VOL. 1                                               ISSUE NO. 2                                             OCTOBER 1998
 

1998-99 Officers  Douglas Greene  President  Cicely Nedd-Thomas  President-Elect    Sean Colston  1st Vice-President    Faye Watson  2nd Vice-President    Phelesa Guy  Secretary    Lateph Adeniji  Treasurer    Bobbie Edmonds  Parliamentarian    Board of Directors    Marla Lee  Jackie Robinson  Sonyia Byrd  Hon. Wayne Salvant Gwinda Burns  Karmen D. Johnson    Past Presidents    Marla Lee 1997-98  Brian Newby 1996-97  Bobbie Edmonds 1995-96  Stan Hatcher 1994-95  Terry Boone 1993-94  Cheryl Williams 1992-93  Winfred Colbert 1990-92  Nelda Harris 1989-90  Glenn Lewis 1988-89

President's chat  * As we begin working this year on some of our new projects and our ongoing projects, I wanted everyone to be aware that this year's officers have placed an emphasis on attempting to extend the technical capabilities of our bar association, through our web site, through the use of electronic mailings versus using the post office, and through the use of the fax machine. We hope that everyone will assist us in assisting you by providing us with your fax numbers, your e-mail addresses and by accessing our web site for the latest updates on bar association activities. If you have not already provided us with the above requested information, please contact Marla Lee, the chairperson of our membership committee and provide her with your information. She can be reached by calling her @ 817-348-7525 or e-mail her at LeeM@Commcredit.com    * We have been asked to guest host a television show on TCI Cablevision channel 13, entitled "Another Perspective". Our first taping is scheduled for October 7, 1998. In keeping with our theme for the year, the topic of this first show will be Lawyering in the year 2000 and beyond: An analysis of the issues facing the legal community and in particular, minorities, in the new millennium. Our panel participants are scheduled to be Cicely Nedd-Thomas, President-elect of TCBBA; The Honorable Judge Wayne Salvant, Judge Tarrant County Criminal District Court #2; & Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, Esq. I am the host. The date and times of the other upcoming show taping's will be announced later.

*Plans are still underway for the reception for Judge Sam Lindsay, the first ever African-American Federal Judge to be appointed in the Northern District of Texas. The reception tentatively is scheduled to be held on November 5, 1998 at the City club, from 5:00pm - 7:00pm. This is a joint project sponsored by TCBBA and TCBA. Please contact Louis Sturns @817-561-9996 for further updates. Donations are needed to help underwrite this historic event. If we are going to do it, let's do it right. Please make every effort to attend this historic event for Tarrant County.        * Plans are also underway to institute an ongoing community program entitled "The People's Law School". This is an informative program presented by lawyers from TCBBA to give the public (non-lawyers) nuts and bolts basic rights in the area of the law that non-lawyers might encounter. For example, Torts, Landlord-Tenant rights, criminal law, family law etc. This event is tentatively scheduled for the Spring of 1999. Volunteers and panel participants are needed. Please contact Jackie Robinson at 817-877-4800 or by email at jrobinson@GwinnRoby.com for details.      * We have a Web site! In case you did not receive our previous newsletter, our newsletters will be posted on our web page as released (hopefully monthly). Our web page can be accessed over the internet at http://home.swbell.net/qdcg. Check it out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also our directory of members can be accessed from our Web site and we have included several web links to other relevant sites. Call Douglas Greene @ 978-2753 or Qdcg@swbell.net if you have your own web site address to link with ours.

 
 
 

1st ever African-American Federal Judge in the Northern District of Texas sworn in.       Sam Lindsey, the former head of the Dallas City Attorney's office and now the first ever African American Federal Judge in the Northern District of Texas , was sworn in on September 11, 1998 at 3:00pm in front of three packed courtrooms filled with well wishers. Present to speak on his behalf were US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson; US Congresswomen Eddie Bernice Johnson; Mayor Ron Kirk; State Senator Royce West, L.A. Bedford, Esq. and numerous other lawyers, judges and well wishers from the metroplex. It was history in the making and it was a proud moment for all involved. In the 119 years of the existence of the Northern District of Texas there has never been an African American Federal Judge. Now the real work starts your Honor, dispensing true justice. We will be watching.     ANNUAL TCBBA SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET     Guest speaker Judge Morris Overstreet   Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.     On September 11, 1998, TCBBA hosted it's annual Scholarship banquet at the Radisson hotel. As the above picture shows, our quest speaker was Judge Morris Overstreet of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Judge Overstreet challenged members of TCBBA and our scholarship recipients to be prepared and be competent practitioners when handling legal     Also honored was Tarrant County Commissioner Dionne Bagsby for her dedicated service to our community. She was the recipient of our community service award. We presented three students with scholarships to their respective law schools. Our event was co-hosted by Brenda Teele of Channel 11's " Positively Texas" and by Channel 8 meteorologist Greg Fields. A good time appeared to be had by all in attendance. A special thanks to the TWLS BALSA students who helped work the door as hostesses for our event.

