May 2026

She showered immediately. Not to destroy evidence, she had not even considered “evidence,” but because she needed to feel clean. By the time she told anyone, the evidence defense lawyers expect was gone. No kit. No photographs. No witnesses. This is where most sexual assault cases begin. For the plaintiff’s lawyers, these cases present a unique challenge because they rarely

We have all heard “the justice system is broken.” But in efforts to seek justice, litigants must participate in the system. Individual litigants endure many losses to get to a just result and to let the government know its action or inaction violates people’s constitutional rights. It takes participants willing to bring a personal issue into the public eye instead of quietly accepting and plodding along with the status quo. 

Despite recent economic and political uncertainty, U.S. investment in Mexico and Latin America continues to accelerate. In 2025, Brazil saw $82 billion in foreign direct investment from U.S. companies alone. Mexico recorded over $40 billion in foreign direct investment during 2025 from U.S. companies, up 10% from 2024. This year, just in January and February, U.S. companies have announced total investments of $5.839 billion in Mexico. Colombia and Chile remain strong favorites for the U.S. to keep investing in their respective mining and energy industries. 

The 2nd-annual Austin Bar Association Golf Tournament took place on April 16 at Lions Municipal Golf Course. Thanks to our players and sponsors, this year was even more successful than last year’s tournament!

The Austin chapters of American Inns of Court are accepting applications for the 2026-2027 terms. The American Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. Information about the American Inns of Court can be found at https://home.innsofcourt.org/. Each Inn meets monthly. The deadline to apply is May 29, 2026. Interested applicants should submit a letter of interest, a current resume, and two letters of recommendation to the membership chairs below.

The Travis County Law Library and Self-Help Center has been renamed to the Lora Livingston Law Library and Self-Help Center. The change was celebrated with a dedication ceremony on March 31, 2026, at the Travis County Civil and Family Court Facility, where the law library is located

AYLA recently sat down with Jamie Giron for our May member spotlight.

One of the questions I am most frequently asked during my year as president of the Austin Young Lawyers Association is how I manage to do “it all.” I am not entirely sure what “it all” includes, but I do know that I put my all into what I am able to do. I have been engaged in leadership and volunteer work since middle school, and as I leaned into my legal career, work naturally took priority over many other aspects of my life. As new chapters began, however, it never crossed my mind that I needed to close chapters that already meant so much to me simply to start another.

Lengthy work hours. Difficult clients and colleagues. Challenging legal matters. The fact that attorneys are inclined to higher rates of mental health and substance abuse issues than the general population isn’t fresh news, and rightly deserve clear awareness and resources. But when I graduated from law school just 10 years ago, no program existed to help students address these important issues. Many students and new lawyers were simply unprepared for the everyday, boots-on-the-ground life in a challenging industry.

My family recently toured a sleep-away camp that my daughter will attend this summer. Among the many other amenities that the camps of our youth lacked, the camp director showed us some towering and elaborate ropes courses. (At this point, you’re probably asking how this is relevant to being a better lawyer and leader. I promise that I’m getting there.) The tour guide explained that these rope courses and similar amenities were “challenge courses.” He further explained the camp counselors used them to help our children grow by being encouraged to push themselves outside of their comfort zones.