Bucky befuddled

The Texas mystery of Sandra Bullock's divorce lawyer: Who is this masked brief?

Sandra Bullock shocked legal experts with her choice of divorce attorney.
Houston divorce lawyer Bucky Allshouse and his brethren are curious aboutBullock's pick.

News that Sandra Bullock has filed for divorce from her estranged husband, mogul mechanic Jesse James, made national headlines yesterday. But today the buzz, at least in Houston, is over her representation.

The divorce papers have now surfaced, first reported by TMZ, and they reveal that Bullock filed in Austin, where she keeps a house. More interesting is her selection of lawyer — a New Orleans-based criminal attorney named Walter Becker.

Never heard of him? Neither has anyone else.

Bucky Allshouse, one of Houston's most prominent divorce attorneys, tells CultureMap that he's been getting phone calls and e-mails from fellow family-law hot shots asking, who is this guy? "It's the latest gossip on the family law bar," Allshouse says. "I got a call yesterday from a lawyer in Austin wanting to know who this lawyer was in Houston. He'd never heard of him, and neither had anyone else."

So who is Walter Becker? He works for the law firm of Chaffe McCall, and practices out of its offices in both New Orleans and Houston. He got his undergraduate and law degrees from Tulane University, and spent almost 20 years as a state and federal prosecutor, including four as Assistant District Attorney, where he was Chief of the Narcotics and Homicide Divisions in New Orleans.

In other words, he's somewhat of an odd choice for a divorce lawyer.

"Most criminal lawyers do not do family law," Allshouse says. Although he adds that,"you'll see some who are good litigators, for lack of a better word, like Rusty Hardin, do an occasional divorce case."

There has been speculation that Becker helped Bullock in the adoption of her newly revealed son, Louis, and he did resolve a prior tax issue for the star.

The mystery of their association remains (how did this guy get this gig??), but Bullock's reasoning for filing in Texas is relatively clear. Allshouse says Texas' community property laws (here, property doesn't have to be divided evenly) and alimony statute (it's easy to get out of) are attractive.

I can't conceive of a judge giving Nazi-sympathizing serial philanderer Jesse James a cent, but if Sandy needs back up, there's a stable of bewildered Texan J.D.s happy to help.

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no more trips to Colorado

Bill to legalize marijuana in Texas filed by Dallas Democrat

Photo courtesy of Texas Original

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Texas Rep. Jessica González (D-Dallas) has filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Texas. House Bill 1208 would legalize the cultivation, manufacturing, transportation, and sale of cannabis.

The bill would allow adults 21 and older to use, possess, and transport up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana for personal use. Adults could also keep up to 10 ounces of cannabis in their residence, as long as it is stored in a secure location.

Smoking or consuming cannabis while in a public place or in a car on a public road would not be allowed.

Gonzalez filed the bill in mid-November, one in a suite of bills that also included expanding insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization for LGBTQ couples; and requiring landlords to disclose all fees before a rental lease is signed.

Her bill was filed prior to an initiative launched by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on December 4 to ban THC products in Texas entirely.

In addition to legalizing recreational use, the bill also makes provisions for its production and sale including requiring that the packaging be child-resistent and clearly labeled, so that it's not confused for candy.

Businesses looking to grow, transport, test, or sell cannabis would need to be licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. A 10 percent tax would be imposed on the sale of all cannabis and cannabis products. Some of the profits would go towards funding public schools.

If passed, the bill would take effect on September 1, 2025.

Medical cannabis is currently legal in Texas under the Texas Compassionate Use Program, which allows low-THC cannabis to be prescribed for conditions such as epilepsy, MS, autism, cancer, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some cities have also approved decriminalization for the possession of four ounces or less of marijuana, including Austin, Bastrop, Dallas, Denton, Elgin, Killeen, and Lockhart.

politics marijuana