Melissa J. Schank

“The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. So, you see, they’re always looking ahead to something new and exciting. The secret is not to look back.”

– Norman Rockwell

As the pandemic continues, we move forward and continue doing the best we can. This week, TCDLA brothers and sisters came to together in Arlington for one of many reasons—some for CLE and networking at the Sex and Violence seminar put on by course directors Sarah Roland, Sam Bassett, and Heather Barbieri. The speakers who appeared were phenomenal. (Not to worry if you missed this great seminar; you can still watch it at your own pace. Go to tcdla.com > CLE/EVENTS > Webinars on Demand. You can watch the videos as many times as you want for up to a year.)

Also on tap, we hosted TCDLA Board, Executive, and Criminal Defense Lawyers Project committee members for Saturday meetings. Many others came in just to watch the seminar, gather for a Friday members dinner, and reconnect with one another. No other organization I know can match the camaraderie of the defense bar. In many associations I network with, their meetings are all eight-to five business with little or no personal interchange or communication afterwards. The relationships our members build blossom over the years, extending far beyond the 5:00 pm meeting end.

This also spills over to the TCDLA staff. We are very fortunate to have a hard-working and dedicated team that believes in the work and service we provide. A small staff, we too are part of the TCDLA family.

During our meetings, we conducted five hours of business, though we could have conducted many more. But members were able to eat breakfast, have a cup of coffee, and share where life had taken them since they last connected. Myself, I got to know better new board members while learning more about old friends—also celebrating our September birthdays! Some of the highlighted board motions from the Board meeting follow:

• •TCDLA Statement re Dallas Data Loss: “In the interest of transparency and to restore public trust, The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association urges the Dallas Police Department to enlist an independent, qualified auditing firm to review the data loss and produce a public report of its findings.”
• Respond to the Affordable Legal Services Subcommittee of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and approve the recommended proposed changes to the Performance Guidelines for Non-Capital Criminal Defense Representation. (If you would like a copy to review, email me.)

The 87th Legislature is now entering a third special session…I cannot commend enough our Legislative Committee Lobbying Team for all their hard work. It never ends! Allen Place and Shea Place will continue monitoring the session and all meetings throughout the year. You can see some of their work on the website, a member benefit (MEMBERS ONLY/Legislative Update), including these:

• •FREE 2021 Legislative Update Paper by David Gonzalez, TCDLA Lobbyist
• FREE 2021 Legislative Presentation (including SB6) by David Gonzalez, TCDLA Lobbyist, and Allen Place, TCDLA Senior Lobbyist
• FREE 2021 Legislative Cheat sheet by Shea Place, TCDLA Lobbyist

Upcoming, we will host training on Constitutional Carry and Bail Reform. If your local bar is looking for a Legislative Update or an Innocence 1-hour program, contact me.

As with all good things, the gatherings came to an end and it was time to return home. I had to reflect that I have a job I truly enjoy. If you are not feeling this same way when you attend a TCDLA event, I encourage you to seek me or other members out to introduce you around. Don’t be shy! Once you interact with your brothers and sisters, you won’t be able to wait till the next time.

When is that you ask? How about November 4–5, 2021, at the Menger for the 17th Annual Stuart Kinard Advanced DWI seminar in San Antonio? Or . . . December 2-3, 2021, at the Kalahari Resorts & Convention Center in Round Rock for the Cross Examination & Effective Use of the Rules of Evidence seminar. For this quarterly gathering, we will host a TCDLA Holiday Dinner on Friday, December 3. Let’s keep moving forward, reenergizing, empowering, and motivating each other!

With Texas opening back up and members faced with more in-person contact, TCDLA is moving at full speed. We continue to deal with change – Covid variants cropping up, new executive orders. We must also now contemplate a second special session, which includes “bail reform” on the agenda. To that end, we will present a legislative update in September. For now, you’ll find a Legislative Update Paper in the members-only section of our website. TCDLA will do everything possible to keep our members up to snuff on every new change, legislative or otherwise. As soon as our legislative cheatsheet is revised, we will share it as a free member benefit.

