What a year it has been for young lawyers in Austin! I am honored and proud to have led such a dynamic board of attorneys who are committed to justice through service and making the process fun. When looking back at the year’s accomplishments, I am stunned at how much AYLA has been able to achieve. We will accept awards from Texas Young Lawyers Association for 1st place –Comprehensive and 1st place– Service to the Bar. A few additional highlights include:
A beautiful judicial reception was hosted at Chateau Bellevue in September. (chairs Ben Evans, Jasleen Shokar)
Our November Tailgate For a Cause fundraiser raised $11,000 for families in need during the holiday season. (chairs Jillian French, Kelly Combs, Jackie Navarro)
We joined forces with Partnerships for Children, a new beneficiary of the tailgate proceeds, to support families who are connected to CPS cases. Our funds raised purchased gifts for children via the Holiday Wishes program and stocked the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services Rainbow Room with necessities for CPS children. A group of AYLA volunteers helped to wrap gifts at Partnerships for Children’s warehouse in December. (chairs Michelle King, Jillian French)
We held monthly Docket Call happy hours and partnered with Travis County Women Lawyers Association and the Austin Bar’s Administrative Law Section. (chairs Katie Fillmore, Alex Conant)
The annual MLK Day of Service benefited several Austin non-profits in creative ways. (chairs Jenna Malsbary, Lena Proft)
Regular community service projects were hosted throughout the year, including a joint volunteer event with the Association of Corporate Counsel at Meals on Wheels Central Texas. (chairs Amy Rodriguez, Armin Salek, Myra Diaquino)
We planned family-friendly programming, including a play date at Playstreet Museum. (chair Gracie Wood Shepherd)
The first-ever Big Law Social Hour was a great success thanks to our inaugural Big Law liaison, Katie Fillmore.
Several CLEs took place at no cost to our members, including a presentation by State Bar of Texas president Steve Benesh and a panel in the Austin Bar Equity Summit.
The Freshquires program continued for its 2nd year and hosted stellar monthly events, including a Law-di Gras ethics CLE with Judge Patrick Keel. (chairs Will Hailey, Alex Conant, Ben Evans)
The 4th Annual Crawfish Boil fundraiser was a fantastic success with $17,000 raised for the AYL Foundation and the addition of a new cornhole tournament! (chairs David Woolbert, Will Hailey, Armin Salek)
In partnership with the Travis County District Clerk’s office and Travis County Justice of the Peace Hon. Sylvia Holmes, AYLA premiered the publication of the video series “How to Pick Jurors for Your Pro Se Trial in Justice Courts and Municipal Courts.” (chair Jenna Malsbary)
We promoted and implemented Law Day and mock trial programming for middle and high school students. (chairs Samantha McCoy, Armin Salek)
Regular health and wellness events with our peers kept us happy and healthy. (chairs Lena Proft, Roslyn Warner)
We participated in the Austin Bar/AYLA’s Bench Bar Conference. (chair Rachael Jones)
While the bar year is winding down, we do still have a couple of programs coming up in June, including a service opportunity with Texas Free Legal Answers on June 6, a Trial 101 half-day CLE on June 27, and paddleboarding on Town Lake on June 26.
Thank you and congratulations to the entire AYLA board and all the committee members for making this a tremendously successful year and supporting me through a difficult personal season. Special thanks to Roslyn Warner for coordinating our publications in the Austin Lawyer and to executive director Debbie Kelly for keeping the ship afloat!
I’m looking forward to slowing things down a bit this summer and seeing what great things AYLA will continue to do with Jenna at the helm next term.