Texas Aggie Bar Association

Q&A with President Brent Dore

Tell us about your goal of achieving 1,000 members and your plan to get there?

The Texas Aggie Bar Association changed my life as a law student by allowing me to connect with so many great Aggie lawyers that have become mentors, friends, referral sources, and colleagues. I want every Aggie attorney, law student, and judge to get to experience it as well. TABA has historically hovered around 500 active members because people lapse and don’t realize it. I wanted to make a strong push to connect with more Aggies in order to expand TABA’s reach and continue to impact the Aggie legal community. We have 1,000s of Aggie lawyers out there – so we just need to connect with them.

The TABA board will endow two scholarships when we hit the 1,000 members goal to showcase the importance of membership and continue building the long-term legacy of supporting Aggie lawyers. At this time, TABA typically awards 5-6 $2,500 scholarships per year, including the endowed scholarship at TAMU Law.

Describe the perks and benefits of joining TABA?

The number one benefit is the opportunity to connect with other Aggie lawyers. I have met so many attorneys through TABA that answered my questions, showed me what it meant to be a lawyer, and have become life-long friends. TABA hosts Howdy Hours throughout Texas, free online webinars, a job board, and provides an online directory for attorneys throughout the country. TABA’s big events include the annual tailgate and our annual conference. This year’s 24th Annual Conference will be in College Station on March 24-25, 2023.

What costs are associated joining TABA?

Attorney dues are $40/year and law students are $10/year. There are additional fees to attend the tailgate and the annual conference.

Describe TABA’s relationship with the law school.

TABA exists to support and encourage Aggie lawyers, law students, and judges—that includes each and every student at Texas A&M University School of Law. TABA has endowed a scholarship with the law school and will expand that endowment when we meet the 1,000 members challenge.  TABA routinely hosts networking events at TAMU Law and plans to offer more in the Spring. I attended TCU for my undergraduate degree, and then jumped into the Aggie world. TABA played a huge role in providing me with the opportunity to develop connections and understand what it meant to be an Aggie lawyer.

How do you hope the continued growth of TABA will help future students?

As TABA grows, so will the opportunities and services. I expect to see more scholarships endowed and awarded. I hope to expand our networking and CLE opportunities. I also think that an expanded membership allows us to develop practice-specific sections to better provide mentoring and training for Aggie lawyers. Other future growth opportunities include a referral network listserv and pro bono service opportunities.

What would you tell someone who is considering joining TABA or hasn’t joined TABA?

Do it. There is no better value because our dues are cheap. This is the best gateway to lawyers in the Aggie Network and you’ll be amazed at how important that will be in your career. I always tell law students that when I’m hiring a lawyer or law student, if that candidate is a TABA member, that resume is going to move higher in the pile.

In what ways does TABA partner with the local legal community?

There are Aggie lawyers all throughout Texas and TABA exists to help them connect. TABA has board members and active committee members in virtually every major city in Texas and they all want to serve and support other Aggies. We can only do this work with the support from other lawyers and great partners like the Texas A&M School of Law.

Join the Texas Aggie Bar Association here. For more information about Texas Aggie Bar Association, contact TABA President, Brent Dore here.