The Texas Young Lawyers Association and young lawyer affiliates in Dallas and San Antonio earned national awards August 3 at the 2018 American Bar Association Annual Meeting in Chicago.
TYLA, the public service arm of the State Bar of Texas, was recognized with 2017-2018 ABA Young Lawyers Division Awards of Achievement in the public service and diversity categories for its Hurricane Harvey disaster relief resources and its annual Diversity Dinner.
TYLA’s disaster relief resources included guides in English and Spanish on topics such as replacing lost documents, filing claims for federal disaster assistance, hiring a contractor, and employment during a natural disaster.
The 2017 Diversity Dinner, held July 27 in Houston, featured a keynote address by Houston lawyer Diana Marshall and an overview of TYLA’s project I Was the First. You Can Be a Lawyer Too!, a video series highlighting the contributions of first-generation lawyers. The 2018 Diversity Dinner, held May 22 in Austin, featured a “Legal Legends” panel discussion with Texas Supreme Court Justice Paul Green, 261st Civil District Court Judge Lora Livingston, former State Bar of Texas President Lisa Tatum, and Austin attorney Steve McConnico.
Dallas Association of Young Lawyers received an award for its newsletter, The Dicta. San Antonio Young Lawyers Association received three awards: a comprehensive award for overall programming, a public service award for its Hurricane Harvey disaster response legal clinics, and a bar service award for The Balcony: The Trial of Lee Johnson, attorney Lee Cusenbary’s one-act play based on a 1913 local murder trial.
“I am so proud of our Texas young lawyers, who continue to set the standard for young lawyer organizations across the country,” said 2017-2018 TYLA President Baili B. Rhodes. “Our members dedicated countless volunteer hours to these projects because they have a passion for public service, and I am thankful to the ABA Young Lawyers Division for recognizing their exceptional work.”