Membership in the Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court
Positions of Barrister and Associate of the Inn
The Patrick E. Higginbotham American Inn of Court, the oldest Inn of Court in North Texas, is accepting applications for new Barrister and Associate members. The Inn promotes professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence among legal professionals who focus on litigation. Applications must be submitted by June 24, 2024 to be considered for election as a member for the new Inn year, which begins in September 2024.
The Inn has four categories of members, based on their legal experience – Masters of the Bench, Barristers, Associates, and Pupils. In general, applicants for election as a Barrister should be lawyers or judges with 7 to 20 years of experience. Applicants for election as an Associate should have less than 7 years of experience. Barristers participate in the Inn for three years and Associates have a one-year term. The Inn also includes several Pupils, who are active students in one of Dallas/Fort Worth’s area law schools and who are selected by the Inn President.
The Inn’s members include federal and state judges, lawyers from firms of all sizes, in-house counsel, federal and state prosecutors, public defenders, law professors, and legal-aid lawyers from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The common denominator is that each is an outstanding member of the legal community interested in litigation and who is committed to the principles of ethics and professionalism in the legal community.
The Inn meets monthly from September through May with smaller groups of members meeting informally throughout the Inn year for mentoring/social connections. Members are expected to attend at least 70% of Inn meetings.
Inn dues cover the costs of venue rental and meals at meetings, national dues owed by the Inn, and other miscellaneous administrative expenses. Dues for the 2023-2024 Inn year were $575 for Barristers and $425 for Associates. Dues for the 2024-2025 Inn year will be announced no later than September 2024 and must be paid in full no later than October 2024.
Please download an application, complete it and email it to: jcopeland@cailaw.org by June 24, 2024.