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

Choices
By Brad Allen

Brad Allen

“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

--- Professor Dumbledore from J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince is the undisputed movie champion of 2009. In its first five days it made more money than most movies make in their entirety. And the nearly universal glowing reviews will only fuel this theatrical juggernaut.

If you are one of the few that have not seen the movie or read the book – I offer the following spoiler-free summary. Harry Potter, the boy wizard, continues his journey to unravel the history and mystery of his arch nemesis Lord Voldermort. Harry is joined by the usual cast of friends and teachers as the stage is set for the ultimate showdown in the next book and movies. (Cont.)

Top Story

TYLA Annual Report

Justice Ann Crawford McClure, Eighth Court of Appeals, El Paso Swearing-In Cori A. Harbour, TYLA President 2009-2010.

Wow. What a Year!

The 2008-2009 year was an exciting year that seemed to fly by, but it was also a year in which our President, Sylvia Cardona, lead us to create so many new and wonderful projects to serve other lawyers, the community and law students. (Cont.)

 

 

Feature TYLA Project

TYLA State Moot Court Competition
By Clint Harbour

TYLA President Sylvia A. Cardona, Mark Erickson, Rob Sherwin, Rickie Cayton, and Vanessa Burgess

TYLA conducted its annual State Moot Court competition last month during the State Bar Annual Meeting. As in the past, State Moot was a success. This year the problem was a criminal case concerning a lewd gesture, freedom of speech, and the Court of Criminal Appeals' “8th Grade Grammar Test” among other issues.

Seven law schools from around Texas participated in the three day event: Baylor, Houston, St. Mary's, South Texas College of Law, Southern Methodist, Texas Tech, and Texas Wesleyan. (Cont.)

 

 

Tips for Young Lawyers

Welcome New Lawyers to the Practice of Law
By Alyssa J. Long

Alyssa J. Long

“What you do / still betters what is done.” (Shakespeare, A Winter's Tale, IV, iv)

I have been truly lucky thus far in my short legal career to have already had several powerful, inspiring mentors. In asking my young lawyer friends about mentoring advice, I received several responses showing me that they were also fortunate to have strong, encouraging mentors. Being that we are “young” lawyers, you may think that it is a bit premature to wax nostalgic about lessons learned. However, no matter if you are a first or a tenth-year lawyer it is never too early to begin to motivate others. Be it your fellow lawyers or your legal assistants and paralegals - it is always time to teach others and create ownership in the workspace and environment you occupy. (Cont.)

Article of Interest

The Trouble with Twitter: How Social Networking Sites Are Impacting The Workplace And What Employers Should Do About It.
By Marlene C. Williams and Keenya Harrold

Upcoming Events

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 8,000 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 .