Local Affiliate

Midland County Young Lawyers Association
By:  Rebecca Patterson

We the Midland County Young Lawyers Association (MCYLA) try to take an active part in our community through service projects and local fundraisers. Although our population has grown in recent years with the uptake in the oil and gas business, we still maintain that small-town feel and hold ourselves personally responsible for the quality of life of the citizens of Midland.

We are participating in our third annual Habitat for Humanity build on April 2.  We also help with the monthly clinics of the Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas. Most recently, MCYLA bowled a few strikes (and a lot of gutter balls) in the Big Brothers Big Sisters annual fundraiser Bowling for Kids Sake.

Our most interesting event as of late was our Happy Hour with the Candidates. There were several contested local elections set for a vote in the primaries on March 1, so we invited the candidates of the positions most applicable to the young lawyers in our community to a happy hour at a local Mexican restaurant for margaritas and monologues. We wanted to make sure that our members were informed going into these important elections.

MCYLA also partners with the Ector County Young Lawyers Association (ECYLA) to hold an annual fundraiser entitled Evening With The Judges. This fundraiser benefits Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas, and MCYLA and ECYLA take turns holding the event in our respective cities. On May 11, 2015, MCYLA hosted the Evening With The Judges event at the Petroleum Club with guest speaker Honorable Robert A. Junell of the U.S. District Court for the Western District. We are looking forward to this year’s event on May 12 in Odessa! 

Rebecca Patterson is an attorney with the Midland County District Attorney's Office.