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

Austin Young Lawyers Association - Pro Bono Prom
By:  Sally Pretorius, Andrae Law, PLLC

On September 22, 2012, Austin lawyers grabbed a date and a corsage and danced the night away at a sold out Pro Bono Prom held at Austin City Hall. But this wasn’t like the prom that you remember; this prom featured specialty cocktails, food, entertainment, and the crowning of … a Pro Bono Prom Court? Yes, six local lawyers were crowned to the first ever Pro Bono Prom Court. More importantly, approximately $27,000.00 was raised for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

As a member of the inaugural class of the Austin Bar Association/Austin Young Lawyers Leadership Academy, I am honored to tell the story of how the first ever Pro Bono Prom Court came to be.

The Leadership Academy is a group of 35 existing and up-and-coming leaders in the Austin legal community. It was organized and led by Austin’s own, and former TYLA executive committee members, David Courreges and Karin Crump. Academy members were able to learn more about Austin and participate in both an all-day leadership workshop and a series of lunches with local leaders.

We were given the chance do a service project to leave our mark on the community. Our group decided that we wanted to do something that related directly to our profession, so we decided to give money to Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, which had contributed more than $76,000 toward the Bastrop wildfire-relief efforts. How to do it? When one class member suggested that we hold a gala, another suggested that we have a prom—a Pro Bono Prom. We quickly came to the conclusion that a party would not in itself not raise much money. More genius ensued—local lawyers could compete for the title of Prom King and Queen! Whoever raised the most money would win. We were sold!

Over a few weeks, we recruited nine well-respected lawyers, who all happily jumped on the bandwagon. Nominees for Prom King were Colin Newberry of Hay Compere, PLLC; Keith Maples of Noelke, English, Maples, St. Leger, LLP; Jordan Mullins of McGinnis, Lochridge & Kilgore, LLP; and Mike Golden of Boulette Golden, LLP. Nominees for Prom Queen were Amy Welborn of Chamberlain McHaney; Courtney Dickey of Home Away; Mindy Montford, Attorney at Law; Shannon Meroney of Aetna; and Stacey Martinez of Fulbright Jaworski, LLP.

Planning moved quickly from there. Our class members secured Austin City Hall as the venue, thanks to a sponsorship by Mayor Lee Leffingwell, and found donors of beverages, food, and services. The entire class called in personal connections to obtain sponsorships.

It is inspiring what nine individuals can do when motivated by a common goal (and a little bit of rivalry). The nominees launched campaigns, plastered their Facebook walls with old prom pictures, sent inspiring emails and made personal attempts to raise money for Texas RioGrande Legal Aid. Eventually, the first ever Pro Bono Prom Court was crowned:

Prom King: Colin Newberry
Prom Queen: Mindy Montford
Prom Prince: Jordan Mullins
Prom Princess: Amy Welborn
Prom Duke: Carlos Salinas
Prom Duchess: Jackie Davis

In honor of the Leadership Academy’s hard work, the Texas RioGrande Legal Aid named a fund that will help fund legal expenses for their clients in our effort’s honor: “The Leadership Impact Fund.” I have never been so inspired by a group of people, and I get goosebumps thinking about what an amazing group of people I worked with. The end result was a great party, thrown by great leaders to recognize inspiring individuals. Most importantly, the Leadership Academy nearly tripled its original fundraising goal. Our class learned about individual personalities and leadership styles, rallying and remembering that when we all come together, we can exceed expectations and accomplish something truly fabulous.