We sit down for a Q&A with AYLA member Max Massey.
AYLA Day of Service Supports Community in Variety of Ways
This year’s AYLA Day of Service on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was a powerful reminder that service is at the heart of leadership. AYLA volunteers showed up in a big way across the Austin community, serving with organizations like BIG, Inside Books Project, Generation Serve, and the Central Texas Food Bank.
AYLA President’s Column: Advancing Equality: The Significance of International Women’s Day in the Legal Profession
International Women’s Day, observed annually on March 8, serves as a global recognition of women’s achievements and an ongoing call to advance gender equality. Historically, female attorneys, scholars, and activists have advanced legal arguments, challenged discriminatory frameworks, and helped redefine the contours of civil rights. In courtrooms, classrooms, legislatures, and community organizations, women have been instrumental in championing reforms related to workplace equity, education, family law, voting rights, and protection from violence and discrimination.
AYLA President’s Column: My Path to Leading with Empathy
Each year, the presidents of the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) are invited to speak at the Leadership Academy Orientation. This year, I was asked to discuss leading with empathy. As I reflected on my development as a leader and how I incorporate compassion into my professional style, I immediately thought of my friends—many of whom are also my colleagues. Since my undergraduate years, these individuals have been the backbone of my perseverance.
AYLA Member Spotlight: Toni Rask
AYLA recently sat down with member Toni Rask to get to know her better. This is another installment in AYLA’s ongoing Member Spotlight series.
Goal Setting for Lawyers: A Useful Framework for Sustainable Success
Three years and 2,000 miles apart, we each reached the same crossroads. Both of us worked as public defenders—Mindy in California, Lindsay in Colorado—where success was measured in jury verdicts, motion wins, and sheer survival in a relentless, high-stakes system.
AYLA Celebrates a Fantastic Fall of Events & Community
October was filled with a lineup of fantastic AYLA gatherings.
AYLA President’s Column – Building Community in a Competitive Field: Excerpts from a Lunch & Learn with Leaders Panel
In October, I had the honor of sitting on a panel alongside powerhouse attorneys with the Mother Attorney Mentor Association of Austin or the “MAMAs.” The current President of MAMAs, Connie Ditto, strategically recruited myself, Amber Russell, and María Amelia Calaf to speak on a panel moderated by Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch about our unique paths to leadership of initiatives while navigating our careers and motherhood.
AYLA to Publish First Cookbook
The AYLA Health & Wellness Committee is excited to announce that AYLA will be publishing its inaugural recipe book in 2026.
AYLA Wins Regional Summer of Service Competition
The Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) was one of the winners of the 2025 Texas Free Legal Answers Summer of Service competition as part of the Central Region group, which won by answering the most questions and having the highest attorney participation.