Local Affiliate

Houston’s Heroes: Leadership and Service After Hurricane Harvey
By: Lauren Brogdon

On February 13, 2018, the Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA) hosted an event entitled “Houston’s Heroes: Leadership and Service After Hurricane Harvey.” The CLE event, which was held at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Houston, focused on lessons learned from Hurricane Harvey including the importance of leadership in times of crisis and service to the community. After a networking happy hour, the Hon. Sylvester Turner, mayor of the City of Houston, and Diana Zarzuelo of BakerRipley provided introductory remarks. The evening’s keynote speaker was Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, who opened the doors of his Gallery Furniture stores to those displaced by the storms and rescued Houstonians from rising floodwaters using his moving trucks. HYLA President Lauren Brogdon also spoke about the experience of losing her home, cars, and belongings in the hurricane and her family’s rebuilding effort. At the end of the evening, HYLA raffled off an autographed football donated by J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson, and the Houston Texans. All proceeds from the event were donated to Baker Ripley’s continuing recovery efforts.

Lauren Brogdon is a senior associate in the Houston office of Norton Rose Fulbright and President of the Houston Young Lawyers Association. Her practice focuses on energy, environmental, toxic tort, and complex commercial litigation, including class action and multi-district litigation.