ABA YLD

ABA YLD Works to Expand TYLA’s “What Do Lawyers Do?” Nationally
By:  Victor A. Flores

This year the American Bar Association Young Lawyer Division is partnering with the Texas Young Lawyers Association to expand What Do Lawyers Do? into a national resource. Under the leadership of Past President C.E. Rhodes, TYLA created a unique web-based program that educates high school and college students about “Life Before Law School” – “Live During Law School” – and “Life After Law School.” Some of the issues addressed within the program are:

            What if I’m not a good public speaker?

            How much does it (law school) cost?

            How do I prepare for the bar exam?

            What about my post-law school finances?

            What area of law should I practice?

The intent behind What Do Lawyers Do? is to facilitate student discussions related to pursuing a job in the legal profession; the important roles lawyers have in society; and how to attain a legal career by effectively investing time, effort, and resources.

The 2016-2017 LeadershipSBOT Class adopted What Do Lawyers Do? as its class-project. The group continues to conduct What Do Lawyers Do? presentations (roll-outs) at schools across Texas.

Recently, a group of LeadershipSBOT members (Shruti Krishnan, Lauren Sepulveda, Dwayne Smith, Amy Tomlinson, Jefferson Fisher, and Nadia Gire) presented at the Scott Collegiate Academy in Galveston. The group facilitated the online curriculum and answered questions from eager students. Similar presentations have been (and continue to be) presented across Texas.

Now, the ABA YLD is working to replicate this success nationally. If you haven’t visited the What Do Lawyers Do? website, please visit it here.

Victor Flores is an assistant city attorney with the City of McAllen – City Attorney’s Office. He is the TYLA/ABA YLD District 25 representative, representing Central and South Texas. He can be reached by email at vflores@mcallen.net.