Our volunteer forces are also mustering to provide help as needed. Our COVID Task Force, co-chaired by Allison Clayton () and Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube (), maintains a timely COVID resource page on TCDLA’s home page, with useful motions, tools, and other resources. As always, if you are being threatened or found in contempt, contact our Strike Force, led by co-chairs Wm. Reagan Wynn () and Nicole DeBorde Hochglaube (). Confronted with an ethical dilemma? Call our Ethics Hotline, and Robert Pelton or one of the committee members will assist you.

Other volunteers on our committees are also contributing to the team effort. Our Amicus Curiae Brief Committee, steered by Chair Niles Illich, has been hard at work this month preparing several new briefs. The Technology Committee is assessing new apps and databases, along with security programs and other tools to enhance your member experience. If you have not visited our committee page, by all means click on the “About” tab on the TCDLA website. We list more than 30 committees there, all designed to assist our members. If you want to join one and contribute to the effort, let us know. We cannot succeed without our members; they make everything possible.

Also of note, TCDLA is working with LPDO and TIDC on responses to Operation Lone Star. As part of Operation Lone Star, Governor Abbott bolstered the law-enforcement presence along the border. The number of immigrants arrested for criminal trespass or related offenses has subsequently mushroomed. More criminal defense attorneys are now needed to lend a hand representing those arrested under this heavy-handed program. We emailed information and have posted this, but you can learn more by emailing or visiting https://www.lpdo.org/.

For those who’ve needed a break from the madness, our monthly zoom meetings with TCDLA past presidents have provided welcome relief, wherein our gentle giants gather, brainstorm, and continue to lead the charge from behind the scenes. They let me crash their meetings, listening in on so many amazing stories. I love the laughs and camaraderie, the obvious affection they share for one another. It reenergizes me every time I visit.

And finally, we’re preparing for the Tim Evans Texas Criminal Trial College, featuring deans Kerri Anderson Donica and Lance Evans and emeritus deans Lydia Clay-Jackson and Tim Evans. We have a cohort who’ve been waiting since March 2020 for the college, and they’re excited for the opportunity. But don’t forget all our other upcoming seminars: Visit our website to sign up. It has been too long since we’ve seen each other! Nothing can surpass the feeling when can we come together, not only reconnecting but also sharing strategies – and assisting one’s brothers and sisters.

In the past 16 years I have learned so much about the history of TCDLA. I remember the first year I started I had the opportunity to sit with Judge Frank Malone, the first TCDLA president, to work on a PowerPoint project. We spent a number of hours together. I was so intrigued about criminal defense, its checkered history, and the stories he told me stick with me to this day. Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to sit and listen to the stories of many of our gentle giants, who gracefully and humbly shared with me their struggles and successes in the fight for criminal defense.

Many of our giants are not with us today, but who can forget their contributions—Kelly Pace’s smile and energetic pep talks bright and early, Scrappy Holmes’ late-night stories. And I’ll always cherish Weldon Holcomb coming into the office, signing a book, and explaining to me what it was like to be a defense attorney decades ago. To this day we have Weldon’s first gavel memorialized in a shadow box hanging in the office. Many other pictures grace our home office of the charter members who first met in Dallas in 1971 to found TCDLA, if you ever have the opportunity to come and visit.

To honor our leaders, we also began taking an annual presidents picture at Rusty, which we hang in the office to celebrate anew those who sacrificed not just one year but six to work on the officer chain. These now join the more than 50 presidents adorning our wall. Each day I walk by and I look at these people, some I’ve gotten to know very well—helping me grow professionally and mentoring me over the years. The institutional knowledge of our past presidents and board members helps us all in so many ways that one can only understand when you yourself serve as an active leader in the association.

Once a small organization of some 60 attorneys, today we number close to 3,400, training more than 5,000 attorneys each year. With our grants, we continue to expand our outreach to develop experienced criminal defense lawyers. Our efforts in the legislature have also grown, assuming more importance every year. But the continued success of our association comes from relying not only on our leaders but also on our members—who contribute by serving on a committee, writing a Voice article, testifying about legislation, helping a listserve colleague, giving a referral, or assisting with all the tools at their disposal at seminars.

In my years as witness to the growth of our organization, I myself have been given so many opportunities, been exposed to truths I would never have otherwise experienced—such as understanding what actual innocence means and what it means to represent somebody who needs a fair defense. These are things I never would’ve been exposed to short of working in a criminal defense field. Most of all, I’ve been given a chance to be part of the friendship bond. I have made some truly amazing friends in this organization.

