There is an old expression: May you be cursed to live in interesting times. In my 63 years, I never have seen anything like the COVID-19 crisis. Over the last two weeks we have seen not just daily but hourly changes in how we live. When we decided to close the Belo on March 12, […]
Trial attorney Robert Tobey, co-founder of Johnston Tobey Baruch, was sworn in as the 111th president of the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) on Jan. 11. Founded in 1873, the Dallas Bar Association serves as the voluntary professional body for more than 11,000 Dallas-area lawyers. Mr. Tobey plans to focus on issues such as equal access to justice […]
This year, the DBA is celebrating the right to vote with three programs and what we call the “Vote Project.” On February 27 Eric Foner—a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and professor from Columbia University—will appear at the Belo Mansion to discuss the reconstruction amendments, including the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment guaranteeing […]
After the Texas Supreme Court’s decision in Peeler v. Hughes & Luce, Texas criminal defense lawyers generally felt that they had immunity from malpractice claims. In that case, after being convicted and sentenced, Ms. Peeler sued her criminal defense counsel for malpractice because he had failed to communicate a plea-bargain to her under which she […]
Some of us remember the “good old days.” You could share your fees – i.e. pay or receive a referral fee – on almost any terms you wanted so long as both of you accurately reported your income to the IRS. There were times when I would receive a blind call on a personal injury […]
February 2020 – Inaugural Speech of Robert Tobey There is no more important time in American history to be a lawyer than right now. But there also is no more challenging time to practice law. The DBA is a critical source of support for Dallas lawyers—and my goal is to ensure that continues to be […]
Johnston Tobey Baruch co-founder is sworn in as DBA’s 111th president. DALLAS — Trial attorney Robert Tobey, co-founder of Johnston Tobey Baruch, was sworn in as the 111th president of the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) on Jan. 11. Founded in 1873, the Dallas Bar Association serves as the voluntary professional body for more than 11,000 […]
Almost anyone who has seen even a few episodes of Law & Order understands at least the basic principle of the rule against hearsay. And, most Texas lawyers know how to use the business records exception to that rule. Under that exception, certain business records are admissible as an exception to the general rule barring […]
January 2020 – An ‘Outsider’ No More Welcome to 2020! I am honored to serve as the 111th President of the best Bar Association in the country. In this, my first column, I’d like to share with you how I got here and also demonstrate how the Dallas Bar can do great things for you […]
One of the hardest and most expensive things we do as lawyers is deal with difficult clients. We all have dream clients who make our jobs easy and enjoyable. These clients listen to us, heed our counsel, interact pleasantly with us, and pay their bills in full and on time. But for every yin, there […]
