from the editor By Andrew Pearce BoyarMiller
Associate Editors
Anna M. Archer U.S. District Court
Sydney Huber Bateman Horne Rota Moos
Nikki Morris BakerHostetler
Lane Morrison Bush Seyferth
The Houston Lawyer
Braden Riley Marrow & Sheppard
Kyle C. Steingreaber Adams and Reese
8 July/August 2024
A Glance at The Houston Lawyer’s Year Ahead
W
hen I was entering my second year of college, and only after much careful and considered deliberation, I made the decision to major in History. I was incredibly fortunate—my parents were paying for my education—but I was also a bit nervous about my parents’ reaction to my proposed liberal arts degree. The good news? My dad congratulated me on my thoughtful and reasoned analysis. The bad news? He hoped I could find a way to pay for it. I promptly pivoted and ultimately decided to pursue a degree in journalism. We reasoned (correctly, I think) that a strong foundation in writing would serve me well in any career. About ten years later, after working as an account manager for a chemical distribution company, I met Alicia. We started dating and quickly began discussing our future. I told her I had always wanted to attend law school and pursue a legal career—a dream that had seemingly started to fade as I approached my thirties. Alicia was already accomplished in her field of education. She offered to support me in my endeavor, but she did not want to wait to start a family. So, it was in the fall of 2004 that I began my first year of law school at South Texas College of Law Houston as Alicia and I welcomed our daughter, Ashley (followed by our son, Owen, a few years later). I suppose you can’t get lost if you don’t know where you are going, but I never imagined those choices, and all of the ones in between and since, would have led me here—celebrating more than 20 years of marriage to Alicia, serving as the Litigation Group Chair at BoyarMiller (the firm I joined as a summer associate in 2005), and, now, becoming editor in chief of The Houston Lawyer for the 2024-2025 bar year. I am profoundly grateful for where I find myself today. My hope as editor is to introduce you to subjects and stories that will be as interesting to you as they are to me and our board—and what a truly outstanding board we have. I am lucky to be joined by Nikki Morris (Articles Editor), Lane Morrison (Legal Trends), Sydney Huber thehoustonlawyer.com
Bateman (Committee/Section Spotlight), Braden Riley (Off the Record), Kyle Steingreaber (Media Reviews), and Anna Archer (Podcast). In this issue, we cover several subjects that I believe are equal parts informative, important, and interesting. Rachel Powitzky Steely writes about growing female leadership in the courtroom and what can happen when we harness the collective strengths of diverse perspectives. Aman K. Gebru discusses the issue of cultural appropriation, including what it is, when and how it can be harmful, and what remedies might exist when cultural appreciation crosses into cultural appropriation. Jaclyn I. Barbosa asks whether lawyers are trained to become effective leaders and highlights the efforts of Andrew Gratz to make sure the answer to that question is “yes.” Also, HBA Past President Jennifer A. Hasley informs us of the new additions and amendments to the attorney disciplinary rules following years of rulemaking attempts and process changes to allow Texas lawyers to utilize their privilege of self-regulation, as granted by the Texas Legislature and the Supreme Court of Texas. This year, I am also excited to introduce our readers to each of Harris County’s six specialty courts—what they are and how they function—a terrific idea brought to us by Houston Bar Association President David Harrell. In this issue, Anna Archer introduces us to the NGRI (Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity) Court and, over the course of the year, we will highlight the STAR Adult Drug Court, the Veterans Court, the Felony Mental Health Court, Competency Restoration, and the Responsive Interventions for Change Docket. I also want to express my appreciation and admiration for those editors I was privileged to work with and learn from during my previous years on the board: Anietie Akpan, Anna Archer, Brooksie Bonvillain Boutet, and, most recently, Liz Malpass. Finally, I want to acknowledge and thank Maggie Martin, our managing editor. She somehow keeps everything, and everyone, organized and on task and this magazine truly would not exist without her.