The Texas Probate Passport rolled off the printer in November and debuted at the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s first Rural Estate Planning Clinic in Fredericksburg on Nov. 17. In my own rural office, I had constantly seen the need for powers of attorney, living wills, and medical powers of attorney, as well as estate planning guidance for small estates.

I remember the first time I volunteered at a Texas Young Lawyers Association event. A friend of mine encouraged me to volunteer as a judge in the State Moot Court Competition held in San Antonio.  At this event, I became friends with many former and current TYLA directors.  Their enthusiasm and volunteer efforts for TYLA is what led me to seek a position on the TYLA board.

Filming began on Oct. 27 at the Texas Law Center on a very important Texas Young Lawyers Association project titled, Breaking the Silence: A Path to Finding Mental Health. This project is especially important to me as I lost a colleague in Meridian to suicide — not only was he a young lawyer, but he was also a very dear friend. I missed the signs that he was severely depressed, as did many of the other lawyers in our community.

A few years ago I started volunteering at Camp John Marc in Meridian.  The camp partners with community and health professionals to provide camping experiences for children who have a chronic illness or physical disability. This has been some of the most rewarding volunteer work I have ever done, and it opened my eyes to the many legal issues facing parents of a special needs child.