Latest News

Check this Page for the latest news on the Calvert Inn of Court.

Calvert Inn Recognized for Excellence...again!

The Calvert Inn of Court was recognized as Achieving Excellence Platinum designation for the 2020-2021 Inn year by the American Inn of Court organization.

Calvert Inn Outdoor Gathering

The Calvert Inn of Court, in Austin, Texas, enjoyed a post-COVID in-person gathering. Using Austin’s amazing outdoor spaces, the Calvert Inn had great success bringing together a many members to celebrate a successful year. Calvert put on seven programs this year, all using remote technologies, providing valuable continuing legal education, including ethics credit, for its members.

Calvert Inn (MAS) at Travis High School

This 2020-21 school year, the Calvert Inn of Court MAS (mentoring a student) at Travis High school has had to adapt to the pandemic by sharing our program sessions by live "ZOOM". Inn volunteers coordinated with teacher Anthony Chase to prepare powerpoint slides and discussion topics for the Criminal Justice class. The Travis High School community is diverse and includes a high percentage of immigrant, minority, and low income families. The MAS program provides students an opportunity to interact with attorneys and judges in the classroom. This year’s topics included, the Changing Immigration Landscape, Police Filming Laws in Texas, and "Now you are 18," a Texas Bar Auxiliary program that prepares teens for adulthood by providing information about topics including voting, jury service, obtaining credit, and driving. Inn volunteers and the students quickly adapted to the Zoom format which made our shared time together important and valuable. Volunteers are looking forward to resuming in-person programming in the fall.

Calvert Inn Recognized for Excellence

The Calvert Inn of Court was recognized as Achieving Excellence Platinum designation for the 2019-2020 Inn year by the National American Inns of Court organization. Not only that, the seven program team leaders were also recognized with a President’s Award. And the 2019-20 President’s Excellence Award went to Attorney Shrine Thomas. Her contributions as a board member and the chair of the membership committee were invaluable. 

2018-19 President's Award Given to Matt Garcia

Calvert Inn of Court President Xavier Medina nominated Inn member Matt Garcia for recognition of extraordinary service to the Inn. His nomination for the 2018-19 President's Award was unanimously accepted by the Calvert Inn of Court board. Matt's many contributions to the Inn include:

  • Being one of the early organizers for the MAS program as well as being a frequent volunteer;
  • Continuing to be one of the keys, if not the key figure, in organizing and promoting the mentoring lunches;
  • Serving on the membership committee;
  • Serving as a member of the Executive Committee;
  • Being an innovator introducing a variety of programs including the triads, quad and teams; and
  • According to his team leaders, being among the most hard-working and enthusiastic team members around.

Matt is the Inn's the Energizer Bunny and he does it all with unfailing cheerfulness and professionalism. Congratulations to Matt for receiving the 2018-19 President's Award!

Honoring Professionalism and Civility as a Lawyer: A Half-Day of Free Ethics CLE for Austin Area Lawyers Hosted by the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and the Austin Bar Association.

The Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and the Austin Bar Association are planning a FREE HALF-DAY CLE and applying for THREE HOURS OF ETHICS. The event will be held at the Austin Bar Association on Friday, April 12, 2019, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The CLE is open to all Austin-area attorneys, on a first to register basis. Claude DuCloux will present on Creating Strong and Effective Client Relationships: The Art of Collaboration and Communication. Patrick Keel will present on Mediation Ethics. An all-star panel of judges, including Judge Earle and Judge Shepperd, will present a panel discussion on Why Civility Matters to the Court.

The Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and Austin Bar Association are sponsoring this FREE ETHICS CLE to honor the spirit of professionalism. In 1989, the Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals promulgated the Texas Lawyer's Creed to renew the spirit of professionalism and support the spirit of civility in lawyer conduct. The Creed's preamble includes:

The conduct of a lawyer should be characterized at all times by honesty, candor, and fairness. In fulfilling his or her primary duty to a client, a lawyer must be ever mindful of the profession's broader duty to the legal system. The Supreme Court of Texas and Court of Criminal Appeals are committed to eliminating a practice in our State by a minority of lawyers of abusive tactics which have surfaced in many parts of our country. … The desire for respect and confidence by lawyers from the public should provide the members of our profession with the necessary incentive to attain the highest degree of ethical and professional conduct. …

The support of ethical, professional, and civil practices is a core principle of the Robert W. Calvert American Inn of Court and the Austin Bar Association. The three presentations offered to support, encourage, and celebrate true professionalism and civility are in the spirit of not only a day, but a life, of civility. We hope that you will join us.

Calvert Inn of Court Mentoring Updates

Christine & Dirk DIscuss starting a lawfirmJan. 30, 2019 - The Calvert Inn of Court continues to put on wonderful educational opportunities for its members. One such opportunity is the Larry York Mentoring Lunches. On December 16, 2018, Dirk Jordan and Christine Andresen offered advise on how to run a firm. The second luncheon was on January 18, 2018. Jennifer Freel assembled a Career Transitions Panel to give us tips on how we could make ourselves more valuable. The folks on her panel included herself, Ryan Botkin and Tish Elliott.

Inn Member Publication

Paula Pierce, a member of the Calvert Inn of Court, recently published an article in the January/February 2019 issue of the Bencher on effective mentoring. Titled, "Mentoring: One Size Doesn't Fit All," the article outlines key ingredients in any mentoring program's success. To read the full article, please find it reproduced here.

2017-2018 Program Awards

The Calvert Inn of Court won not one, but TWO national program awards last year. The following programs were awarded Outstanding Program Awards:

  • "A DACA Christmas Carol" (Team Leader Steven Garrett)
  • "Biased? Me? How Biology and Psychology Affect our Opinions and Actions-And How to Recognize and Improve our Interpersonal Skills (Team Leader Nikki Maples)

These presentations were picked among hundreds of presentations from across the country.