities.

As a follow-up to her panel discussion at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting 2022, Keri Blakinger joins Rocky Dhir to share more of her personal story and her perspectives on prisons in the United States. She discusses her incarceration experience, her passion for public records, and her newly released memoir, “Corrections in Ink.”

Keri Blakinger is a Texas-based journalist and the author of the “Corrections in Ink,” a memoir tracing her path from figure skating to heroin addiction to prison and, finally, to life as an investigative reporter covering mass incarceration.

Space innovation is ramping up in Brownsville, Texas. The city experienced rapid change in the past decade after SpaceX set up operations, and many lawyers are excited to have a front row seat to a new era of space exploration and the innovations arising in aerospace law as a result. Rocky Dhir chats with Brownsville attorneys Victor Flores and Will Trevino about their recent articles in the Texas Bar Journal and their thoughts on new developments in space law, cybersecurity concerns, and the role of lawyers in shaping future space endeavors.

Check out their articles in the Texas Bar Journal:

Building a New Highway From Texas to Mars by Victor Flores

Space Hackers by Will Trevino

Victor A. Flores serves on the Texas City Attorneys Association Board of Directors, is the past president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, and is the city attorney for the city of Brownsville.

Guillermo “Will” S. Trevino is a member of the State Bar of Texas Computer and Technology Section and serves as a member of its council. He is a deputy city attorney for the city of Brownsville.

Should We Be Able to Reclaim a Racist Slur – as a Registered Trademark?  In this special State Bar of Texas podcast, host Rocky Dihr welcomes Simon Tam, a musician, author, activist, and entrepreneur, whose efforts to trademark his band name “The Slants” prompted a nearly 10-year long legal battle that eventually wound up in the U.S. Supreme Court. Rocky and Simon discuss:

Simon Tam is the the founder and bassist of “The Slants”, the world’s first and only all-Asian American dance rock band. Simon is also an author, activist, TEDx speaker and podcaster, who is passionate about changing the world with relentless optimism and compassion.