This month, the Texas Bar Journal helps you answer some of those “friendly requests for advice” you may encounter at social gatherings in its latest installment of "Party Talk." In addition, you'll find information about the Texas Young Lawyers Association's latest project, Breaking the Silence: A Path to Finding Mental Health.
Let us know what you think of the December issue of the Texas Bar Journal — email comments to tbj@texasbar.com.
The deadline to receive 2011 TYLA Minority Scholarship Program applications is tomorrow, Friday, October 14.
The TYLA Minority Scholarship Program is an annual scholarship awarded to one minority student at each Texas law school. The scholarship promotes diversity in the legal profession by assisting members of minority populations within the bar to enter the legal profession and to participate more fully in the programs and activities of TYLA and the State Bar of Texas. Scholarship awards are distributed prior to the Spring semester.
For more information and to download the application, you may visit http://www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/resources/law-students/scholarships/.
Due to its popularity among practicing members of the bar, Ten Minute Mentor has been expanded to cover topics of interest to law school students interested in learning about the ins and outs of practicing law. Visit the 10 Minute Mentor Goes to Law School website.
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On April 6, during the "Go Blue Day" rally at the Texas Capitol, Texas Young Lawyers Association President Jennifer Evans Morris (right) discussed TYLA's latest project, "The Little Voice: Recognizing Child Abuse and Your Duty to Report It." Morris joined several lawmakers, including Sen. Carlos Uresti (left), and child advocates who expressed support for child abuse prevention efforts. To watch "The Little Voice" video or public service announcements, click here. To read the accompanying public education brochure, click here. To read a recent Texas Bar Journal article about the project, click here.
The American College of Trial Lawyers and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) will host the championship rounds of the National Trial Competition (NTC) on Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8 at the Harris County Civil Courthouse downtown on 201 Caroline Street, Houston, 77002. This competition is the premiere mock trial competition in the country. The top 28 law school mock trial teams from around the country will advance from their region to the NTC Championship Rounds in Houston. Read more information about the competition.
Election 2011 online voting for State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) presidents-elect will begin April 1 and end May 2. Paper ballots will be mailed April 1.
The State Bar Board of Directors approved the nominations of Guy Choate of San Angelo and F.R. "Buck" Files, Jr. of Tyler as State Bar president-elect candidates. The TYLA Board of Directors approved the nominations of David Courreges of Austin and C.E. Rhodes of Houston as TYLA president-elect candidates.
To view the candidates' bios, please visit www.texasbar.com/elections.
The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association are looking for 20 Texas lawyers to participate in LeadershipSBOT. This diversity initiative is designed to recruit, train, and retain Texas lawyers for leadership positions in the legal community and the State Bar of Texas. Program participants will be selected to reflect the cultural, ethnic, geographic, and practice area diversity of the state. It is not designed to compete with bar association and local affiliate leadership academies but to complement those exceptional programs.
Nomination forms should be submitted by July 1, 2011. Read the nomination letter and download the nomination form.
Yesterday, the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) presented their Vote America! video to over 700 high school senior students at Judson High School in San Antonio.
To remind us of our civic duty, Vote America! educates students about the heroic efforts made for equality and democracy; the struggles of the civil rights era, passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 15th, 19th, and 26th amendments to the U.S. Constitution are all chronicled in this historical video.
The event was a tremendous success as not only did TYLA present to a large number of students, but they also helped register 106 new voters! The event was a day-long presentation divided into class periods which allowed the senior class students to attend and register to vote.
The presentation began with a step-by-step overview of the voter registration card and a question-and-answer session on "voting myths." TYLA committee members presented the Vote America! video followed by a question-and-answer session.
You can find out more about the Vote America! project on TYLA's website at http://www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/projects/vote-america/ .
The State Bar of Texas would like to congratulate the 2010 Law Day contest winners! Download a list of the winners (pdf).
The theme for the contest this year was Law in the 21st Century: Enduring Traditions, Emerging Challenges.
The first, second, and third-place winners of the statewide contest in each category have been invited to the State Bar of Texas Law Day Luncheon on Friday, April 30, 2010. The luncheon will be hosted by the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Young Lawyers Association, where awards will be presented to the winners.
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“R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace” is designed to educate children and their parents about online dangers and give them the tools needed to be safe while online. The DVD was created by the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) and is available for viewing and downloading at www.tyla.org/rusafe or may be requested by calling 512.427.1529.
The video covers such topics as cyber bullying, social networking sites, chat rooms, sexting, and online predators. Each part of the four-part DVD is 15-20 minutes in length and geared toward a specific age group, helping kids and parents learn how to report suspicious activity and understand the legal ramifications of certain online behavior.
The project is made possible by a generous grant from the Texas Bar Foundation, the largest charitably-funded bar foundation in the country. Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has distributed over $10 million in grants.
Members of the TYLA Cyber Awareness Committee include Brett Busby, Houston, Adrienne Clements, Fort Worth, Kirsten Cohoon, Houston, Alyssa Long, Houston, Erin O’Driscoll, Houston, Jobe Rodgers, Lubbock, and David Anderson, Dallas.
The State Bar is seeking nominations for the 2009-2010 class of LeadershipSBOT, which is designed to prepare lawyers for leadership positions in the legal community. Click here for a nomination form (PDF), which must be submitted by July 1, 2009.
On Friday, March 27, the Texas A&M University Board of Regents selected Andrew Strong as general counsel of the Texas A&M System. As general counsel he'll be responsible for all legal matters affecting the system and provide legal counsel to A&M's board of regents, chancellor, and CEOs.
Strong is a partner in the Houston office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, which he joined in 2005 after serving as the managing partner of Campbell, George & Strong since 1994. At A&M Strong replaces former general counsel Jay Kimbrough, who now works in the governor's office. According to an article in the Bryan College Station Eagle, details of Strong's starting date as general counsel are being worked out.
Strong is a former president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and currently servces as chair of the State Bar of Texas Legal Services to the Poor in Civil Matters Committee, co-chair of the Texas Access to Justice Commission's Civil Gideon Task Force, and chair of the Children at Risk's Public Policy and Law Center.
The finals of the 34th Annual National Trial Competition are set for March 26 - 28 in San Antonio. Its cohosts are the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) and the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL). A whopping 152 law schools and 300 teams competed in 14 regionals around the country, and 28 finalists are headed to San Antonio.
The TYLA and ACTL are seeking 56 judges for each of the first three preliminary rounds, and 56 witnesses for each of the first four preliminary rounds.
If you can serve as a judge in one or more of the championship rounds, please click the following links (judges must be licensed attorneys):
Round 1: 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday, March 26
Round 2: 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 26
Round 3: 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday, March 27
If you can serve as a witness in one or more of the championship rounds, please click the following links. (Note the earlier starting time for witness preparation):
Round 1: 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Thursday, March 26
Round 2: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 26
Round 3: 8 a.m. to 12 noon on Friday, March 27
Round 4: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 27
This is a big request, but also a great chance to nurture the careers of aspiring lawyers and help the legal community. If you need more information about being a judge, please email Ashley Street or Israel Garcia. For more information about being a witness, please email Alyssa Long or Alfonso Cabanas.
Have news tips or suggestions? Email them to john.sirman@texasbar.com
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