When I looked at the video put together of all of our pictures collected over the last 50 years, I was struck by the heartfelt camaraderie: simply overwhelming. I am so proud to be part of an organization with people who not only care about one another but who will also fight alongside each other. The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association is a singular organization, one we all should be proud to belong to. I look forward to celebrating another decade—no! 50 years!—and making it to the centennial celebration. Cheers to all of our members and criminal defense attorneys who are part of the organization’s past, present, and future.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.
  It’s the life in your years.”

—Abraham Lincoln

It seems like only a pandemic ago we were here at this exact moment. We come to an end of Grant Scheiner’s presidency of TCDLA and pass the gavel on to Michael Gross. With this, we also thank our board members who have completed their terms and welcome the new members. We also lose Sarah Roland, our Voice editor of the past five years—but gain her as a board member. The Voice editor is a voluntary position requiring 15 to 25 hours a week, editing, gathering stories, communicating with staff and editors. It was such a pleasure to work with Sarah; she will be sorely missed. Jeep Darnell from El Paso, a member of the editorial committee with years of experience, will be taking over the position.

In the past year, our Executive Committee has met virtually at least once a month—for at least 2 hours at a time, if not more—to stay ahead of issues impacting criminal defense lawyers. For all our committees, this year has been quite busy, somewhat unexpectedly given social-distancing guidelines. More than 32 committees met monthly and developed aggressive to-do lists, which members have worked hard to fulfill. The COVID Task Force, for one, proved relentless in defending our members’ right to be safe while representing their clients. The Ethics Committee fielded numerous calls every week. Overall, this year could only be described a success, with everyone working so close together and achieving many great things! Without all of our volunteers, this would not have been possible!

Now we turn to the anxiously awaited Rusty. Whether in person or live-streamed, it is TCDLA’s signature event—the most prominent seminar specifically designed for criminal defense attorneys. And this year, we will be celebrating TCDLA’s 50th anniversary! For Rusty, as we will be doing moving forward, we will continue monitoring CDC Guidelines to ensure the safety of all concerned. Planning must remain fluid, so we hope everyone remains patient and we learn together.

We have tentatively scheduled the next year of TCDLA and CDLP programs. We will continue to operate under a rather conservative budget, dealing with the unforeseen as we begin opening back up. To that end, we have worked hand in hand with David Guinn, our treasurer, and huddled with CDLP Chair Adam Kobs. You can view the resulting list of upcoming events on our website. We will also start offering all TCDLA seminars in their entirety on demand. If you attend a TCDLA seminar, you will be able to view presentations afterwards in the event you missed something. We will also be reorganizing the video section on the website.

Following Rusty, stay tuned for our Trainer for Trainers, Battling the Resistance, and TCDLA/CDLP/TCDLEI Orientation in South Padre Island July 7–10. There we will celebrate the change in leadership with the Grosses in an event that welcomes all families. Perhaps in Padre, incoming President Michael Gross might provide a hint of the lineup for his upcoming President’s Trip to New Orleans February 9–13, 2022. Already on tap (in addition to excellent company, food, and libations) is the seminar “White Collar—Federal and State.” So some Jazz and CLE to look forward to next spring! On to the new year; here we come!

“As the world becomes a more digital place, we cannot forget about the human connection.”

-Adam Neumann

It has been more than a year that we have been separated. The staff has worked remotely in shifts, venturing into the office as needed. But now we are all back in the office, working hard to ensure we have everything in place for our upcoming seminars, as well as providing the best possible service for our members and support for our legislative team.

Work at the legislature started slowly, as lobbyists didn’t even know if they would be able to meet in person with representatives. The legislative team, under the leadership of Bill Harris, has nevertheless visited the Capitol repeatedly, with many of our members testifying into the early hours of the morning.

Otherwise, life begins to return to normal. We recently held our first in-person program of 2021 in McKinney, and we will travel to Galveston next week for the Resistance theme seminar. On May 7 in Dallas, things really begin to pick up with the popular 14th-annual DWI Defense. And you know we’re busy gearing up for Rusty Duncan. Please note that we’re providing virtual options for both the DWI Defense and Rusty Duncan.

