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TLIE Gives Back $4,500,000
January 4, 2023Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange is the only legal malpractice insurance company in Texas that is owned by the Texas lawyers and judges that it insures. Unlike a commercial insurance company, a member-owned company like TLIE exists solely to serve the insurance needs of policyholders, not to produce investment profits for Read the full post
Moving On: Checklist and Tips for Departing Attorneys
December 21, 2022Attorney departures are not a new trend, but the trend of lateral moves has continued to increase significantly. According to a recent NALP report, lateral moves by partners and associates in 2021 increased nearly 43% and 149%, respectively, from the previous year. In this Article, we provide a checklist and Read the full post
7 Objectives of Risk Management
November 29, 2022Implementing an effective risk management strategy–addressing anything that may interfere with the ability to provide quality legal services and generate a profit–is essential to a thriving law practice. The benefits include: improving the quality of legal services and attorney-client relationship, enhancing the firm’s profitability and insurability, and reducing the risk Read the full post
Best Practices for Drafting Effective Fee Agreements
October 17, 2022In this Article, we’ll discuss why crafting effective fee agreements is essential to a successful attorney-client relationship and summarize best practices for effective fee agreements. THE IMPORTANCE OF FEE AGREEMENTS Having a written fee agreement can (and should) set forth more than just the attorneys fees by also setting expectations Read the full post
TLIE adds New Members to Board of Directors
September 20, 2022TLIE is happy to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors. Cynthia Benavides, Weslaco, Texas Cindy obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a law degree and MBA from Texas Tech in 2006. She was licensed by the State of Read the full post
Wire Transfer Scams: How to Minimize the Risk
September 19, 2022Scams continue to target Texas attorneys regardless of firm size. Email wire transfer scams–most commonly targeting real estate closings or legal settlements–have increased exponentially resulting in millions of dollars of losses each year. In this Article, we provide an overview of the prevalent email wire transfer scam, the ethical and Read the full post
TLIE mourns the passing of Board of Director Mary-Ann Bellatti
September 14, 2022TLIE said goodbye to long-time TLIE Director Mary-Ann Abbott Bellatti with her passing on August 5, 2022. Mary-Ann lived in Houston and had served on the TLIE Board of Directors since 1999. Mary-Ann was born February 24, 1945 in Tulsa, OK, and grew up in Stillwater, OK. She graduated from Read the full post
TLIE wins Texas Lawyer “Best of” Poll 2022
September 1, 2022For the twelfth straight year, TLIE has won the Texas Lawyer Best of readers’ poll! TLIE won for Professional Liability Insurance Provider and for Cybersecurity Insurance Provider. Also, since TLIE has won at least three of the last four years in Professional Liability and Cybersecurity, we were awarded the Texas Read the full post
Succession Planning Basics
August 18, 2022Have you considered what would happen if you were suddenly unable to practice law? If so, have you implemented a succession plan to protect your clients’ interests? No one wants to think about becoming ill, incapacitated, being suspended or disbarred, or dying unexpectedly. Perhaps for this reason, far too few Read the full post
Duty of Confidentiality in Correcting Client Statements
July 22, 2022Most lawyers generally understand their duty of confidentiality. And yet, the duty of confidentiality is a common pitfall for many attorneys. Often there are competing forces at play–the attorney’s duty to preserve confidential information relating to a client’s representation pursuant to Rule 1.05 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Read the full post