Mike Yarber Retires from TLIE
November 8, 2023
After more than 38 years of distinguished service to the legal profession, President and CEO Mike Yarber retired from Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange at…
Resources
Our Resource Center includes our TLIE Top Tips, articles, and links to other third party resources to assist our members with their loss prevention and best practices efforts.
News, Articles, & Top Tips
News
Article
The Ethics of Referrals, Part 3
October 24, 2023
PART III: REFERRALS FROM NON-LAWYER SOURCES Part I of The Ethics of Referrals series provided an overview of attorney-to-attorney referrals. Part II examined unique…
Article
The Ethics of Referrals, Part 2
September 12, 2023
PART II: UNIQUE ISSUES IN ATTORNEY-TO-ATTORNEY REFERRALS Part 1 of The Ethics of Referrals series provided an overview of attorney-to-attorney referrals. Part II examines…
News
Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange Appoints Steve Couch, JD as Next President & CEO
August 28, 2023
August 28, 2023 – Austin, Texas Texas Lawyer’s Insurance Exchange (TLIE), the premier provider of legal malpractice insurance in the State of Texas, has…
Article
The Ethics of Referrals, Part 1
August 22, 2023
PART I: ATTORNEY-TO-ATTORNEY REFERRALS Business generation consumes the minds of every attorney responsible for ensuring a consistent pipeline of clients and work. General and…
Article
4 Common Mistakes That Can Lead to a Legal Malpractice Suit
July 18, 2023
Lawyers never want to make a mistake, but juggling deadlines, long hours, and personal and professional demands can make it difficult to produce a…
News
TLIE mourns the passing of its founding father, Jim Lovell
July 17, 2023
James (Jim) Reed Lovell, TLIE’s founding father, passed away on July 4, 2023. Jim was 96 years old, and had recently moved from Dumas,…
Article
Avoiding Ethical Issues with Third Party Payors
June 19, 2023
Consider the following hypothetical. You represent a client in a child custody dispute. The client’s parents offer to cover your legal expenses. As you…
Article
Ethical Implications of using AI for Texas Attorneys
May 17, 2023
The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered tools, like ChatGPT, has the potential to transform various industries and how tasks are performed. And many…
Article
ABA Formal Opinion 503 Finds Implied Consent to “Reply All” Responses
April 18, 2023
Should I “reply all”? Wait–did I just inadvertently “reply all”?! We’ve all asked ourselves these questions. For lawyers, “reply all” raises more than just…
Article
Attorney Grievances Part 2: 5 Avoidable Mistakes
March 20, 2023
In last month’s Article, we provided an overview of the grievance process. We discussed that most grievances (about 70% last year) were dismissed as…
Article
Attorney Grievances Part 1: An Overview of the Grievance Process
February 20, 2023
During the 2021-2022 bar year, 7,175 ethics complaints (or grievances) were filed against Texas attorneys. A grievance can expose attorneys to discipline ranging from…
Article
Safekeeping Property: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls with Client Funds
January 19, 2023
A surprising number of disciplinary actions stem from the mismanagement of client’s funds or property. In fact, according to the State Bar of Texas…
News
TLIE Gives Back $4,500,000
January 4, 2023
Texas Lawyers’ Insurance Exchange is the only legal malpractice insurance company in Texas that is owned by the Texas lawyers and judges that it…
Article
Moving On: Checklist and Tips for Departing Attorneys
December 21, 2022
Attorney departures are not a new trend, but the trend of lateral moves has continued to increase significantly. According to a recent NALP report,…
Article
7 Objectives of Risk Management
November 29, 2022
Implementing 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…
Article
Best Practices for Drafting Effective Fee Agreements
October 17, 2022
In 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…
News
TLIE adds New Members to Board of Directors
September 20, 2022
TLIE is happy to announce the addition of three new members to its Board of Directors. Cynthia Benavides, Weslaco, Texas Cindy obtained her undergraduate…
Article
Wire Transfer Scams: How to Minimize the Risk
September 19, 2022
Scams 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…
News
TLIE mourns the passing of Board of Director Mary-Ann Bellatti
September 14, 2022
TLIE 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…
News
TLIE wins Texas Lawyer “Best of” Poll 2022
September 1, 2022
For the twelfth straight year, TLIE has won the Texas Lawyer Best of readers’ poll! TLIE won for Professional Liability Insurance Provider and for…
Books & Helpful Links
The following books and links reflect resources that we believe offer important content on Texas legal malpractice and ethics issues. We are always looking for new resources. If you have suggestions for additional sites or know that one of our sources is outdated, please contact us.
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program
A confidential resource that helps attorneys, judges, and law students find solutions for dealing with substance use and mental health issues and provides resources for incorporating a healthier lifestyle.
State Bar Ethics Resources
The Bar has ethics resources. The ethics hotline can provide answers to certain ethical questions. Call (800)532-3947 for more information.
University of Houston Texas Ethics Reporter
This site includes Texas Disciplinary Rules of Conduct and Procedure, as well as Ethics Opinions, and includes prior versions of the rules.
The Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism
TCLEP is a non-profit center funded in large part by the Texas Bar Foundation. Resources on this site include the Texas Disciplinary Rules, Ethics Opinions, A Guide to the Basics of Law Practice, the Ethics Course, and other Texas specific materials.
Law Practice Management Program of the State Bar of Texas
The Law Practice Management Program of the State Bar of Texas offers a number of helpful guides that can help lawyers keep organized and practice efficiently.
ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability
The Standing Committee offers a number of important resources for attorneys interested in lawyers professional liability and insurance. A number of materials can be purchased online, including The Lawyer’s Desk Guide to Legal Malpractice.
ABA Center for Professional Responsibility
The Center for Professional Responsibility coordinates most of the ABA’s activities regarding legal ethics. There are usually a couple of commissions or subcommittee working on hot topics, and they will have links on this page. ABA ethics opinions may be available on the site.
ABA Law Practice Management Division
The ABA’s Law Practice Management has many great resources to help with running a law practice.
The ABA Legal Technology and Resource Center
LTEC focuses on law firm hardware and software.
Legalethics.com
This website focuses on ethical aspects of the use of technology by lawyers.
Legal Ethics Forum
This is a blog by law professors who specialize in legal ethics, and provides a good source for current news on ethics.
William Freivogel’s Conflicts Website
This website collects cases on conflicts issues in an easy to use format.
NABRICO Sites
TLIE is a member of the National Association of Bar Related Insurance Companies. The websites for the companies often provide valuable loss prevention advice and forms. If you are an attorney from a state other than Texas, you may want to check with these companies for professional liability and other types of insurance.
Texas Access to Justice Foundation
Lawyers who handle money for their clients must participate in the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOLTA) Program, by depositing these funds into an IOLTA bank account at an eligible institution. This website tells you how.
Explore Our Continuing Education Resources
Our commitment to helping you succeed includes an investment in your professional development to help safeguard your practice with additional education on how to avoid complaints and claims.