In-person Rusty will reflect the times we live in now. We will be following current CDC guidelines (though they may change at any time). We will require attendees to wear a mask, seated one person per six-foot table. Several additional rooms will allow you to view the event remotely, separated from the main ballroom.

We have also limited social and other events typically held at Rusty due to existing health concerns. But we will host an Awards Banquet Dinner to honor all our 2020 and 2021 award recipients. Congratulations to these honorees:

TCDLA Hall of Fame

Bill Wischkaemper (2020)
Jim Darnell (2020)
Mark Stevens (2021)
Mark G. Daniel (2021)

TCDLA Percy Foreman Lawyers of the Year

Michael Ware (2020)
Robert Callahan (2020)
Clay Steadman (2021)
Allen D. Place Jr. (2021)

TCDLA Charlie Butts Pro Bono Award

Allison Clayton (2021)

TCDLA Rodney Ellis Award

Jay Freeman (2020)
Jessica Priest (2021)

Friday evening, the Annual Membership Party sports a TCDLA 5-0 theme: Wear your fanciest beach duds. Be advised that a party precludes maintaining six feet of separation or any basic monitoring of CDC protocol that evening. That said, only about half our regular number can be accommodated under those guidelines. If you can’t attend in person, choose the virtual option. Either way, you will have the opportunity to go back and view a recording of the entire seminar.

You won’t want to miss the speakers scheduled for Saturday. And after the last presentation, of course, TCDLA will hold our annual members meeting, which you can attend in person or watch live on Facebook. There we’ll swear in our new president, Michael Gross, officers, and new and renewing board members. We hope you will stay connected, one way or another, with TCDLA and all our members!

“Permanence, perseverance, and persistence despite all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: It is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.”

—Thomas Carlyle

This month we come to a close celebrating Buck Files’ 250th Federal Corner article. This is nothing to be taken lightly. It takes a dedicated, meticulous, and hardworking person to ensure they turn in their edited article each month. The work Buck has put into each issue since 1986 is unequaled by anyone, anytime in the Voice.

Buck would review from six to 20 cases each month to find a specific case that was not only current but also germane, then explain it in words that our readers could digest. For 35 years, Buck has voluntarily provided diligent federal updates and shared the information to help trial lawyers.

This is a challenge—and yeoman’s work when you think about how many cases come out each month—finding the perfect one to explain in six or eight pages, covering relevant facts and providing supporting evidence.

We all know what Buck’s bio says. Did you know he was a former U.S. Marine, photographer, vegan, and a big believer in family comes first? He has been married to wife Robin for more than 50 years and has two children—one a lawyer, another an accountant—and three grandkids he never stops talking about!

When you talk to anyone who knows Buck, they’ll mention how passionate he is about his family, the law, and his clients, but also, most notably and significantly, they’ll call him loyal. Buck had been with his law partner, who passed, for more than 40 years. Carrie Hall, his paralegal, has been with him for more than 25 years, as has Tammy. Kimberly has worked for Buck for 24 years and Karen for 22 years.

His stories over the years have not only warmed my heart; they’ve also made me so proud to work for TCDLA. Quite often I share them with the staff here and even my family. Recently, we lost a great warrior, Scrappy Holmes, someone Buck grew up with in Kilgore. The relationship they had is like no other, though anyone who can call Buck a friend knows how special he is. He will go out of his way to help anyone. He is one of the most compassionate and devoted individuals, both to his friends and clients.

Buck is very modest, as most of our leaders tend to be, but he has been instrumental for the last 15 years in strengthening the relationship between SBOT and TCDLA. He has offered advice and suggestions for improvement throughout the years to grow TCDLA as well.

Buck helps behind the scenes and asks for no credit or recognition. He is truly one of our heroes—red, white, and blue. I will miss our weekly discussions. Keep reading the Voice, and we will still have the Federal Corner with a team of authors. If we are lucky, we might even get a guest column from Buck in the future. Thank you, Buck, for all you have done, and all I know you will continue to do for criminal defense lawyers!

The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.

-Chris Pine

When I first started to write this article, I was going to write about how we have become so reliant on technology since COVID. Everyone has had to learn new programs, change the way we have always done things. Technology is tricky. By the time you buy the most recent device, program, or update, another is available.