MONTHLY TCBBA  LAWYER PROFILE          Mattie Peterson Compton, Esq.         Deputy Chief, Civil Division         U.S. Atty's Office N. D. of Texas         801 Cherry Street; Suite 1700         Fort Worth, TX 76102-6897                   817.252.5252  Mattie.Compton@justice.doj.gov      Mattie is a 1976 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and earned her bachelor's degree from Smith College in Northampton, Mass. She is a Fort Worth native and a charter member of TCBBA. Mattie returned to Fort Worth in 1977 to serve as the first African American attorney in the City Attorney's Office. While there she handled contracts, Title VII employment discrimination cases and appeared before the Public Utility Commission opposing electric utility rate increases.        In 1980, Mattie left the City Attorney's Office to become the first African- American Law clerk to the Hon. David O. Belew, Jr., United States District Judge in Ft. Worth, from 1980 through 1982. During her clerkship, Mattie also served as President of the Fort Worth Black Bar Association (TCBBA's predecessor) from 1980-81.       In 1982 Mattie became the first African American female Assistant United States Attorney in the Fort Worth office. She has handled a wide variety of both affirmative and defensive civil litigation, including fraud, bankruptcy, Bivens, collections and torts, including medical malpractice. She is a regular instructor at the Attorney General's Advocacy Institute and in 1996 in Washington, D.C., Janet Reno presented her with the Director's Award for superior performance as an Assistant United Stated Attorney.       In May, 1994 U.S. Attorney Paul Coggins appointed Mattie as the Deputy Chief of the Civil Division. She supervises the civil defensive staff, the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit (headed by TCBBA member Thelma Quince Colbert) and the Financial Litigation Unit.       Mattie is the mother of one son, 16 year old Joseph, who is a senior at The Oakridge School in Arlington, Texas. She serves on the Board of Directors of West Texas Legal Services, The Sickle Cell Anemia Association and Easter Seal Society. She also is a member of Fort Worth Chapter of Jack and Jill and the Ft. worth chapter of The Links, Inc. You go girl!

Monthly Shout-outs    a. To our past President Brian Newby, who is leaving our area and the Cantey & Hanger law firm (although he may remain "of counsel") to pursue his own firm partnership in Austin,Tx. Brian will be in Ft. Worth regularly however, and we wish him the best of luck on this new business venture.  b. To Andrea Rentie, who has recently left the Tarrant County DA's office to begin a new career with the Department of Health and Human services in Dallas. Stay in touch, you can run but you can't hide (smile). We still remember that you live in Tarrant county and we'll keep you on our mailing list. Good luck and stay in touch!   c. To Ward White, who has left the city attorney's office to be the entertainment lawyer for singer Erica Badu. Remember Ward, we are always in the market for a good concert. Stay in touch.     d. To Valerie Baston, a new lawyer at the City Attorney's office. Welcome! Good to have you here. It is always good to have new blood in town. Come to our next TCBBA meeting to be introduced.    e. To Judge Mamie Bush-Johnson, Sean Colston and Ollie Jefferson on their upcoming elections for Judge and State representative (respectively) Good luck to all! Don't forget to vote on Nov. 3!     f. To Judge Wayne Salvant, Cicely Nedd-Thomas and Renee Higginbotham-Brooks, for their informative and entertaining commentary during the taping of the television show "Another Perspective".

