Editor's Column
The Perfect Resume
By Kelly Burris
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Kelly Burris |
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As May creeps into June, the country continues to struggle with a bad economy and we in the legal field have had to come to terms with the fact that attorneys are not immune from the lay-offs and cut-backs that have plagued other professions. Many firms have had to significantly downsize their number of practicing attorneys and many sole practitioners have not been able to generate enough work to keep their offices afloat. These events have put significant strain on the job market for attorneys, thus greatly increasing the competition for every available position. The attorney that is hired for a position must stand out among the dozens of other lawyers being considered for the job as soon as the resumes are reviewed. This means that to even get an interview an attorney has to have an impressive resume. Unfortunately, most attorneys looking for employment greatly underestimate the importance of volunteer work when putting together an outstanding resume.
(Cont.)
Top Story
Jennifer Evans Morris of Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, LLP in Dallas was elected TYLA President-elect. She will assume the duties of President in June 2010.
Congratulations to all newly elected 2009-2010 TYLA officers and directors!
Click here to see the 2009-2010 Executive Committee roster.
Feature
TYLA Affiliate
DAYL's Barristers for Babies Committee Embraces Children's Causes
By
Kimberly Wilson
When Dallas lawyers give back to the community, they give back in a big way. The Dallas Association of Young Lawyers' Barristers for Babies committee experienced this firsthand when its Teddy Bear Drive last December resulted in the collection of hundreds of stuffed animals donated by the Dallas legal community to the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and the Buckner Children and Family Services. Organizers of the drive were overwhelmed by the support and committee members were inspired to become even more involved with these local community organizations in 2009. The Barristers for Babies committee's focus has been charitable acts with organizations who serve local children and planning family friendly activities for lawyers, law students, and their families. (Cont.)
Please email the TYLA office if there are any changes to your local affiliates contact information.
Tips for Young Lawyers
Welcome New Lawyers to the Practice of Law
By Sylvia A. Cardona
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Sylvia A. Cardona |
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The Texas Young Lawyers Association experienced an exciting and productive 2008-2009 bar year. Volunteers from across the state made an enormous impact assisting our community and our members. Their commitment and time made a difference. To learn about TYLA's accomplishments, I encourage you to preview its annual report (click here).
As President of TYLA, I had the honor of sharing TYLA's message to many Texas lawyers, most recently to our newly licensed lawyers in Austin. The swearing in ceremony is a highlight in most lawyers' career as it marked the beginning of a challenging journey. (Cont.)
Article of Interest
Letter to the President
By
Rick Kubes
The letter below was sent to Sylvia Cardona, TYLA President, by Rick Kubes referencing the article "How Will You Be Rememberd" by Brook Ulrickson published in April.
Dear Ms. Cardona,
On behalf of our immediate family, my extended family and our son Jeff, who is smiling on us all and flattered/embarrassed by all the attention, I want to express our gratitude and some observations.
First, Brooke Ulrickson, in her article, "How will you be remembered", did a wonderful job inspiring other lawyers to uphold the highest traditions of the legal profession while at the same time giving great comfort to our family. Her comments were very insightful and uplifting and reinforced the need to always remember and protect your integrity and the integrity of your profession. (Cont.)
ABA YLD Spring Conference in Nawlins The American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division and Law Practice Management Section held a Joint Spring Conference May 14-16, 2009, at The Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. Networking and social events included a Thursday welcome reception in the Quarter as well as dinner and dancing Friday at Mardi Gras World – New Orleans' showcase of carnival, with thousands of sensational sculptured props and breath-taking giant parade figures on display. (Cont.)
If you have any questions about ABA YLD conferences or projects, please contact: Kirby D. Hopkins, ABA YLD District 25 Representative or Chris Rogers, ABA YLD District 26 Representative through these email links.
Upcoming Events
June 23-26
State Moot Court Competition, Hilton Anatole Dallas
June 25-26
State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting, Hilton Anatole Dallas
Take Note
Judges Needed for State Moot Court Competition
Each year the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) hosts the State Moot Court Competition in conjunction with the State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting. All Texas law schools are invited to participate. This year, the competition is being held in Dallas on June 23 - 25 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel. TYLA is in need of attorneys to judge the preliminary rounds of the competition on June 23rd and 24th for the following times: 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Judges are also needed for the 4:30 p.m. round on June 23rd.