How the tables turned this past week during our Texas arctic blast – another historical event to add to the pandemic and share with younger generations. It was tough to realize we had no power, water, and heat for days—the simple things I had taken for granted. The days just all ran into each other. Checking in with family, staff, and friends, I felt so helpless because there was no definite answer to when things would get back to running efficiently – normal? What is that? When the state offices and schools completely shut down, and over four million have no power, you know it is something very wrong. No light at the end of the tunnel, literally.

As with all tragedies, the takeaway is how I could have better prepared for things in my control. I sat here for a while to think about what I could do differently. I was well equipped with food and toilet paper since the start of COVID, candles, and flashlights if the power went out, lots of blankets. I had backups to charge the cell phone and laptop. Staff who had power were on standby to get us through the four live programs scheduled. One staff’s husband went in their 4 x 4 to make sure we didn’t have another busted pipe at the office. Check, check, and check.

I had people come over who needed food since theirs went bad without refrigeration. When I finally got power, others came to shower, and I left my house open. I checked in with co-workers, family, and friends, and they did with me. After several days without heat and water, I felt like a savage, surviving on libations and Girl Scout cookies. There were no patterns to the blackouts. But I am so blessed for my group of friends and family who reached out. TCDLA is the community we’ve built and the one we need.

Together I could see our TCDLA family reaching out to one another in group texts, direct texts, social media, and listserves. The relationships built through TCDLA are irreplaceable and it humbles my heart to be part of this community.

Now back to my original topic: The TCDLA staff along with the Technology Committee have worked really hard to update the How To section. You may think these are basic, but we had staff learn some new tricks to be more efficient with our daily work. If you have not gone through the sections, the videos are short and right to the point with hands-on examples. Many committee members are also working on pages under the members-only section and are reorganizing the video resource library. The COVID resource page has been updated and reorganized as well with new resources. We are working hard to keep up with technology – if only we had control of the power! Keep checking the members-only section for new additions!

Keep safe and warm!

“Under our Constitution, the condition of being a boy does not justify a kangaroo court.” – In re: Gault, 387 U.S. 1, 28 (1967).

Juvenile Training Immersion Program (JTIP), TCDLA and the Texas Indigent Defense Commission have teamed up to bring the “gold standard” of juvenile defense training to Texas. Special kudos to Geoff Burkhardt, TIDC Executive director for this idea. The Juvenile Training Immersion Program (JTIP) isn’t your usual CLE. Instead, it’s a hands-on, immersive, 42-lesson training program that emphasizes the specialized role of juvenile defense counsel and the unique knowledge needed to provide meaningful representation to our youngest defendants. JTIP trainings aren’t a lecture—instead, JTIP trainings use small groups with intensive on-your-feet exercises in a mix of hands-on case scenarios, skill-building drills, facilitated discussions, and more. These innovative elements strengthen your trial skills and deepen your knowledge of juvenile defense.

JTIP is a creation of the National Juvenile Defender Center (NJDC). NJDC in a non-profit organization created in the 1990s to improve the quality of juvenile defense. NJDC provides training across the country on juvenile defense and works to raise the profile of the specialization through training, technical assistance, publications, and amicus briefs. You can learn more about NJDC, download their policy briefs and other resources at http://njdc.info.

TIDC and TCDLA recognized the need for training in this important area, and in 2019 applied for funding through the State of Texas’ Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant. This fund, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice and administered by the State of Texas, is usually awarded to law enforcement agencies. The Texas JTIP Project is the first time that these funds will be used to provide training to defense counsel.

We have selected the 18 attorneys below to be part of an elite corps of Certified JTIP trainers across the nation. They are scheduled for a training February 16-18, 2021, in Austin. They will then create the training and materials specific to Texas Laws. TIDC and TCDLA will bring six free regional juvenile trainings in the spring and fall of 2021. The seminars will cover the critical importance of specialized defense counsel in juvenile courts.

Welcome to our Texas Trainers!

