Feature TYLA Affiliate

There are young lawyers in Arlington—who knew? The newest TYLA Affiliate is formed.
By: Daniel B. Mathis

Four years ago, when I began practicing law in Arlington, Texas, if you had told me I would soon be part of an “Arlington Young Lawyers Association,” I would have thought you were joking. In fact, I made that joke a few times myself after attending a couple of the “big” Arlington Bar Association’s monthly CLE luncheons—there were no other lawyers under forty to be found. For me, that was easily explainable given Arlington’s location and law practice demographics. Arlington is central to both Dallas and Fort Worth, so young lawyers working in Arlington may participate in either of those affiliates’ activities, which are plentiful. And, given that the Arlington legal community is comprised mostly of solo practitioners, small offices of five to ten attorneys, a few small captive firms, and an in-house attorney or two, there did not appear to be many employment opportunities for new lawyers.

Concluding that I might be the only young lawyer in Arlington, I joined both the Dallas (“DAYL”) and the Fort Worth-Tarrant County (“FW-TCYLA”) affiliates hoping to find the peer group that I both needed and wanted. As most new lawyers discover soon after beginning their first job, law school does not teach you how to “practice law”—and the learning curve can be steep. (I still have my first motion for summary judgment after it was red-lined by the assigning partner. It isn’t pretty, but I keep it because it frightens me—I mean inspires me—to keep growing as a lawyer.) Given the learning curve, the benefits of associating with peers is important from a practical standpoint, as you gain insights from more experienced young lawyers. From a social standpoint, sometimes you just need to commiserate with someone who understands. This latter point was particularly acute for me. As one who did not attend college or law school in Texas, I lacked the support of local law school friends that most native Texans enjoy. And while I could have addressed all these needs in DAYL or FW-TCYLA, I found participation in either to be logistically challenging. For example, a lunch CLE in either location is practically a two-hour endeavor from Arlington—a work absence that is generally not feasible for the new lawyer trying to prove himself. Thus, I had all but conceded being able to participate in a young lawyers association—well, I had a bit of renewed enthusiasm when my firm hired another “baby lawyer,” but two young lawyers an affiliate does not make.

My outlook changed, however, in January 2010. One afternoon, a partner in my firm, who was then President of the Arlington Bar Association, walked by my office and said, “Congratulations, you’re a member of the Arlington Young Lawyers Association.” What? “You need to talk to Lauren Gaydos Duffer. She’s opening a family law practice in Arlington and wants to start a young lawyers group,” he said. As I would later learn, Lauren Gaydos Duffer, an Arlington native who had been working in Dallas, had decided to move her practice home to Arlington and was surprised to find there was no young lawyers group. Lauren was just the catalyst we needed. Indeed, before the month was over, five young lawyers met in a small conference room at the Law Office of Lauren Gaydos Duffer, P.C. to begin brainstorming and planning for the first Arlington Young Lawyers Association happy hour. And just like that, the wheels were set in motion for the Arlington Young Lawyers Association (“AYLA”).

A month later, twelve eligible young lawyers attended the first-ever AYLA happy hour at Fuzzy’s Taco Shop—and interest in AYLA has snowballed since. As it turns out, there are young lawyers in Arlington. In fact, according to a report from the State Bar of Texas, there are at least 120 eligible young lawyers living or working in Arlington. We were all shocked. Given Arlington’s proximity to Dallas and Fort Worth, it’s easy to forget that Arlington is the seventh largest city in Texas, with a population of more than 370,000. Once the news spread, the young lawyers came out of the woodwork. Most of Arlington’s young lawyers work for small or mid-sized firms, in municipal or government jobs, are solo practitioners, or live in Arlington and work elsewhere. So far, about twenty-five percent of those eligible to join have expressed interest in AYLA. In short, we could not be more pleased with the response and our progress so far.

Specifically, in 2010, we drafted bylaws, became a TYLA affiliate, and elected our inaugural Board, which was installed at a joint ABA/AYLA Installation Dinner presided over by Fred W. Davis, Senior Judge (retired) of the 17th District Court of Tarrant County. We have held three free member CLEs, numerous happy hours (including two that were sponsored), and have a member Holiday Party planned. We were also a key contributor to the ABA’s 50th Annual Barbecue Honoring the Tarrant County Judiciary, which drew nearly 1,200 attendees. In 2011, we plan to focus on membership growth, increasing our community and charitable efforts, and we have also had discussions with the leadership of the DAYL, FW-TCYLA, and Collin County affiliates about organizing the first-ever DFW-area wide young lawyers event. In all ways, we are very excited about things to come.

Recently, I heard someone recount the Zachary Scott quote that “as you grow older, you’ll find the only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.” Well, as it relates to AYLA, that rings true for me as my only regret so far is that we didn’t organize sooner. Those of us involved in AYLA have not only forged important professional relationships, but we have also formed friendships. If you are in an area without a young lawyers group, I encourage you to seek out other young lawyers and consider starting one. You may just be surprised at the response—we definitely were!

For more information about AYLA, please feel free to contact Daniel B. Mathis (dmathis@curnutthafer.com) or Lauren Gaydos Duffer (lauren@txfamilylawatty.com).