Federal Bar Association - Southern District of Texas Chapter

Federal Bar Association - Southern District of Texas Chapter The S.D. Tex. Chapter is dedicated to serving the needs of both the bar and bench in the District. Baker, III, and Professor Alan Dershowitz.

The Southern District of Texas Chapter of the Federal Bar Association is dedicated to serving the needs of both the bar and bench in the Southern District of Texas. Established in 1959, the Southern District of Texas Chapter is the largest Federal Bar Chapter in geographic size, spanning the entire Southern District of Texas and encompassing all seven of its divisions. Our Chapter has become the second largest chapter of the FBA in Texas, with a membership of more than 260. Our Chapter members come from private practice, government agencies, military branches, local law schools, and the judiciary. The Chapter is committed to improving federal practice throughout the Southern District of Texas. Our Chapter holds regular CLE luncheons with speakers ranging from federal judges, U.S. Attorneys, heads of federal agencies, and lawyers involved in prominent federal cases. In addition to our monthly CLE luncheons in Houston, the Chapter sponsors various CLE events in other cities throughout the District. The Chapter also awards Blask Fellowships each year to law students interning with federal courts or agencies located within the Southern District. The Blask Fellowships honor the memory of Magistrate Judge Ronnie Blask, a former Chapter President. Recent Fellowship recipients have interned for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, United States District, Magistrate and Bankruptcy Judges, as well as federal agencies such as the U.S. Attorney’s Office, NASA, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Each year the Chapter also supports the Michael Taylor Shelby Award for professionalism in federal service. This award recognizes an attorney in federal service working within the Southern District who has exhibited outstanding dedication, ethics, and professionalism. The Chapter also hosts a gala dinner honoring all of the federal judges of the Southern District. Recent Annual Dinner speakers include United States Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, Judge Diane Wood of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, Secretary James A. We invite you to join us at any of our many events. If you have not already done so, we also invite you to join the Federal Bar Association and the Southern District of Texas Chapter. A Young Lawyers Division has been formed for those who are age 36 or younger or have practiced less than three years. Please contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in participating.

What a great CLE about the SCOTUS term today! These three “rising stars” really knew their cases, and they taught those ...
08/20/2026

What a great CLE about the SCOTUS term today! These three “rising stars” really knew their cases, and they taught those in attendance what they needed to know about the potential impact of the Court’s most recent decisions. Thank you Drew Padley, who also happens to be a member of our Board, Shayna Goldblatt Proler, and Evelyn Hudson.

Today, Hon. Dena Palermo, who is one of the Chapter’s judicial liaisons, swore in 1091 new American citizens at a Natura...
08/20/2026

Today, Hon. Dena Palermo, who is one of the Chapter’s judicial liaisons, swore in 1091 new American citizens at a Naturalization Ceremony. Alamdar Hamdani was the guest speaker, and The Houston Tidelanders performed America the Beautiful and the National Anthem. It was a wonderful day for our newest citizens, and the SDTX Chapter sends its congratulations!

The Chapter President and President-Elect have appointed Stephen Ferrer as the Chapter’s student representative at TSU T...
08/19/2026

The Chapter President and President-Elect have appointed Stephen Ferrer as the Chapter’s student representative at TSU Thurgood Marshall School of Law for the 2026-2027 school year. Stephen is a member of the Chapter and a 2026 Blask Fellow. As a student representative, Stephen will serve on the Chapter’s Education Committee, and he will help coordinate FBA activities at his law school.

Thanks for accepting the appointment, Stephen, and welcome to the team!

Reminder! Michael T. Shelby Award Nominations are open—nominate a decided federal public servant today!
08/17/2026

Reminder! Michael T. Shelby Award Nominations are open—nominate a decided federal public servant today!

We are so proud of the 2026 Blask Fellows! Sarah Williams interned for a judge in the Southern District of Texas this su...
08/09/2026

We are so proud of the 2026 Blask Fellows!

Sarah Williams interned for a judge in the Southern District of Texas this summer, and she shared the following reflection about the experience:

“I thoroughly enjoyed my summer experience as a judicial intern at the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. From drafting memos and proposed orders to watching documents evolve through chambers and reach the public docket, I gained a firsthand understanding of the dedication required behind the bench. I also had the privilege of observing everything from routine hearings and a jury trial to a naturalization ceremony, seeing the diverse roles the federal courts play. SDTX, thank you for an unforgettable experience!”

