'Emerging Trends in the Federal Courts'
SHERMAN, TEXAS - Austin College's annual Dr. Kenneth Street Law Symposium is set for Friday, February 20, beginning at noon on campus with a keynote address by The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham, judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The overall theme for the 2015 event is 'merging Trends in the Federal Courts'
The event is open to attorneys, students interested in careers in law, and interested members of the public. The State Bar of Texas has approved 4.25 (0.0 ethics) continuing legal education (CLE) hours. Cost for members of the Grayson County Bar Association (an event sponsor) is $15; cost for other attorneys is $50. Registration for the general public is $20, and all sessions are free to Austin College students, faculty, and staff. Registration should be completed online at www.austincollege.edu/lawsymposium.
Registration opens at 11 a.m. in Wright Campus Center with the noon luncheon and keynote address in the center’s Mabee Hall. All panel sessions are held in Hoxie Thompson Auditorium of Sherman Hall.
THE SCHEDULE:
11:00 A.M – Noon, Registration
Wright Campus Center, Mabee Hall
Noon – 1:45 P.M., Luncheon
Keynote Address by Hon. Patrick Higginbotham, Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Wright Campus Center, Mabee Hall
2:00 P.M. – 5:55 P.M., Panel Discussions
Sherman Hall, 2nd Floor, Hoxie Thompson Auditorium
PANEL 1—'Trends in Appellate Cases'
2:00 P.M. – 3:15 P.M.
Moderator: David Coale, Lynn Tillotson Pinker & Cox, Dallas
Panelists: Hon. Catharina Haynes, Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Allyson Ho, Morgan Lewis, Dallas
Jeff Levinger, Levinger, Dallas
PANEL 2—'Trends in Federal Criminal Cases'
3:20 P.M. – 4:35 P.M.
Moderator: G. Talmadge Nix, Nix & Poet, Sherman
Panelists: Hon. Amos Mazzant, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas
Pamela Bucy Pierson, Bainbridge-Mims Professor of Law, University of Alabama
Tammy Reno, Assistant Director, Civil and White Collar Crime Division, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Shannon Bears Cozzoni, Assistant U.S. Attorney, Tulsa, Oklahoma
PANEL 3—'Intellectual Property and Commercial Innovation'
4:40 P.M. – 5:55 P.M.
Moderator: Robert Greeson, Norton Rose, Fulbright, Dallas
Panelists: Hon. K. Nicole Mitchell, Magistrate Judge,
Eastern District of Texas
Mike Pisterzi, Technology Entrepreneur
Michael C. Smith, Siebman, Burg, Phillips, & Smith, Sherman
Closing Reception at Collins Alumni Center
6:00 P.M. – 7:30 P.M.
Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Patrick Higginbotham
Since 1982 and nomination by President Ronald Reagan, Higginbotham has served as judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which decides federal civil and criminal disputes in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He assumed senior status in 2006.
After earning his bachelor’s degree at the University of Alabama, he completed his professional education at the University of Alabama School of Law. He tried his first case as a member of the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, where he served from 1961 to 1964. He then began 11 years of private law practice in Dallas, and in 1972 was nominated by President Gerald Ford to the U.S. District Court in Dallas—becoming the youngest sitting federal judge. Higginbotham remained there until 1982 when he moved to his current role.
Higginbotham served as the first president of the Dallas Inn of Court when it began in 1988, and in 1996, the name was changed to the Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court to honor him.
Event sponsors include Austin College Pre-Law Society, Austin College Student Assembly, Austin College Alumni “L” Law Association, the Grayson County Bar Association, and the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation.
The Symposium
The annual symposium honors Austin College Professor Emeritus Kenneth W. Street. A professor of political science at Austin College from 1959 to 1997, Street held the John D. Moseley Chair of Government and Public Policy and founded and directed the Social Science Laboratory, which allowed students to experience field research, observe political and social behavior, and test hypotheses about needs in the community. He also served many years as the advisor for students considering careers in law and launched many professionals in the field.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 36 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of 1,250 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 12:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.