Fifth Circuit Holds State Bar of Texas May Not Mandate Membership as It Is Currently Structured

On July 2, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion related to mandatory membership in the State Bar of Texas. Among other things, the Court held: “[t]he Bar is engaged in non-germane activities, so compelling the plaintiffs to join it violates their First Amendment rights.” The case is McDonald v. Longley, No. 20-50448.

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(POSITION FILLED) We Are Hiring: Seeking an Assistant Law Librarian to Join Our Team

The Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library is a center of innovation for public law library services and access to justice in the nation's third most populous county. We're looking for an assistant law librarian to join our growing team to provide reference services at our physical and virtual reference desks to a diverse community.

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Latest & Greatest – Estate Planning for the Muslim Client

Estate plans are drafted to facilitate the transfer of one’s wealth upon death to designated beneficiaries. What happens when your client is a devout Muslim who wants to plan and distribute his estate in accordance with his religious beliefs and convictions as well as Islamic inheritance law? In that case, it is important to understand not only the basic tenets and beliefs of the Muslim faith but also how Islamic inheritance laws relate to and harmonize with existing federal and state law. Yaser Ali and Ahmed Shaikh have written Estate Planning for the Muslim Client, an excellent guide to assist attorneys with preparing estate plans that are consistent with a client’s religious beliefs and to help them understand the reasoning behind a client’s wishes.

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