TYLA eNews, January 2008

“What does this song mean? For my whole life I don't know what this song means. I mean, ‘Should old acquaintance be forgot.” Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances or does it mean if we happen to forget them we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot them?”
--Harry Burns (Billy Crystal) from, When Harry Met Sally

Like Harry, I have always wondered what this song means. Actually, I have always wondered what the words were past the first sentence. You hear this song on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve Party every year after the ball drops, but the crowd sounds like it is singing with marbles in their mouths after the first sentence.(Cont.)

Feature TYLA Affiliate

El Paso Young Lawyers Association's “Christmas of Hope”
By Cori A. Harbour

The El Paso Young Lawyers Association (“EPYLA”) annually sponsors a Christmas party for disadvantaged and/or underprivileged children from the El Paso/Juarez community. On December 15, 2007, EPYLA, together with the American Cancer Society and Las Palmas Medical Center, sponsored a “Christmas of Hope.” The “Christmas
of Hope” benefited children whose parents are suffering from cancer and cancer treatments which prevent the families from providing their children with the type of holiday atmosphere that many take for granted. In some cases, the parents of the “Christmas of Hope” children are able to provide only the most basic necessities of life, and in other cases the parents are virtually unable to interact with their children because of the parents' condition. (Cont.)

Meet the Affiliates

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 Brad Allen, Rabecca Cross or Connie Pfeiffer.

Feature TYLA Project

TYLA'S video seeks to inform students of Workplace Rights and Responsibilities
By Kirsten Cohoon

Do you recall your first job? Mine was in a monogramming shop on Galveston Island's Strand with two other girlfriends from my high school. The shop owner was a cross between a surrogate mother and a high school friend. I truly enjoyed my first job and gained a variety of skills that I still use in my current profession. My experience is what I hope for all other youths looking to land their first job. (Cont.)

Tips for Young Lawyers


*Brad Allen*

Tips for effectively representing new professionals in employment contract negotiations
By Brad Allen

All contracts, whether complex or simple, establish rights and obligations of the parties to the agreement. In most situations, the parties do not enter the negotiations or relationship with equal strength or bargaining power. Often times the entity in the superior position offers a contract that attempts to allocate a disproportionate amount of risk or obligation to the other party or parties. This is often the case in a situation in which a young or new professional is offered an employment agreement by an established business. (Cont.)

Article of Interest

Maggie Weaver: A TYLA Hero
By Florencia Rueda


Florencia Rueda and Maggie Weaver

My law school was full of the usual suspects found in every entering law school class. Not surprisingly, we had the gunners, the undercover gunners, those who had uncles, brothers, cousins or parents who were lawyers, and those of us who knew we had nothing else to do with our English degree but go to law school. But what set my entering class apart from any other law school class was the character of one particularly brave classmate—Maggie Weaver. (Cont.)

If you are interested in submitting an article that you would like featured in eNews, please forward it to the eNews Co-Chairs Brad Allen, Rabecca Cross and Connie Pfeiffer or contact Bree Trevino at the TYLA office.

ABA/YLD

If you have any questions about ABA/YLD conferences or projects, please contact: Kimberly Burke, ABA/YLD District 25 Representative or Chris Rogers, ABA /YLD District 26 Representative through these email links.

Don't forget, TYLA also offers over 200 free, ten minute segments on a
range of topics from the state's leading attorneys...

Take Note

TYLA is looking for speakers to present new segments for the popular Ten Minute Mentor online library.

The next taping sessions will occur in:

Houston at the downtown Hyatt Regency on January 31, 2008 from 9am to 4pm and at the State Bar Annual Meeting on June 26th, 2008.

Austin at the Texas Law Center on February 6, 2008 from 9am to 5pm.

Dallas at the Adolphus hotel on March 27, 2008 from 9am to 4pm.

If you are interested in presenting, please contact Connie Pfeiffer (Houston); David Courreges (Austin); or Chris Rogers (Dallas).

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.
$25.00 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
Member Benefits Program
Are you looking for ways to save money in 2008? Start the New Year off with 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.
2008 Annual Meeting
Join us in Houston June 26-27, 2008 for the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. Registration includes admission to all CLE programs, all MCLE materials on a flash drive as well as breakfast and lunch each day.

Don't miss our Friday, June 27th line-up:

Bench Bar Breakfast - Jeffrey Toobin, CNN senior legal analyst and author of The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, will be the guest speaker. Texas judges are the Bar's guests for Friday's events.
General Session Luncheon – The luncheon features a debate on one of today's hottest topics - immigration policy. ESPN Legal Analyst Roger Cossack will moderate the debate, which is sponsored by the State Bar Litigation Section and will feature panelists David Martin, Cecilila Munoz, and Mark Krikorian.

Online registration begins February 19th at www.texasbar.com/annualmeeting.
TYLA Annual Report 2007
Want to know how TYLA is serving its members and the community? Then be sure to read the 2007 annual report, which details the activities of TYLA during the 2006-2007 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, now is the best time. The new Bar year is just getting underway, and you can get in on the ground floor and really help shape the work of our public or member service committees of your choice. 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 2007, you will need to sign up for your committees again. Committee memberships are reset each year on June 1.

Upcoming Events

January 18-19, 2008: TYLA's 3rd Quarterly Board Meeting, Corpus Christi
January 24, 2008: HYLA Special Olympics will host the annual auction
from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Alden Hotel, 1111 Prairie. Once again, they have
fun and unique auction items so mark this date on your calendar! For
more information, please contact Trace Morrill.
January 25, 2008: 8:30am-5:00pm, Sheraton South Padre Island.
The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) presents its 3rd Annual MCLE seminar: Immigration Consequences of Criminal Convictions How to Successfully Defend Your Clients in Immigration Court. For more details please click here.
January 31, 2008: They Had a Dream Too Presentation, State Capitol, Austin. For more information please contact David Courreges.