This summer, Hon. John Kazen, a U.S. district court judge based in Laredo, led a presentation to a group of thirty high...
08/02/2026

This summer, Hon. John Kazen, a U.S. district court judge based in Laredo, led a presentation to a group of thirty high school students about the importance of the first amendment, the role of a free press in a constitutional democracy, and why it is important for students to understand their first amendment rights.  The presentation was part of the Kazen Fellowship Program, a program named after former U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen.

Judge Kazen’s presentation was co-sponsored by the FBA, SDTX Chapter, and you will be able to read more about it in the fall issue of the Chapter’s newsletter.

Join us for a Supreme Court Update on August 19 featuring Shayna Goldblatt Proler, Mahogane Reed, and Drew Padley. These...
08/02/2026

Join us for a Supreme Court Update on August 19 featuring Shayna Goldblatt Proler, Mahogane Reed, and Drew Padley. These panelists have been studying the opinions and will provide important legal highlights.

This CLE is offered in a hybrid format so that attorney and law students who are not in the Houston area can stuff benefit from the program. For those in Houston, lunch at Baker Botts is catered by Treebeards!

Register here on our EventBrite page—you can find the link on our website, fbasdtx.org.

What a great reminder that we need to look out for each other in this profession, no matter how busy we are. Thanks to W...
07/23/2026

What a great reminder that we need to look out for each other in this profession, no matter how busy we are. Thanks to Wayne Basist, J.D., Samantha Torres, and Rand Mintzer for sharing your own experiences and giving us this important reminder! And thanks to Judge Ignacio Torteya for coming in from Brownsville to moderate this important panel.

Thanks also to our Programming Committee co-chairs, Trevor Deason and Aleza Remis, for their work putting this panel together.

Next up will be a Supreme Court update. Save the date — August 19! We will be posting a flyer and registration link soon.

We appreciate being in a legal market where firms and organizations are so supportive of our work. One hundred percent o...
07/21/2026

We appreciate being in a legal market where firms and organizations are so supportive of our work. One hundred percent of the proceeds of our Annual Dinner Honoring the Judiciary and Public Servants goes to the Blask Foundation, which provides grants to law students who have expressed an interest in public service and have an internship in a federal court or agency in our district. Many of these future public servants will play an essential role in helping lawyers resolve the disputes their clients bring them, such as future law clerks will who thoroughly review motions and provide advice and assistance to a federal judge, future attorneys at a federal agency who may evaluate cases, or future administrative law judges who will actually decide outcomes.

May thanks to the firms and organizations that have already committed to being Underwriters, Premier Sponsors, and Sponsors for our Annual Dinner Honoring the Federal Judiciary and Public Servants on November 2!

Underwriters:
Hicks Thomas LLP
Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
JAMS
StoneTurn
White & Case LLP
Baker Botts
Chamberlain Hrdlicka
Gibson Dunn
W&T Offshore Inc. (NYSE: WTI)

Premier Sponsor:
AZA: Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing

Sponsors:
Beck Redden LLP
Hicks Davis Wynn, P.C.
Jackson Walker LLP
Vinson & Elkins
L. Raynor Carr & Associates
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP
Haynes and Boone, LLP

We look forward to celebrating our federal judiciary and public servants on November 2 with lawyers from these firms! If your firm would like to join us, please email our Executive Director, Leigh Ann Bunker, at [email protected], or contact President-Elect Nelson Ebaugh.

Call for nominations! We award the Michael Taylor Shelby Award at our Annual Dinner each year to an attorney in federal ...
07/18/2026

Call for nominations!

We award the Michael Taylor Shelby Award at our Annual Dinner each year to an attorney in federal service, other than a judge in the Southern District of Texas, who has exhibited processionalism, ethics, and outstanding dedication in the practice of law on behalf of the federal government.

The Annual Dinner will be on Monday, November 2 this year. Nominatjons are due by September 18.

Please share with anyone you know who works for or has contacts at a federal agency in the district.

📧 Email nomination letters to Leigh Ann Bunker at [email protected].

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