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FROM THE EDITOR
Stay Tuned It is an honor to help carry the Houston Bar Association banner this year by leading The Houston Lawyer editorial team. We are preparing for six issues in the current 2008-09 fiscal year. Each of this year’s six issues has a topical theme, including the current one, which focuses on ADR subjects, as you will notice from the listing of articles. In forthcoming issues, THL will cover Veterans’ Issues (September-October), with Robert Painter as guest editor, and Environmental/Energy (November-December), with John Gray as guest editor. Both of these subjects should provide some interesting insight for our readership. Both subjects are timely and relevant to our Harris County audience, and both subjects have an even broader interest and significance far beyond our county borders. Veteran affairs, to be highlighted in the next issue of THL, is supportive of the “Veterans’ Initiative” which Travis Sales designated as the major focus of his HBA administration this year. Being a veteran myself (Korean Conflict), I know some of the veterans’ needs, but the full scope of those needs never hit me until recently when I read the statistics. Interestingly, the veteran population of Harris County is larger than any other county in the U.S., save for one – Los Angeles County – and, sadly, an abundance of Harris County veterans are homeless. For January-February, we plan to focus on Crime Victims’ Rights. Don Rogers of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office will be our guest editor. Don reports that crime victims generally don’t know their rights under Texas law because of the insignificant amount of prior publicity devoted to the subject. The January-February issue should therefore provide an unusual opportunity for us to call attention to an area of the law that may need substantial legislative “fixing” because confusion among the relevant statutes is rather complex. It is unlikely that our courts will be able to provide the necessary reconciliation or harmonization. The March-April issue will cover the topic of Immigration Law, with Catherine Le as guest editor. One of the objectives is to discuss the facts and fictions of immigration law. Finally, the May-June issue will be the traditional issue devoted to HBA member volunteerism, with Keri Brown and Judy Ney sharing the spotlight as responsible guest editors. The subjects chosen for this editorial year will no doubt perpetuate The Houston Lawyer’s great past record. I join the many who regard THL as a one of a kind publication nationwide, in form and content, successfully helping local lawyers stay tuned in with contemporary law.
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