Meet the NEW TYLA Board

PRESIDENT
Cori A. Harbour, El Paso

CHAIR
C.E. Rhodes, Houston

VICE PRESIDENT
Natalie Cobb Koehler, Meridian

SECRETARY
David C. Courreges, Austin

TREASURER
Jeff Chandler, San Angelo

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Jennifer Evans Morris, Dallas

CHAIR-ELECT
David Anderson, Dallas

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Sylvia A. Cardona, San Antonio

DIRECTORS

Jeffrey A. Armstrong, Waco
Hector A. Beltrán, El Paso
Robert E. Booth, Galveston
Natasha L. Brooks, Midland
Kelly L. Burris, Dallas
J. Brett Busby, Houston
Alfonso Cabañas, San Antonio
M. Vittoria "Giugi" Carminati, Houston
Kelly-Ann F. Clarke, Galveston
Adrienne M. Clements, Fort Worth
David C. Courreges, Austin (Secretary)
Michael E. Deadman, San Angelo
Geoff A. Gannaway, Houston
Israel Garcia, San Antonio
Don Jones, Corpus Christi
Sarah Kownacki, Dallas
Keith L. Krueger, College Station
J.P. LeCompte, Denton
Alyssa J. Long, San Antonio
John Massouh, Amarillo
Jennifer Evans Morris, Dallas (President-elect)
Erin O'Driscoll, Houston
Chike Okpara, Austin
Connie H. Pfeiffer, Houston
Kristy Sims Piazza, Plano
Donato D. Ramos, Jr., Laredo
Jaime S. Rangel, Corpus Christi
Ken Riney, Dallas
Jobe Rodgers, Lubbock
Shivali Sharma, Texarkana
Paul Tu, Houston
Brooke Ulrickson, Fort Worth
Rebecca Vela, McAllen
Clint Woods, Beaumont

LIAISONS

Justice Paul W. Green, Texas Supreme Court

Clint Harbour, Access To Justice

Kirby D. Hopkins, ABA YLD District 25

Chip Brooker, ABA YLD District 26

Dean Donald J. Guter, Law School

Jessica Alexander, Law Student

STAFF OFFICE

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 12487
Austin 78711-2487
Physical Address:
1414 Colorado, 4th Floor
Austin 78701
(800) 204-2222, ext. 1529
(512) 427-1529
fax: (512) 427-4117

Tracy Brown, Director
Bree Trevino, Project Coordinator
Michelle Palacios, Office Manager

Editor's Column

What Deeds Will You Do?
By Chip Brooker

Chip Brooker

In the legal profession—and particularly for bar associations—August is a time for new beginnings. The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association have recently sworn in new officers and trained new directors in preparation for a new bar year. Recent law school graduates have just finished the bar exam and are preparing to begin their legal careers (right after returning from their “bar trips”). Meanwhile, law schools across the state are welcoming new classes of idealistic law students, who are eager to learn about torts, criminal law, and civil procedure. (Cont.)

Top Story

Overview of Upcoming TYLA Year/How to Get Involved
By Cori A. Harbour

Cori A. Harbour

After the annual meeting in June, the TYLA committees wasted no time gearing up for the bar year. While continuing to educate Texans about the rule of law and their rights and responsibilities, TYLA also plans to expand the services offered to its membership, continue educating Texas children, as well as focus on Access to Justice for all Texas citizens. Some of the new projects and programs on the horizon include: (Cont.)

 

Feature TYLA Affiliate

Let Freedom Run.
By Kenneth C. Riney

The Ninth Annual Freedom Run, organized by the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers and benefiting the Assist the Officer Foundation, continues the tradition of remembering not only the heroes and victims of the 9/11 tragedies, but also the sacrifices that our local police officers and first responders make on a daily basis. The Freedom Run 5K run and the Bill Carollo one mile walk will take place on the evening of Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Dallas City Hall Plaza, located at 1500 Marilla Dr. in downtown Dallas. (Cont.)

Please email the TYLA office if there are any changes to your local affiliates contact information.

If your affiliate has an upcoming event that you would like featured in eNews, please forward the information to Bree Trevino or contact eNews Co-Chairs Kristy Piazza, Ken Riney or Brooke Ulrickson.

