Law Students

The State Bar and TYLA Experience for Law Students
By: Belashia Wallace

As the 2014-2015 State Bar of Texas Law Student Division chair and the 2014-2015 TYLA law student liaison, I shared many amazing opportunities that are available for law students in each organization. It is often difficult to decide what organizations to join while in law school because there are so many to choose from. At the beginning of the school year, I spoke with many first-year students who were trying to understand the differences between the various “bar”-titled organizations that they received information for throughout orientation. Among their many handouts, there was information for the American Bar Association, the Student Bar Association, the Houston Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and many others. However, this school year, students all across Texas experienced the many benefits of the State Bar of Texas, coupled with a wide range of opportunities through TYLA.

As the second-largest active-member state bar in the nation, the State Bar of Texas is comprised of all attorneys who are licensed to practice law in Texas. It is an organization with a mission to support the administration of justice within the legal system. TYLA is a branch within the State Bar of Texas, which is comprised of Texas attorneys who are 36 and younger or are in their first five years of legal licensure. TYLA is coined as the “public service arm” of the State Bar of Texas. Many students initially believe that the State Bar and TYLA are two organizations that have resources only for Texas attorneys. However, embodied within the State Bar of Texas is its Law Student Division (LSD), which is tailored to meet the specific needs of our Texas law students, while offering students the opportunity to become automatic members of TYLA. Each of the nine Texas law schools hosts signature LSD programs each semester, which often include panels of State Bar leaders and TYLA directors. These programs are designed to help law students prepare for a future career in law by expanding their knowledge in the various legal practice areas, while offering opportunities that will help them reach their goals. Students often have the opportunity to network with these attorneys during the programs, which has even resulted in internship opportunities.

For a $15 annual LSD membership fee, law students gain a host of benefits through the State Bar of Texas, such as a student bar card that includes their lifetime bar card number upon passing the Texas Bar Exam. Additionally, students get a free LSD T-shirt, free registration to TexasBarCLE live and video replay seminars, free benefits that are offered to Texas attorneys, access to apply to members-only $1,000 scholarships, and much more.

TYLA also has numerous initiatives for students at each level of law school. For first-year students, there are guides that assist students with their transition into law school. For graduates, there are personalized guides for Texas bar-takers, such as 2014-2015 President Rebekah Steely Brooker’s Passing the Bar study guide. All students can also take advantage of TYLA’s $1,000 Diversity Scholarship opportunity, which awards $1,000 to a law student from each law school. There are even video tips for law students through TYLA’s Ten-Minute Mentor Goes to Law School series. Many of these resources can be found on TYLA’s website and are shared with students throughout the year via the two LSD representatives at each Texas law school.

Outside of law school are a wide range of programs and events for students to attend, such as TYLA’s Speed Mentoring event and TYLA’s Know Your Rights event at the Mexican Consulate. As an LSD leader, opportunities to attend State Bar and TYLA banquets, meetings, and events are also available.

The 2014-2015 school year was a record-breaking term for the LSD in membership numbers, program attendance, and scholarship recipients. For the first time, all $1,000 LSD and TYLA scholarships were awarded, totaling $13,000. This was also the first year that a “Law Students” section was in each month of TYLA’s eNews. Thurgood Marshall School of Law made the most overall improvement. It had the highest number of LSD program attendees, scholarship recipients, and members. This school had fewer than 40 student members last school year, compared to nearly 200 student members this school year, along with having full-room attendance at all LSD on-campus programs.

Our record-breaking LSD year would not be possible without the guidance of our LSD project coordinator, Bree Trevino, along with our LSD law student representatives: Latoya Merida, Benjamin Martinez, Matt Gaffron, Connor Buchanan, Ashley Teague, Victoria Vish, Adam Taylor, Jennifer Coffee, Rebecca Fischer, Michael Bellacosa, Amanda Roark, Caitlin Neal, Eric Firouzbakht, Aubrey Noonan, Jeffrey Kirk, Rebecca Bellay, and Andrew Yeh.

Click here to see photos of law student involvement in the State Bar and TYLA throughout the year, and contact your school’s LSD representatives to find out how you can become an LSD leader!

Belashia Wallace served as the 2014-2015 chair of the State Bar of Texas Law Student Division and the 2014-2015 law student liaison of the Texas Young Lawyers Association.