 

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS  * 10/9/98 - Open House to celebrate the opening of the new courtroom and the 106th anniversary of the Second Court of Appeals. 2:00pm TC Justice Center.    * 10/9/98 TCBA reception- Ridglea Country Club    *10/13/98 Ft. Worth Black Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament @ Fossil Creek. Contact the Ft. Worth Black Chamber of Commerce @ 817-531-8510    * 10/14/98 - Joint reception of Tarrant & Dallas County bar associations. Belo Mansion, Dallas.    * 10/17/98- UNCF Walkathon in Dallas & in Ft. W orth Call UNCF @ 972-263-4114 for info.    * 10/22/98 - Portrait hanging - Judge Bruce Auld @ 3:00pm 352th District Courtroom, TC Justice Center  * 10/23/98 - Ft. Worth NAACP Banquet 7:00pm. @ Will Rogers Memorial Center    *10/27/98 9-12 noon. CLE class "What's  Hot in Pi" & 1-4pm = Ethics. Sponsored by TCBA    *10/28/98 - Maynard Ferguson Jazz band- Performance at the Caravan of Dreams.    * 11/5/98 5:00 -7:00pm TCBBA & TCBA joint reception for Judge Sam Lindsay. City Club, 301 Commerce St, Ft. Worth    * 11/6/98 - TAKE 6 - performs at the Caravan of Dreams    EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES    * Texas Municipal Courts Education Center is hiring for the position of General Counsel. Resumes are being accepted after October 6, 1998. For more info. call Hope Lochridge of TMCEC @ 800-252-3718 or (512) 320-8274.      * Federal Public Defender's office is currently seeking two new attorney's for its Ft. worth and Dallas offices. Salary commensurate with experience. A working knowledge of the Spanish language is desirable. For info. Contact Douglas Greene @ 817-978-2753      *REMEMBER for anyone in need of assistance in drafting motions, summarizing depositions, drafting interrogatories and writing briefs, please contact Andrea Martin, Pres. Texas Wesleyan Law School BALSA chapter. Tel# 817-560-2639. Email address = blsatwsl@Mailexcite.com. Remember these students could use the experience and we can use the help.

LAWYER HUMOR  * An engineer, a physicist, and a lawyer were being interviewed for a position as chief executive officer of a large corporation. The engineer was interviewed first, and was asked a long list of questions, ending with "How much is two plus two?" The engineer excused himself, and made a series of measurements and calculations before returning to the board room and announcing, "Four." The physicist was next interviewed, and was asked the same questions. Before answering the last question, he excused himself, made for the library, and did a great deal of research. After a consultation with the United States Bureau of Standards and many calculations, he also announced "Four." The lawyer was interviewed last, and was asked the same questions. At the end of his interview, before answering the last question, he drew all the shades in the room, looked outside the door to see if anyone was there, checked the telephone for listening devices, and asked "How much do you want it to be?"      THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMM!    * Why is it that so far only six TCBBA members have paid their Bar dues for 1998-99?    * Why is there no one from TCBBA using the free help of Texas Wesleyan Balsa Law students?        LOCAL INTERNET PROVIDERS    For those of you interested in getting on the internet, below is a helpful list of some of the local internet access providers along with their telephone numbers to assist you.    * Flashnet communications - 817-332-8883.  Charge is $6.95 per month    * SWBell - 888-792-4638.    * Cyberramp - 800-835-3888. Charge is $9.95 per month  * America on Line (AOL) 800-827-6364.  * Prodigy - 800-213-0992.    * JUNO - this is an email only service, telephone # ?    * Internet America - 1-800-be-a-Geek

TCBBA MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY    If your name and/or address is not included in our members directory, located on our Web page (see above for address) please contact Marla Lee @ 348-7525 or email her at LeeM@commcredit.com. Please include your correct name, address, telephone number, law school, date of graduation and areas of concentration. ASAP!    People on the Move    *Andrea Rentie has switched jobs. She is currently working for DHS in Dallas    * Brian Newby is moving to Austin at the end of this month.    Condolences  *Les Johns lost his father recently, our prayers go out to him and to his family.    * Remember we are always on the look-out for new articles to add to our monthly newsletter. If you have a story or any other news that you would like to share, please contact Cicely Nedd-Thomas, Editor @ 972-252-2679, or Douglas Greene, Publisher @ 817-978-2753 or at qdcg@swbell.net    NEXT MEETING  October 20, 1998 at 6:00pm  Tarrant County Bar Assoc. 1315 Calhoun    AGENDA  1. Call to Order  2. Reading and approval of 9/22/98 minutes  3. Committee reports  a. Treasurer's report (Lateph)  b. Banquet committee (Faye/Manuel)  c. Judicial reception (Louis)  d. Bylaws (Sean)  e. People's law School (Jackie)  f. Xmas play (Bobbie)  g. X-mas Bar happy hour  4. New Business  5. Announcements  6. Adjourn