INTRODUCTION TO THE BUSINESS LAW SECTION AND ITS MISSION

The Business Law Section of the State Bar of Texas serves the needs of business lawyers licensed in the State of Texas.  The area of law practice defined as “business law” involves any area of law that affects business clients, but particularly the areas of law utilized almost exclusively by people engaged in business activities.  It involves laws governing industries or transactions that are heavily regulated on the state and federal level; common law causes of action; and particular types of transactions that have developed their own unique norms and practices.   Business law is really quite broad and, as a result, there is no set of credentials recognized by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization as optimal to practice in this area of law.  That presents a challenge to practitioners to stay up to date and also maintain a general knowledge of areas that are not in their specialty or within their own experience.
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The Business Law Section provides tools to help business lawyers meet these challenges.  It also provides opportunities for business lawyers to shape the statutes, rules, regulations, and interpretations under which they practice law.  And, it provides an opportunity to influence professional consensus organizations which affect their practices.  I urge you to click on the “Member Benefits” on the navigation bar at the top of this website to explore all of the activities and initiatives of the Section.  Come join this wise network of individuals who will hopefully become trusted to help filter information, expose blind spots and make us all better business lawyers.
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Brent Benoit, Deputy General Counsel
National Oilwell VARCO
Chair 2022 – 2023

LEADERSHIP AND THE SECTION

The Section annually elects a Vice Chair and Secretary-Treasurer as well as members of a governing Council comprised of a total of thirteen members, ten of which are elected to serve for two year terms, staggered so that five are elected each year.  The other three members are the immediate past Chair, the current Chair and the current Vice Chair.  The Chair appoints and convenes a nominating committee each year, comprised of Past Chairs of the Section and other Members who nominate a slate of officers and and five governing council members.  Members of the Section vote on that slate or offer other names in nomination at the annual meeting of the Section which occurs in conjunction with the annual meeting of the State Bar of Texas every year.  

The Chair of the Section is responsible for charting the course, setting the priorities of the Section and establishing a budget for the year of his or her term.  

The Vice Chair is responsible for organizing the planning committees for the continuing legal education programs sponsored by the Section.  Along with the CLE providers, the Vice Chair makes sure that speakers are recruited, the topics are relevant and timely and the programs are executed without problems.  Once the Vice Chair successfully completes his or her one-year term, that person ascends to the position of Chair of the Section.  If for any reason, the Vice Chair does not complete his or her term, the nominating committee will nominate someone to serve as Chair of the Section for the coming year.  

The Secretary-Treasurer is the fiscal officer of the Section and is responsible for working with the staff of the State Bar of Texas to spend the resources of the Section in accordance with the priorities set forth in the annual budget and as prescribed by the Chair and Governing Council.  

The Section convenes a quarterly meeting of the officers, Governing Council and the Council of Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs via video link, conference call or in-person meetings in Dallas, Houston and Austin.  You can download a list of the current officers and Councils HERE.  The Section also typically convenes a retreat for this group at which it conducts long range planning for the Section’s initiatives.