The Texas Young Lawyers Association took home four national awards at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting last week in San Francisco, California.
The ABA’s Young Lawyers Division presents the Awards of Achievement every year to state and local young lawyer associations that have expended considerable time and effort on outreach projects that meaningfully impact the public and the legal community.
TYLA, which is known as the public service arm of the State Bar of Texas, was recognized for its achievements in four of the five award categories. “I am so proud of the hard work and dedication of all of our directors and volunteers,” said Immediate Past TYLA President Barrett Thomas. “I was personally very aware of their significant contributions and sacrifice on behalf of the bar and those we represent. Yet, it feels very good to see that others also have taken notice of all the good work TYLA has done—for both lawyers and non-lawyers alike.”
TYLA’s awards included:
- First place in the comprehensive application category that highlights the association’s broad range of programming.
- First place for its single service project to the public, Strength in Unity, which seeks to strengthen ties among law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.
- First place for its single project on diversity, Pregnancy in the Workplace, a brochure and podcast that provide guidance for employees and employers on the legal rights and obligations surrounding pregnancy and parenthood.
- Second place for its single service project to the bar, And Justice For All, an interactive website and documentary series meant to educate attorneys on how to avoid contributing to the wrongful convictions of innocent persons.
Several local young lawyer affiliates were also honored for their projects, including the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, the Houston Young Lawyers Association, and the Austin Young Lawyers Association.
For more information on TYLA and its array of projects, go to tyla.org.