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 Project

Feature TYLA Project

Young Texas Lawyers Give Back to the Community within Months of Passing the Bar Exam
By: Genie Hansen

Nicole Sallie Franklin, a graduate of Texas Wesleyan University, currently working as an IP Specialist at Facebook in Austin, and Todd Basile, a graduate of SMU Law School and currently an associate at Klemchuk Kubasta, LLP in Dallas are members of the State Bar of Texas Intellectual Property Law Section and its Public Relations Committee.

The committee presented its pilot program concerning IP education for the general public to Eastern Hills High School (EHHS) of the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) by trustee Tobi Jackson, an acquaintance of IP Public Relations committee chairperson, Genie Hansen (Hemingway & Hansen, LLP).  After a brief introduction to the field of IP law by Ms. Hansen, the newly-minted lawyers did an excellent job distilling the nuts and bolts of IP law for the students in fifteen minutes each.

Nicole Sallie Franklin provided a great interactive program concerning Trademarks and Copyrights, complete with hands-on props. She quizzed the students on whether certain objects were subject to trademark or copyright protection. She engaged the students with her story of her path to a career in IP - she had a prior career in the music industry and currently publishes a fashion blog. 

Todd Basile, a 2011 SMU Law graduate, told the students about his work in the engineering field prior to attending law school and the education required to become a patent attorney. He presented on Patents and Trade Secrets and provided a relatable example by showing a clip from the film Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory which involved the attempted theft of trade secrets.

Another IP attorney in attendance, Spencer Jones of Radio Shack, spoke on his educational path and current career.

EHHS offers Gold Seal Programs of Choice to its students, including one for those interested in legal careers, making it an ideal venue to try the new program. The FWISD and EHHS were very positive about the program and the committee received great feedback from a short survey drafted by Nicole. The program was so highly anticipated that FWISD attorneys Bertha Whatley and Tanya Dawson attended and FWISD Superintendent Walter Dansby also came by and briefly spoke to the students and met the program participants.  The committee has been invited back for another presentation in May, and the content is currently under development. Committee Chairperson Genie Hansen is pleased to include young lawyers in speaking opportunities and believes that such programs not only benefit the community, but help develop these lawyers professionally.

The committee hopes to expand the program and offer it in other cities in Texas. There is also interest in developing programs for start-up and small businesses.

The SBOT IP Public Relations committee is also drafting an IP booklet in cooperation with the Texas Association of Young Lawyers.