New TYLA Teen Dating Violence Handbook "Love Me, Love Me Not"
By Kristy Piazza

TYLA created the Teen Dating Violence Handbook "Love Me, Love Me Not" in an effort to educate youth and parents about the warning signs of teen dating violence, various legal protection available, and resources to help prevent and put an end to dating violence among teens. TYLA will distribute the handbook to schools across Texas to raise awareness about this important issue. TYLA will present the Handbook to students at Paul Revere Middle School in Houston, Texas in February and is in the process of scheduling more roll-outs at schools across Texas. (Cont.)

Tips for Young Lawyers

TYLA Launches Affiliate Website Generator
By Robert Booth

The Texas Young Lawyers Association's Technology Committee has launched a new website generator service for its 28 local TYLA affiliates. Each local affiliate can now obtain and customize a branded website which will have a consistent look and feel across affiliates and is similar to the highly anticipated re-launch of TYLA.org.

The website generator will allow local affiliates to recruit new members by featuring membership applications and organizational information. The website generator also features an organizational calendaring system for publicizing events and meetings. (Cont.)

Article of Interest

Designation of Responsible Third Parties does not revive claims by the Statute of Repose
By Robert Booth

The Texas Supreme Court recently ruled in Galbraith Engineering Consultants, Inc. v. Pochucha that although a designation of responsible third parties can revive a claim barred by the statute of limitations, it cannot revive a claim barred by the statute of repose. Galbraith Eng'g Consultants, Inc. v. Pochucha , 290 S.W.3d 863 (Tex. 2009).

Galbraith Engineering involved a homeowner suing for damage to their home allegedly arising from the installation of a French drain system. Id . at 865. Homeowner first sued the builder for negligence and builder answered and filed a motion for leave to designate the engineer as a responsible third party. Id . Galbraith was joined and filed a motion for summary judgment under the applicable statute of repose, which bars claims against engineers and architects when more than ten years has elapsed after the substantial completion of the improvement to real property. (Cont.)

ABA YLD Update

Young Lawyers Assemble at Disney World
By Chip Brooker

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (“ABA YLD”) held its most recent meeting during the ABA Midyear Meeting in Orlando, Florida on February 4-6, 2010. During the Midyear Meeting, the ABA YLD held its biannual Assembly. The ABA YLD Assembly is the principal policy-making body of the ABA YLD.

During the Midyear Assembly, many issues of importance to young lawyers and potential resolutions for adoption were debated and then voted upon. (Cont.)

Access To Justice Commission Update

“Talkin' Bout a [Resolution]:” Report Your Pro Bono Hours for 2009
Submitted By Lisa Villarreal-Rios

For the 40 to 45 percent of us who continue to make New Year's resolutions, we all know the drill: make a resolution on New Year's Eve and, for more than half of us “Resolution-aries,” forget about the resolution 6 months down the road. Ouch! That sounds horribly depressing. But hark!—research still suggests that making resolutions is positive and aids in goal-setting. And, anyway, what we resolve to accomplish may be a factor in whether it gets achieved or not.

This article doesn't intend to encourage you to do something crazy like complete the Ironman or finally learn to sing as well as…say Tracy Chapman. Rather, it is just a “whisper” to report your pro bono hours. (Cont.)

Important Dates to Remember

February 1
TYLA director nomination petitions appear in the Texas Bar Journal and are mailed to outgoing TYLA Directors and Local Affiliate Presidents

February 1
TYLA notice of Minority At-Large Director Place 2 election mailed to all TYLA Board of Directors, Local Affiliates, Minority Bar Associations and Texas Bar Journal

February 10
TYLA Officer election results are announced

February 12
TYLA Outstanding Young Lawyer of Texas Award, Liberty Bell Award and Outstanding Mentor Award rules and criteria are mailed to TYLA Local Affiliate Presidents, Local Bars, and Minority Bar Associations

February 15
Holiday-Presidents' Day (Texas Law Center closed)

February 26
TYLA Texas Off-Campus Recruitment Program at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas.

March 1
Filing deadline for nominating petitions for SBOT and TYLA Director and President-elect positions, 5:00pm.

March 1
SBOT and TYLA President-elect nominees' campaigns begin outside of their offices

March 4-6
LeadershipSBOT

March 5
TYLA notice to all TYLA Local Affiliate Presidents announcing deadlines for the TYLA and the ABA YLD Award of Achievement Competition

March 5
TYLA notice of ABA YLD District 25 Representative election mailed to all ABA YLD District 25 affiliate presidents

March 15
TYLA deadline to receive completed nomination forms for the Minority At-Large Director Place 2 election.

March 24-27
TYLA National Trial Competition, Dallas. Please click here for more information. If you are interested in being a judge or witness please see below for more information.

