Greetings Friends of the EDTX Bench Bar Conference
I regret to announce that in consultation with Chief Judge Rodney Gilstrap, the EDTX Bar Association has decided to defer the 24th Annual EDTX Bench Bar Conference to October 13, 14 and 15, 2021, once again at the Marriott Legacy Town Center in Plano.
The Eastern District of Texas is one of the few districts around the country that is conducting jury trials, and doing so safely. Bringing several hundred judges, attorneys, law clerks and court staff together for an in-person conference creates an unjustified risk to this core function. Bar leadership concluded that the extensive social interaction and sharing of ideas between participants is the magic of our bench bar conference and that this can’t be replicated online through a remote conference.
We apologize for the inconvenience and disappointment this causes. I trust you understand that the first order of business is to protect our district’s ability to administer justice. While there are many different opinions about the ability to conduct a safe in person program, all agree that there is some risk, and that the degree of that risk is at best described as unknown.
Much of the hard work of putting on the bench bar conference has already been completed and the program was receiving rave reviews. To preserve this work product we plan to keep our panels and speakers in place where possible. Click here to review the program. Please monitor the EDTX Bench Bar Conference website for updates and listings of our 2021 speakers and sponsors, program and other event information: www.edtxbenchbar.com
I assure you that we plan to put on the “loudest and proudest” bench bar conference ever when we convene post-COVID 19 in 2021. We look forward to seeing you next year in Plano.
Best Regards,
Clyde M. Siebman
EDTX Bench Bar
Conference Chairman