“The sun’ll come out tomorrow.
Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun.”
—Annie
We just closed the page on another calendar year. It’s a good time for reflecting on 2014 and gazing into 2015. Hoping not to sound like those “Holiday Letters” that we get, first, let’s take a look back at this past year.
Most of the statistics that follow are drawn from our fiscal year rather than a calendar year, because that is just how our home office keeps the records. These numbers cover FY 9/1/13–8/31/14. What they show is that our membership increased from 3,202 to 3,302. During that period we put on 53 CLE seminars and 38 online CLE events. During that period we trained 6093 lawyers across the State of Texas. Thank you, Kelly Pace (Tyler) and Jani Maselli Wood (Houston), our CDLP chair and co-chair, respectively.
Last July we launched a new Lone Star DWI seminar in Austin, which drew an attendance of over 250. Thank you, Deandra Grant (Dallas) and Mark Thiessen (Houston), our course directors.
Our long-standing DWI seminars, Top Gun in Houston and Stu Kinard in San Antonio, continued to thrive. Thank you, Grant Scheiner (Houston), Danny Easterling (Houston), Mark Stevens, Michael Gross, and Adam Kobs (all from San Antonio), our course directors, respectively.
Our presence at the Mastering Scientific Evidence (MSE) New Orleans seminar in late March, co-sponsored with the National College for DUI Defense, continued and has been extended in duration. Thank you, Bobby Mims, our past president.
Our Round Top IV psychodrama event was another success, thanks to Tony Vitz (McKinney), our course director.
Once again, under the able direction of Lydia Clay-Jackson (Conroe) and Tim Evans (Ft. Worth), we presented the inestimable Texas Criminal Trial College in Huntsville.
TCDLA’s membership has increased in number and diversity.
Looking ahead, we have added to the strength of our presence and voice in the upcoming legislative session. We are well equipped to resist erosion of the Michael Morton Act. Thank you, Allen Place (Gatesville) and Patricia Cummings (Austin).
Shortly after the conclusion of our 2014 Rusty Duncan Seminar, work began on 2015’s Rusty Duncan with the theme of “United We Stand.” It should be the best ever. Thank you Lance Evans (Fort Worth), Laurie Key (Lubbock), Dan Hurley (Lubbock), and Sarah Roland (Denton), our course directors for this year’s Rusty Duncan.
We just finished a fantastic 34th Annual Prairie Dog seminar in co-sponsorship with the Lubbock Criminal Defense Lawyers Association (LCDLA) in Lubbock, with attendance in the three CLE over 300. Thank you, Brian Murray, president of LCDLA.
In short, TCDLA continues to be a strong and dynamic organization. Now, not all of this occurred without some distractions. There were a few, but throughout it all, we remained united and dedicated to our purpose of training lawyers, and helping the citizens accused—i.e., those who can’t help themselves.
That is why, with the confident spirit of a little orphan named Annie, you can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow for TCDLA there’ll be sun.
