In this episode of the State Bar of Texas Podcast, host Rocky Dhir welcomes two leaders: State Bar of Texas President Santos Vargas and Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) President Alyson A. Martinez. They discuss their goals for the 2025-2026 bar year, highlighting projects aimed at strengthening access to justice and expanding public service. Vargas provides an update on the “Stand With Santos” campaign, which raises awareness and funding to support the civil legal needs of low-income Texans. Martinez discusses TYLA’s For the Public, which showcases lawyers working in public service roles and aims to increase understanding of these vital career paths.
Santos Vargas is the president and a past chair of the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas. He is a shareholder in Davis & Santos, where he runs a practice focused on complex business litigation, financial institution litigation, and fiduciary litigation matters. Vargas has served as president of the San Antonio Bar Association and the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association. He has also served as the co-chair of the Texas Bar Journal Board of Editors and chair of the State Bar of Texas Local Bar Services Committee. Vargas is a member of the Texas Bar Foundation, the San Antonio Bar Foundation, and the William S. Sessions American Inns of Court. He is a 2004 graduate of the Syracuse University College of Law. In addition to his activities in the legal community, Vargas is a graduate of Class 34 of Leadership San Antonio and a 2005 graduate of the Alex Briseño Leadership Development Program. He draws upon his extensive leadership experience with the State Bar of Texas, the San Antonio Bar Association, and other organizations to diligently and faithfully represent the lawyers of the state of Texas.
Alyson A. Martinez, a native of Laredo, is the first attorney in her family, graduating from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Commencing her career at the Webb County Public Defender’s Office, she represented justice-involved, indigent individuals. Currently, Martinez serves as the director of the Webb County Community Supervision and Corrections Department in Laredo and Zapata. In addition, she is the legal adviser for the Probation Advisory Committee of Texas.
Listen to the episode here:
The State Bar of Texas Podcast is produced in association with the Legal Talk Network.