Waco-McLennan County Bar Association

10/12/2026

Today is the last day to register a team or sign up for a sponsorship! We hope you will join us this Friday!

10/08/2026

One week from today, three lawyers who work inside these questions every day will be at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame to talk about where the law on college athletics actually stands.

The New Playing Field: House, NIL, and the Legal Battles Within College Athletics is a joint meeting with the Judge Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court. Chelsea Priest is a partner at Sidley. Chris Holmes is General Counsel at Baylor University and Lee Tyner is General Counsel at Texas Christian University, so two of the three are handling these questions for Texas schools in real time. Andy McSwain of Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick and Dickson will moderate.

It is next Thursday, October 15 at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, 1108 S University Parks Drive. The reception with game day fare and a bar opens at 5:00 P.M. and the panel discussion begins at 5:30 P.M.

This event is free for WMCBA members and Abner V. Judge Abner V. McCall Inn of Court members. If you have not RSVP'd, the details are in your email.

10/01/2026

Thank you to the firms and businesses who have already signed up to sponsor the 42nd Annual WMCBA Golf Tournament, starting with our presenting sponsor Lexitas.

There is still room to join them and support the McLennan County Young Lawyers Association and the High School Mock Trial Competition.

Sponsor a level or register your foursome for October 16 at: https://forms.gle/5ENByT4t1r6qiHFe6

Payment can be made here: https://square.link/u/YI4b65R9

09/29/2026

Members of the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association:

You are invited to attend the Joint Waco-McLennan County Bar Association and Judge Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court Meeting on Thursday, October 15, at 5:00 p.m. at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. We hope you will wear your team colors and join us for a timely discussion about college athletics.

Reservations are required. Please check your email for the link to RSVP.

09/25/2026

Last Friday's CLE luncheon at Pignetti's was an hour on the inner workings of the Waco federal courthouse, which is the sort of practical knowledge that is difficult to come by anywhere except from the people who run the place. Our members got to know two of our new judges and heard firsthand how they keep their dockets moving without sacrificing fairness. Thank you to Judge Christopher R. Wolfe and Judge Dan MacLemore of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division, for the insight and to Dave Deaconson of Pakis, Giotes, Burleson and Deaconson, who moderated.

That same afternoon, the team from John W. Erwin General Contractor walked a group of us through the construction at the McLennan County Judicial Center, which will include courtrooms, jury rooms, and court staff offices, District Clerk offices, Probation offices, conference rooms, and the public Law Library, among other things. Hosting a crowd of attorneys on an active job site is not a small favor, and they did it with patience and good humor, explaining what we were looking at and answering a great many questions.

Thank you to all of them, and to every WMCBA member who came out for these events.

Save the date for our next event, the October 15 Happy Hour and CLE with the Judge Abner V. McCall American Inn of Court at the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. More details coming soon.

09/21/2026

Sponsorships and player registration for the 42nd Annual WMCBA Golf Tournament are now open. Proceeds from this tournament go to the McLennan County Young Lawyers Association and to the high school students who compete in mock trial each spring here in Waco.

The tournament is Friday, October 16, 2026 at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course. A big thank you to this year's presenting sponsor, Lexitas, and the McLennan County Criminal Defense Bar, who will provide lunch for all of the players. Lunch will be served at noon, and the tournament will kick off with a 1:00 PM sh***un start. We hope to see you there for a great day of golf and fellowship with members of the bar!

You can sponsor and register through the following link: https://forms.gle/5ENByT4t1r6qiHFe6

Payment can be made via check or through the following link: https://square.link/u/YI4b65R9

09/18/2026

Greater Waco Legal Services makes legal help available to people in our community who cannot afford a private attorney. Yesterday they marked Constitution Day by inviting all of Waco to celebrate it.

Dinner from Hallberg's. The Waco Civic Theatre performing Schoolhouse Rock. Legal resources on hand, and real conversations about what access to justice looks like in McLennan County. Free, and open to anyone who wanted a seat.

A constitution only means something if the people it covers can actually use it. That is the work, and it is why WMCBA members volunteer with the Dispute Resolution Center, teach the People's Law School, and support organizations like Greater Waco Legal Services.

Greater Waco Legal Services, which offers affordable legal representation, celebrated the anniversary of the Constitution's signing with "Schoolhouse Rock" performances, art from local children and free food from Waco favorites. ⤵️ Find a link to the story in the comments.

09/15/2026

Save the date. The 42nd Annual WMCBA Golf Tournament is Friday, October 16 at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course.

Lunch is at noon, provided by the McLennan County Defense Bar, with a 1:00 PM sh***un start.

Proceeds benefit the McLennan County Young Lawyers Association and the High School Mock Trial Competition this spring.

Sponsorship and team registration details are coming soon. We hope to see you out there.

09/11/2026

Twenty-five years ago this morning.

As thousands of people made their way down and out, firefighters and first responders went the other direction, up and in, toward what everyone else was trying to escape. Three hundred forty-three firefighters did not come back.

Today the Waco-McLennan County Bar Association remembers the nearly 3,000 people killed on September 11, 2001, the first responders lost that morning, and everyone who went toward the danger so that others could get out.

One of our own, a Waco lawyer and former WMCBA board member J.D. Ressetar, was there that day. You can read his story here.

Twenty-five years later, Waco attorney J.D. Ressetar remembers the sight of New York City firefighters going up the stairs to danger while he and hundreds of others evacuated to safety. ⤵️ Find a link to the story in the comments.

09/08/2026

Judges Christopher R. Wolfe and Dan MacLemore of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas will join us Friday, September 18th at Pignetti's, 401 S. 3rd Street, with Dave Deaconson of Pakis, Giotes, Burleson & Deaconson P.C. leading the conversation. The buffet opens 11:40 and the program starts at noon. Reservations and prepayment for lunch are due by Tuesday, September 15 at noon. You may use the Square code or link below to reserve your lunch.

Members: A McLennan County Courthouse Renovations tour follows
at 2pm, free for members. Just RSVP using the link in your emails.

Link to reserve and prepay for the CLE lunch: https://square.link/u/wE8PeBU0