There are two things to be excited about in July.  The first, of course, is July 4th.  The second is the State Bar Local Bar Leaders Conference.  If you haven't been, you really should try to go.

No one sets out to make history.  We aim to make our future better. Looking back on 80 years of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (or the Junior Bar, as it was called in earlier years), I am struck by two things.

 A row of fake ivory elephants sits in my office — a gift from a former client.  I was a first-year associate, and it was my first pro bono case. I represented Teresa, who had saved for 10 years to purchase her first family home for $58,000. On Thanksgiving Day, as she sat at the dinner table with her family, she noticed what looked like tape peeling off her walls. Under the tape and flaking paint was a crack. Within a few weeks, there were peeling strips of tape all over her home revealing large cracks further hidden by a fresh coat of paint.

It’s a shame that we compartmentaliz our lives the way we do. Why should we wait until November to take stock of the things for which we are thankful?  Why not sing the praises of those whose work we value all year long?  Having a time set aside for such reflection forces us to actually think about our lives and the people who are important to us. And so, with November upon us, I sit down and consider those things for which I am thankful and praise the people who made them possible.

In November, we welcomed our newly licensed attorneys to the practice of law! The swearing-in ceremonies reminded me of how it felt to be a new lawyer and how valuable good mentors and advice are. With that in mind, I offer some advice to our newest lawyers, and some reminders to the rest of us, as we approach the new year.

 By:  David Anderson, TYLA Chair of the Board

One of the Texas Young Lawyers Association’s chief missions is public service. While we do this in numerous ways — several of our flagship efforts such as Partnering for Pro Bono, Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans, and R U Safe? have been featured prominently in these pages and elsewhere — I want to call attention to several smaller projects that are having a big impact on Texans’ lives.

As the Texas Young Lawyers Association president-elect, I am honored to represent the 26,000 young lawyers in the State of Texas. Yet, as a lawyer in a county with less than 10,000 residents, I am even prouder to bring a rural perspective to the State Bar.