This section sets out how the state bar’s board is made up, who appoints certain members, how long members serve, and limits on eligibility.
Sec. 81.020. BOARD OF DIRECTORS. (a) The governing body of the state bar is the board of directors. (b) The board is composed of: (1) the officers of the state bar; (2) the president, president-elect, and immediate past president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association; (3) not more than 30 members of the state bar elected by the membership from their district as determined by the board; (4) six persons appointed by the supreme court and confirmed by the senate who are not attorneys and who do not have, other than as consumers, a financial interest in the practice of law; and (5) four at-large directors appointed by the president as provided by Subsections (d) and (e). (c) Elected members serve three-year terms. Nonattorney members serve staggered terms of the same length as terms of elected board members. The supreme court shall annually appoint two nonattorney members, with at least one of the two from a list of at least five names submitted by the governor. Appointments to the board shall be made without regard to the race, color, disability, sex, religion, age, or national origin of the appointees. A person who has served more than half of a full term is not eligible for reappointment to the board. (d) The president of the state bar appoints the at-large directors, subject to confirmation by the board of directors. In making appointments under this subsection, the president shall appoint directors who demonstrate knowledge gained from experience in the legal profession and community necessary to ensure the board represents the interests of attorneys from the varied backgrounds that compose the membership of the state bar. (e) At-large directors serve three-year terms. To be eligible for appointment as an at-large director, at the time of appointment a person may not be serving as: (1) an elected director; or (2) an at-large director. (f) The board of directors shall develop and implement policies that clearly separate the responsibilities of the board and the management responsibilities of the executive director and the staff of the state bar. (g) The board of directors shall prepare and maintain a written plan that describes how a person who does not speak English or who has a physical, mental, or developmental disability can be provided reasonable access to the state bar's programs. Added by Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 148, Sec. 3.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 795, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 227, Sec. 3, 22, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Amended by: Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1130 (S.B. 416), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2017.