TYLA and Texas Lawyers for Children Need Your Help to Protect Abused and Neglected Children
By Kristy Piazza

Kristy Piazza

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Service's 2008 Databook, over 70,500 children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect in this state. Of these, 31,000 children were placed in foster care and over 14,000 children were placed in the permanent managing conservatorship of the state.

In Texas, children who have active court cases are provided a court-appointed attorney and guardian ad litem to help protect their interests and well-being. (Cont.)

 

Ethical Considerations in Social Media
By Judge Susan Criss

Judge Criss

Here is a recent exchange from Facebook:

Attorney A  is going to the HBA Civil Bench Bar Conference in Galveston.

Attorney B Have a great time. I don't think I am going to make it.

Attorney C Judge Criss is taking a break from my trial to attend. (Keep her in a good mood!).

Judge Criss I promise I will stay in a good mood!

Attorney D  Oh that's funny. Err ... yes, Facebook is quite public, you know.

Facebook has over 250 million active users and its fastest growing demographic is people 35 years old and older. 1The top demographic on Twitter is 45-54 year-olds. 2Social media is not just for teenagers anymore. Your next client, witness, and jury will likely be active on one or more social media networks. (Cont.)

Article of Interest

81st Legislative Session Wrap-up
By David C. Courreges

David C. Courreges

In the months leading up to the 81st Legislative Session, the consensus was that the session would yield major reforms in transportation, insurance, the judiciary, and education, with a primary concern being the looming budget short-fall. By the time January 13, 2009 arrived, all signs pointed to a promising 140 days. Members enjoyed a very productive interim and were already well on their way to filing a record 7,419 combined bills aimed at, or at least pointed somewhere in the vicinity of, addressing many of the problems faced by the State. (Cont.)

Important Dates to Remember

October 22-24
ABA YLD Fall Conference - Birmingham, Alabama

October 26
TYLA deadline to receive second committee report

Take Note

View This Month's President's Opinion

Cori A. Harbour
TYLA President 2009-2010

Ten Minute Mentor has more than 20 free videos for attorneys about disaster response and recovery. Click "view index by category" and choose "disaster response." Click here for more disaster resources for attorneys.

The Texas Young Lawyers Association is adding new segments to the Ten Minute Mentor library. Ten Minute Mentor is a TYLA project that debuted in 2004 as a means for sharing concise and practical advice that is always accessible online. Since that time, it has proven its enduring appeal as one of TYLA's most successful projects. More than 50,000 people have visited the site, and we continue to average more than 2,000 segments viewed each month. You can visit the site at www.tenminutementor.com.

TYLA Annual Report 2008-2009
Want to know how TYLA is serving its members and the community? Then be sure to read the 2008-2009 annual report, which details the activities of TYLA during the 2008-2009 Bar year. Click here for a copy or call 800-204-2222, ext. 1529 and we'll send you a copy.

Get Involved and Sign Up Today!
If you want to be involved as an active volunteer in TYLA visit our website to find out more about TYLA committees and their focus ... then sign up online!

Please note: if you signed up for a committee prior to June 2009, you will need to sign up for your committees again. Committee memberships are reset each year on June 1.

Support Pro Bono Legal Services and Let Everyone Know It!

The Texas Young Lawyers Association needs your help to support and promote free legal services for indigent Texans by purchasing a specialty license plate. The license plate proudly states that you support "Justice for All" and can be purchased for only $30.00 per year.
$22.00 from the purchase of each plate will be deposited into an account
supporting legal services to the poor. If you would like that plate personalized, you can get your plate for $70.00 per year. To purchase your plate today, simply fill out an application and send your check, payable to the Texas Department of Transportation, to the following address:
Vehicle Titles and Registration Division (SPB)
Texas Department of Transportation
Austin, TX 78779-0001
To pay online click here.

Make New Connections with Texas Bar Circle
More than 11,000 of your peers have joined Texas Bar Circle - our social and professional network for Texas lawyers. Join today and reconnect with colleagues, find jobs, explore opportunities, and have fun. The power of Texas Bar Circle is in the connections you will make. Visit https://texasbar.affinitycircles.com/sbot/auth/login.

Member Benefits Program
Are you looking for ways to save this fall? Take advantage of exclusive money-saving offers from the State Bar of Texas Member Benefits Program. Bar members are eligible for discounts on products and services including car rental, clothing, computer hardware and software, office supplies, and more. For details on the State Bar Member Benefits Program, visit www.texasbar.com/benefits .