Texas Young Lawyers Elect Kristy Sims Piazza as President-Elect
By:  Kenneth C. Riney

          After two months of campaigning and voting, young lawyers across Texas elected Kristy Sims Piazza as TYLA President-Elect.  Ms. Piazza, an associate attorney in the Plano office of Koons Fuller, P.C., will serve as President-Elect in 2012-2013 and will then serve as President for the 2013-2014 term.  Ms. Piazza says of her election:  “I am so honored and excited about being elected President-Elect of TYLA.  I had an amazing time meeting young lawyers across the state and I look forward to my continued service to TYLA and the State Bar of Texas.  I also want to congratulate Shivali Sharma on a great campaign and race.  She is such an inspiration to me and I am so glad to have the opportunity to continue to serve with her on the TYLA board.”

Remaining Civil: An Officer's Guide to Responding to Non-Criminal Calls for Service
By:  C. Barrett Thomas

          As a rookie cop, I had been taught all the finer points of good policing.  I knew how to put handcuffs on an arrestee without accidently putting a tourniquet on him at the same time.  I knew how to tactfully pepper spray a rowdy violator while sparing my fellow officers eyes – something they evidently didn’t teach my supervisors when they went through the academy.  I even knew how to write a citation and simultaneously look at a traffic violator over the top of my sunglasses in order to cut short excuses without the need for words.  I had sat through endless recitations of the penal code, and worse, the traffic code.  I even knew exactly how many feet back from the train tracks a car had to stop.  Yes, I knew it all.  I was ready to protect and serve. That is, until I responded to my first call for service.

Ector and Midland County Young Lawyer Associations’ Evening with the Judges
By:  Angela M. Shimek - President, Ector County Young Lawyers Associaton

          On Thursday, March 29th, the Ector and Midland County Young Lawyer Associations held their annual fundraiser, Evening with the Judges.  Established in 2007, this annual fundraiser brings together attorneys, judges, and elected officials from across Ector, Midland, and surrounding counties for a night of great food, fellowship, and fun. 

New Lawyers:  Welcome to Student Loan Repayment!
By: Gregory Kerr - Jones, Galligan, Key & Lozano, L.L.P.

          Attention Young Lawyers!  We made it! We finished law school, passed the bar, and have started our legal careers. The money is now rolling in. We’re buying mansions, luxury vehicles, custom-tailored suits, and rounds of 60-year-old scotch for everyone at the bar.

          Let’s step back to reality. While a law degree and admission to the bar provide us with great earning potential, most of us aren’t there quite yet. Whether you are working at a private firm, in the government sector, or were brave enough to hang out your own shingle, you are just getting started, and getting started triggers a significant milestone in a young attorney’s life: the end of deferment periods on student loans.
 

Federal Law Protects Facebooking
By: Marie McCrary, Bell Nunnally and Martin

          Facebook posts are permanent and public.  Recent studies have revealed that more than half of employers review social media activity when screening potential job applicants.  But employers should tread softly when prohibiting, monitoring, and disciplining social media activity of its current employees.  Over the last couple of years, the National Labor Relations Board (“Board”) has become more aggressive at policing employer’s activities in non-union workplaces for violations of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”).  The NLRA protects the rights of all employees to engage in protected concerted activity – even on the Internet.

ABA YLD Spring Conference Report
By:  Jobe Rodgers

          There’s nothing like spring in the South.  I cannot begin to describe how beautiful it was in Nashville at the ABA YLD’s Spring Conference.  Then again, I am comparing it to Lubbock, so the bar is pretty low.  But what I can tell you is how great programming and networking opportunities were at the conference. 

          The event started off with CLE offerings that are relevant to any attorney in a litigation practice.  Some of the top attorneys in the country provided a wealth of experience and knowledge on topics such as witness preparation, direct examination, attorney-client privilege, and work product.
 

Be the Change that You Want to See!
By:  Texas Access to Justice Commission

Did you know that there are now over 6 million Texans that qualify for legal aid?  That’s a lot of folks who need help, making funding for legal services more crucial now than ever. The Texas Access to Justice Commission has been working hard to obtain federal funding at the annual ABA Day event in Washington D.C. and to raise funds for low-income veterans at our Champions of Justice Gala. 

How can YOU help?  Become a Texas-sized Champion of Justice!  Make the ATJ Contribution on your annual State Bar dues statement or volunteer with your local pro bono program.  Heck, you can even do both!

May 14, 2012
New Lawyers' Induction Ceremony - Frank Erwin Center, Austin

May 28, 2012
Holiday - Memorial Day (Texas Law Center closed)

June 1, 2012
SBOT fiscal year begins

June 12-14, 2012
TYLA State Moot Court Competition-Houston

June 14-15, 2012
State Bar of Texas Annual Meeting-Houston

June 15, 2012
ABA YLD deadline to receive entries for the ABA YLD National Award of Achievement Competition

June 16, 2012
TYLA New Director Orientation-Houston