In addition, TYLA is looking for sponsors for the awards ceremony reception that will take place on June 24th at 5:30 p.m. If you are interested in judging or sponsoring this event, please contact Kristy Piazza at kristy@koonsfuller.com or Ken Riney at Ken.Riney@hsblaw.com.
2009 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting
The 2009 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting will take place at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on June 25-26. This conference offers you the best value and best value when it comes to CLE! Registration for one day is $150 and for two days is $245. Your fee includes all CLE and Annual Meeting-sponsored events, plus all materials on a flash drive. Don't miss speakers such as David Brooks, Dorris Kearns Goodwin, William Sessions, and Morris Dees. Online registration begins February 1 at www.texasbar.com/annualmeeting . LeadershipSBOT
The State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association are looking for 20 Texas lawyers to participate in LeadershipSBOT. This diversity initiative is designed to recruit, train, and retain Texas lawyers for leadership positions in the legal community and the State Bar of Texas. Program participants will be selected to reflect the cultural, ethnic, geographic, and practice area diversity of the state. It is not designed to compete with bar association and local affiliate leadership academies but to complement those exceptional programs.
Take a minute to think about lawyers in your area who might benefit from participating in LeadershipSBOT. Those selected for LeadershipSBOT will be:
• Current members of the State Bar of Texas
• Individuals who aspire to lead and have the demonstrated potential to become leaders
• Individuals who have a goal to serve their communities and the profession and are committed to a profession and judiciary that reflect the diversity of the state
• Individuals willing to commit sufficient time to attend two sessions of LeadershipSBOT plus the 2010 State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting.
• Individuals willing to make an additional year commitment of service within the organized bar (the individual will have a variety of options for service presented throughout the sessions).
Participants will examine what is expected of leaders and receive guidance and advice from current leaders on appropriate activities in which to be engaged in to be effective in the profession and respected in the community.
Nomination forms for LeadeshipSBOT 2009-2010 should be submitted by July 1, 2009. Once your nomination is received, we will follow up with that individual to ascertain their interest and commitment in participating. We encourage you to nominate an attorney who has not previously participated in a bar association or local affiliate leadership academy. Self-nominations will also be accepted. Please click here to fill out the nomination form.
Thank you so much for helping us assure that Texas lawyers remain committed to the importance of the organized bar, professionalism, and community service. It is our goal that this program and others like it lead to a legal community in Texas that reflects the demographics of the state.
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.
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 2008, 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.
$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 State Bar YouTube Contest Winners Announced
State Bar of Texas President Harper Estes announced the winners of the Bar's second annual YouTube video contest on Friday, April 17, during a red-carpet gala at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth. For this year's contest, entrants were asked to create an original video on the theme, “Ideals That Unite Us.”
Winners of a $2,500 scholarship in the under 18 category are brothers Raphael and Alexandre Chaumette of Sugar Land for their video, “Ideals: Every Citizen Counts.” The brothers also won last year in the first-ever bar association YouTube video contest.
Gabriel Evans of Dallas won $2,500 in the over 18 category for his video, “Memories Unite Us.”
Manuel Hernandez, Laura Andrade, Laure Bouyssonnade, and Kimberly Carpenter of El Paso picked up the $2,500 prize for the People's Choice Award for their entry, “Raising the Bar for Justice.”
The contest is part of the State Bar's public education initiative on the importance of the justice system. Texans were invited to create and submit original videos of three minutes or less that captured their vision of the ideals that unite us as citizens. Visit www.youtube.com/group/texansonjustice to view the winning entries. Or you can see the winning entries on the State Bar Blog at http://blog.texasbar.com.
Entries were judged by Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, Austin attorney and State Bar of Texas Board of Directors member Michelle Cheng, Dallas entertainment lawyer Tamera Bennett, and University of Texas Radio-Television-Film Ph.D. candidate Nick Muntean.
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 .
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