Training Opportunities Calendar

Attorneys need training opportunities, but finding them can be difficult. Even with so many groups offering fantastic CLEs and webinars to Houston’s legal community, it can be time consuming to track them all down. The Training Opportunities Calendar from the Harris County Law Library can help with that.

The Training Opportunities Calendar is an aggregate collection of training session announcements from local providers, like the Houston Bar Association, and names you know, like Westlaw. With a combination of local CLEs and online webinars, there are options to fit all schedules. Event listings are available in calendar format to help you find opportunities by date. You can also limit listings by whether they are local events, online webinars, or offer CLE credit. All events listed are free and links to registration information appear at the bottom of each entry.

Find new training opportunities each month on the Law Library website.

Women's History Month: A Tribute to Camille E.S. Openshaw

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Harris County Law Library is paying tribute the life and accomplishments of a remarkable woman, Camille Elizabeth Stanford Openshaw.  At a time when women’s educational and career options were very limited, Ms. Openshaw excelled not only as an attorney, but as a leader in the local legal community.

Just five years after graduating from South Texas College of Law in 1930, she was elected to the board of directors of the Lawyers Library Association, the first woman to hold the position. She later distinguished herself as founding partner of the Houston law firm, McIntosh & Openshaw. But perhaps her most sensational claim to fame was her representation of former bank robber, kidnapper, murderer, and fugitive, Raymond Hamilton, whose exploits with the infamous Clyde Barrow Gang resulted in his ultimate execution. Despite Ms. Openshaw’s best efforts to spare his life with a last-minute plea to the State Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin, Hamilton was put to death on May 10, 1935.

At a time when 43% of young women lawyers experience bias, according to a recent survey of women in the legal profession, the achievements of Ms. Openshaw are especially worthy of recognition. Her contributions to the legal profession and her efforts in pioneering opportunities for women in law make her a true Woman of Distinction.

To learn more about Ms. Openshaw, please visit the Harris County Law Library’s downtown location, where an exhibit honoring her accomplishments will be on display throughout the month of March. An accompanying digital exhibit can be viewed on the library’s website.

Thurgood Marshall Exhibits Available During National African American History Month 2016

Justice Thurgood Marshall was one of America’s most accomplished and important jurists. As an attorney, he argued more cases before the U.S. Supreme Court than anyone before or since. A powerful and successful advocate, he prevailed in 29 of his 32 cases before the Court, including the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the “separate but equal” doctrine was declared “inherently unequal.” In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the bench as a judge for the U.S. Second Court of Appeals. Four years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson asked Marshall to serve as U.S. Solicitor General. In 1967, Johnson turned to Marshall again, this time appointing him to the U.S. Supreme Court where Marshall served as an associate justice for the next 24 years.

In his January 29, 2016 Proclamation, President Obama proclaimed February 2016 to be National African American History Month and charged librarians “to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.” The staff at the Harris County Law Library can think of no more appropriate activity than to honor perhaps the most influential African American lawyer in U.S. history and the first African American to rise to the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court— Justice Thurgood Marshall. This month, visit the Law Library’s downtown location to view an exhibit celebrating Justice Marshall’s legal career and accomplishments. You can also visit our website to view the accompanying digital exhibit featuring links to resources about Justice Marshall’s life and legacy.

Lexis Advance CLE @ HCLL

On Thursday, Feb. 18, the Law Library will host a free training session titled Introducing Lexis Advance. The session carries 1.0 hour of CLE credit for Texas attorneys and is conveniently scheduled during the lunch hour, from noon to 1 p.m.

The Law Library hosts Lexis Advance training sessions quarterly. For more information about CLEs and training sessions at the Harris County Law Library, visit our Events page.

All of the databases covered during training sessions are accessible for free on the Law Library’s legal research computers, which are open to the public for legal research. Visit Our Services page for more information about the digital resources available for your legal research needs.