TYLA Officers

   

Rebekah Steely Brooker, President

   

Dustin M. Howell, Chair

   

Sam Houston, Vice President

   

Baili B. Rhodes, Secretary

   

John W. Shaw, Treasurer

   

C. Barrett Thomas, President-elect

   

Priscilla D. Camacho, Chair-elect

   

Kristy Blanchard, Immediate Past President

TYLA Directors

   

Amanda A. Abraham, District 1

   

Sharesa Y. Alexander, Minority At-Large Director

   

Raymond J. Baeza, District 14

    Aaron J. Burke, District 5, Place 1
   

Aaron T. Capps, District 5, Place 2

   

D. Lance Currie, District 5, Place 3

   

Laura W. Docker, District 10, Place 1

    Andrew Dornburg, District 21
    John W. Ellis, District 8, Place 2
    Zeke Fortenberry, District 4
   

Bill Gardner, District 5, Place 4

   

Morgan L. Gaskin, District 6, Place 5

    Nick Guinn, District 18, Place 1
   

Adam C. Harden, District 6, Place 6

   

Amber L. James, District 17

   

Curtis W. Lucas, District 9

    Rudolph K. Metayer, District 8, Palce 1
   

Laura Pratt, District 3

    Sally Pretorius, District 8, Place 2
   

Baili B. Rhodes, District 2

   

Alex B. Roberts, District 6, Place 3

    Eduardo Romero, District 19
    Michelle P. Scheffler, District 6, Place 2
   

John W. Shaw, District 10, Place 2

    Nicole Soussan, District 6, Place 4
    L. Brook Stuntebeck, District 11
   

C. Barrett Thomas, District 15

    Judge Amanda N. Torres, Minority At-Large Director
   

Shannon Steel White, District 12

    Brandy Wingate Voss, District 13
    Veronica S. Wolfe, District 18, Place 2
   

Baylor Wortham, District 7

    Alex Yarbrough, District 16

   

Justice Paul W. Green, Supreme Court Liaison

   

Jenny Smith, Access To Justice Liaison

   

Brandon Crisp, ABA YLD District 25 Representative

   

Travis Patterson, ABA/YLD District 26 Representative

   

Assistant Dean Jill Nikirk, Law School Liaison

   

Belashia Wallace, Law Student Liaison

 

 
TYLA Office

Tracy Brown, Director of Administration
Bree Trevino, Project Coordinator

Michelle Palacios, Office Manager
General Questions: tyla@texasbar.com

Mailing Address

P.O. Box 12487, Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711-2487
(800) 204-2222 ext. 1529
FAX: (512) 427-4117

Street Address

1414 Colorado, 4th Floor
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 427-1529

 

Views and opinions expressed in eNews are those of their authors and not necessarily those of the Texas Young Lawyers Association or the State Bar of Texas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feature TYLA Affiliate

Feature TYLA Affiliate

Houston Attorneys Getting The Word Out To Local Schools About Cyberspace Safety
By:  Courtney Palm, President of the Houston Young Lawyers Association

Ever had your identity stolen? Ever wondered if you should "untag" that picture from your college days? Ever regret a tweet or message you posted? If you answered yes to any of these questions, imagine what it's like for the generation that has grown up with MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube. This year, the Houston Young Lawyers Association (“HYLA”) has joined forces with the Houston Bar Association (“HBA”) to educate schools on cyberspace safety based on the “R U Safe? Protecting Yourself in Cyberspace” program (“R U Safe?”). The R U Safe? Program includes a DVD that is intended to educate students at the elementary, middle school and high school level, and also contains a section for parents. In August and September 2010, the HBA contacted 26 school districts, and other private schools, in the greater Houston area to offer copies of the DVD. In October 2010, the schools that responded received a copy of the DVD with a letter co-signed by the President of the HBA and the President of the HYLA with information on how to contact the HYLA to set up a school visit. To date, 18 school districts and 34 private schools have requested or are providing a link to the R U Safe? DVD.

The HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee, chaired by Anita Barksdale of Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P., coordinates attorneys who visit the schools to present the video and provide a 30 to 45 minute supplemental curriculum that gives safety tips, addresses how colleges use social media, and gives practical advice for students of all ages on how they can protect themselves. In November 2010, the HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee spoke at two middle schools and one high school. Based on the response of students during those school visits, the HYLA learned just how little students knew about what can happen to them if they sext, have inappropriate social networking profiles, or engage in online bullying. The HYLA’s R U Safe? Committee received such questions as “What do I do if I have already sent an inappropriate picture of myself on my phone.” It is apparent that teens need help understanding the limits that may be placed on their future due to online behavior. “We’re giving them a program that puts the education in their hands so they can make better decisions,” Ms. Barksdale said.

Many schools have contacted the HBA or the HYLA asking for an attorney to visit and talk about the DVD. The HYLA R U Safe? Committee hopes to visit at least three schools in February, March and April and present the parent section of the video to at least one Parent Teacher Association every semester.

The R U Safe? DVD was developed by the Texas Young Lawyers Association through a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. It is an excellent resource for schools and parents on what they need to know about cyberspace and the legal ramifications of certain online behavior. I would encourage you to watch the R U Safe? DVD, educate your children, and/or inform your area schools. A link to the R U Safe? DVD can be found at www.tyla.org/tyla/index.cfm/projects/r-u-safe/.