Donna Broom, Tyler
Kristin Brown, Dallas
Sara Casner, Austin
Ruben Castaneda, Austin
Scott Constantine, Austin
William Cox, El Paso
Dolores Esparza, Dallas
Rebecca Garcia, Dallas
Todd Greenwood, Wichita Falls
Steven Halpert, Houston
Steve Keathley, Corsicana
Michelle Latray, Groesbeck
Melanie Lister, Austin
Michael Parson, Edinburg
Laura Peterson, Dallas
Scott Ruplinger, Austin
Stephanie Stevens, San Antonio
Nydia Thomas, Austin

Co-authored with Kathleen Casey-Gamez

Our souls need time to think, dream, and reflect.

– Jo Ann Davis

As we continue, many are probably still wondering how to move forward with the continuous changes. Since March, TCDLA has put on numerous virtual trainings, creating the COVID-19 Resource Page, hosting roundtables, and creating resources to assist our members. The COVID Task Force, the Strike Force, the Ethics Committee, and the Voice editors stay busy trying to provide our members the best service and communication. Our newly formed Diversity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee has been meeting and discussing how to assist our members and clients. With the committees’, board’s and officers’ collaborative work, our goal is to address and confront the challenges we are facing. These efforts will remain a high priority through 2020 and beyond.

Upcoming, we have the Defending Those Accused of Sexual Offenses being offered in-person, livestream, or at your own pace. We hope to have you join us for the event on December 3-4, 2020. The Nominations Committee will also meet virtually to select our next slate of officers. We had an overwhelming number of applications sent in, which is exciting. All of our committees have been very active this year and will have lots of new tools and resources for our members. Did you know we have over 30 committees?

As the holidays approach, not only are many of us dealing with our job responsibilities, we have taken on a second job as a teacher. How many have gotten a new pet during this time? I have been teaching my kids what disappointment is and how to deal with it. As hard as it is for myself to be secluded, I can only imagine what they are feeling. I am over baking everything from scratch, bingewatching Netflix, rearranging the house, and now have moved onto making homemade Christmas cards… We will see how that goes.

I thought 2020 was going to be my year; I dare not say that with 2021. This year I went through the good and bad like many and learned not to get stressed with things beyond my control. I have become more compassionate with those I do not see eye to eye. Many people delete these people from their social media. I don’t want to do that. During this time of closeness with my children, I have learned a great deal from my mistakes. Missing my family and friends due to social distancing has been the biggest challenge for this social butterfly. This will be the first year for the holidays that I will make things a little easier and not go above and beyond and make everyone crazy with me (so I say now).

I hope everyone will reach out to someone during the holidays and be inclusive, kind, and caring. We have no idea what anyone is going through even though they may have a smile on their face and seem to have it all. People can be surrounded and yet be so lonely and then there are those who are alone. I hope that in 2021, we will have a safe vaccine and see one another once again. I truly do miss my TCDLA family! I truly believe everything happens for a reason, and maybe COVID is giving everyone some time to slow down, reconnect, and self-reflect. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday, whether you are doing a lot or a little and a fabulous New Years! Cheers to you for surviving 2020!

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.”

—Earl Nightingale

As we continue through the COVID-19 era, things continue to change. Some days TCDLA moves the defense bar one step forward, then other days, we take two steps backward. There are so many decision-makers determining what is the “safe” route or who should be in-person in courtrooms. There are debates surrounding finances, backlogs, and what is in the best interest of the client.

TCDLA has all hands-on deck working endless hours, talking with and assisting our members, and providing motions, checklists, and other tools. Our ultimate goal is for TCDLA to be a resource to protect our members and ensure their clients’ rights are not abridged during the reopening process.

For the lawyers who are on the frontlines, our leadership, committees, staff, and TCDLA as a whole are doing everything possible.  If you are on the frontlines, you are not alone; you have TCDLA’s group power backing you – whatever the right thing is for each case and attorney. TCDLA supports you .

As we get ready for the 87th Texas Legislative Session, our TCDLA Lobbyists and Legislative Committee will continue to lobby progressive reform for criminal justice. They will keep our members informed of bills filed or any other pertinent information. This will be an unprecedented legislature due to limited access and the ever-changing rules. It is also unknown, other than the budget, what the priorities will be and what will be discussed.

TCDLA would like to thank Michael Mowla for his past years of service for the Significant Decisions Report. He will be missed, and I look forward to seeing him in person again, along with everyone else.

We are missing our face-to-face interactions at seminars and meetings. Till our roads cross again, may your destination be a peaceful one.