The College of the State Bar of Texas is an honorary society of qualified

lawyers A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicitor, ...

who are interested in both high ethical standards and improved training for all

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

attorneys.

Purpose and membership

The College recognizes

lawyers who voluntarily attend at least double the minimum

Continuing Legal Education Continuing legal education (CLE), also known as mandatory or minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) or, in some jurisdictions outside the United States, as continuing professional development, consists of professional education for attorneys t ...

(CLE) classes required by the State Bar of Texas. While the State Bar of Texas mandates that every licensed attorney complete at least fifteen hours of continuing legal education classes each year, the College requires its members to double that number by attending thirty hours per year. As of 2006, it was the only organization in the United States formed for the specific purpose of promoting and recognizing attorneys who strive to maintain and enhance their professional skills and the quality of their practice through voluntary participation in CLE programs. Historically, only about eight percent of the licensed attorneys in

(4,100 out of 63,500 in 1999) meet the requirements for membership in the College of the State Bar of Texas. The motto of the College is: "Professionalism Through Education." Since 1993, the College of the State Bar has each year presented a lawyer with the Jim Bowmer Professionalism Award, an annual honor established to recognize members who have significantly contributed to professionalism within the legal community, as well as a Franklin Jones Best CLE Article Award and a Steve Condos Most CLE Hours Award.

History

Jim D. Bowmer and Franklin Jones, Jr., both past presidents of the State Bar of Texas, credit each other with starting the College of the State Bar. Mr. Bowmer, who believed that lawyers in Texas should be given recognition for attending programs of continuing legal education, urged Mr. Jones to persuade the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas to adopt the idea for the College. At the request of the Board of the Directors of the State Bar of Texas, the College was established by the

Texas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court of ...

on December 14, 1981. In June 2001, the Board of the State Bar voted to change the status of the College from a

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

of the Bar to a "bar-related entity." On October 25, 2001, the Texas Supreme Court amended its 1981 order establishing the College of the State Bar (Misc. Docket No. 01-9180) and directed it to pursue incorporation under the Texas Non-Profit Corporation Act. As a qualifying non-profit corporation, the College applied for and received Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status under the United States Internal Revenue Code.

References

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External links

State Bar of Texas

College of the State Bar of Texas

Texas law Professional associations based in the United States Law-related professional associations Organizations established in 1981 1981 establishments in Texas