DCBA wins FOUR Stars of the Bars Awards

The Stars of Texas Bars Awards are presented yearly by the State Bar of Texas to recognize local bar associations for outstanding community involvement, commitment to increasing access to justice, and dedication to the profession. The awards include the Awards of Merit, Star of Achievement, Outstanding Partnership Award, Publication Awards, and the Judge Sam Williams Award, with judging conducted by the Local Bar Services Committee.

This year, the DCBA won FOUR awards for the time period from May 1, 2008 – April 1, 2009. As noted in the letter of congratulations, sent to the DCBA by the State Bar of Texas: “You should feel proud of your accomplishment, because the quality of the submissions from local bar associations was extremely high this year.”

The DCBA was indeed proud to submit 11 entries, one for each category offered, because we believe that we have accomplished a lot this year! From promoting professionalism between neighboring county attorneys with our one-of-a-kind County Tour, to sponsorship of the Criminal Bar’s 1st Annual Seminar Reception, we continue to exemplify the type of collegiality historically unique to our Bar.

The awards we won are as follows:

Outstanding Partnership Program: This award recognizes noteworthy partnership efforts between local bar associations and other non-legal entities. Criteria includes evidence of a strong partnership; the manner in which the project promotes the judicial system and legal profession; the percentage of members involved in the project; the impact the project has on the community; the amount of media coverage; and the originality of the project.

This year, we received this award for our first annual Denton County Adoption Day. Thank you to Tiffany Haertling for chairing this event; to Hugh Coleman for supporting this event during his Presidential year; and to all our members and partners who worked diligently to create such a memorable, and AWARD WINNING, event.

Within the Publications division, we won the following three awards. Newsletter articles are judged on the quality of writing; conciseness of the message; originality of the topic; interest to members; interest to the public; and impact of improving the overall image of lawyers.

Best News Article: This article, written by Lars Robert Isaacson, Attorney at Law, ran in the January 2009 Newsletter, and was entitled “Denton Lawyer Granted Writ of Certiorari.”

Best Human Interest Story: Deborah Boone, Attorney at Law, Marchand & Moraine, L.L.P., wrote an article entitled “Culture Shock,” which ran in the November 2008 Newsletter.

Best Series of Articles – Substantive Law: This three-part series, entitled “10 Steps to Getting the Most out of Your Mediation Session,” was written by Julia A. Kerestine, Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, L.L.P., and ran December 2008 through February 2009.

Congratulations to Lars, Deborah, and Julia. The DCBA will be honored at the Bar Leaders Recognition Luncheon at the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting in Dallas on June 25, 2009, located at the Hilton Anatole. Special thanks to Amie Peace, Awards Chair for DCBA; Louellen Coker and her staff at Content Solutions, without whose help this would not have been possible; Michelle Houston, whose energy and guidance are invaluable; and Giuseppe’s for providing meeting space and accommodations.