Take Note

2010 National Trial Competition
The Texas Young Lawyers Association and the American College of Trial Lawyers are proud to host the 35th Annual National Trial Competition, which will be held in the great city of Dallas, Texas. The competition is the preeminent mock trial competition in the country. This year we have 156 law schools, approximately 300 teams, competing in fourteen regional competitions across the nation. The two winning teams from each regional competition will advance to the national rounds and will come to Dallas to compete in this prestigious mock trial tournament on March 24-27, 2010. (Cont.)

Special Thanks to Nigel Clarke!
Thanks to Nigel Clarke for donating his time and equipment to film lawyers from all over the State tape segments of Ten Minute Mentor and Ten Minute Mentor Goes To Law School. Through his donation we added more than 20 segments to each project. Please try to use Nigel for your video needs to support those who support us. In Houston and the surrounding areas, you can schedule Nigel through Sunbelt Reporting by asking for Marci Galentine at 713-667-0763 or mgalentine@sunbeltreporting.com. You can schedule Sunbelt throughout the State by calling 1.800.666.0763. When you call, please remember to ask for Nigel as your videographer. Thanks again Nigel!

Save the Date! State Bar Annual Meeting, June 10-11, 2010
Join State Bar President Roland Johnson and TYLA President Cori Harbour at the Fort Worth Convention Center for the 2010 State Bar Annual Meeting June 10-11, where you can load up on CLE during two full days of quality programming, including the following keynote speakers: former U.S. Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, veteran NFL referee Walt Coleman, and Annual Meeting favorites Roger Cossack and Jeffrey Toobin. (Cont.)

TYLA Minority Scholarship Program
Annually, a $1,000 scholarship is 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: (1) enter the legal profession; and (2) participate in the programs and activities of TYLA and the State Bar of Texas. The application deadline is in October. The scholarship awards are distributed prior to the Spring semester. Please click here to view the winners for 2009.

State Bar 2010 YouTube Contest - Call for Entries
What if our state, and our country, had no lawyers? Or no judges? What would happen to our society then? Would we see a return to the lawlessness of the Wild West? This year's State Bar of Texas YouTube contest theme is the "Importance of the Legal System."

We want you to think about these questions:
1. Why are lawyers important to our society?
2. How is the court system important to our society?

Choose one of the questions and create a 30-second video similar to a public service announcement. You must be a Texas resident or an attorney licensed to practice in Texas. Watch State Bar President Roland Johnson's call for entries video and get the complete contest rules at www.texasbar.com/texansonjustice. We encourage local bar associations to submit their own video entry. It's also a fun and creative school project for your children, so encourage them and their classmates to enter as well! The deadline for entries is April 1, 2010.

Texas Off-Campus Recruitment Program

The Texas Off-Campus Recruitment Program will be held February 26, 2010 at South Texas College of Law in Houston, Texas.

The Texas Off-Campus Recruitment Program is a collaborative effort between TYLA and the nine Texas law schools to provide a unique recruitment opportunity for employers seeking to hire law students for summer clerkships and/or associate positions. It is the ideal forum for employers with diverse or infrequent hiring needs, and for those who want to supplement annual, formalized recruitment efforts with a minimal investment of time. Participating employers are able to interview students from all Texas law schools at one location.

20th Anniversary of the Texas Lawyer's Creed
20 years ago, the Texas Supreme Court promulgated the Texas Lawyer's Creed. As a challenge to the aggressive lawyering techniques that drive up fees for clients and harm the reputation of the profession, The Creed announced principles applicable to all Texas lawyers for civility and courtesy between lawyers and honesty in statements to judges and lawyers.

Please join members of the original drafting committee for a discussion of the Creed's development, their reflections on the state of the profession at its inception, and its ongoing impact on legal professionalism. Please click here to view the free class and earn .5 hours of ethics MCLE credit.

Hurricane Ike Response Continues
The storm may be gone, but the need for volunteers and donations to provide legal services to victims of Hurricane Ike continues. Please see the State Bar of Texas's 2008 Hurricane Response page for details on hurricane relief efforts and resources, including information on donations and volunteer opportunities. The State Bar of Texas has a disaster hotline, (800) 504-7030, to help assist with basic legal questions following a disaster. Hundreds of attorney volunteers are needed to help answer basic legal questions of those affected. Read more.

View This Month's TYLA 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.

TYLA Local Leader Directory
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

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 12,000 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 .

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

R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace
By Alyssa J. Long

New TYLA Teen Dating Violence Handbook "Love Me, Love Me Not"
By Kristy Piazza

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

R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace By Alyssa J. Long

New TYLA Teen Dating Violence Handbook "Love Me, Love Me Not" By Kristy Piazza

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

R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace
By Alyssa J. Long

New TYLA Teen Dating Violence Handbook "Love Me, Love Me Not"
By Kristy Piazza