AYLA

Attorneys who wish to serve on the 2025-2026 Austin Young Lawyers Association (AYLA) Board of Directors have until March 7, 2025, to formally sign up to run.

Each year we present three awards for outstanding community and professional service, and mentoring. Know a deserving person in the community who should be recognized? Nominate someone today for one of our three awards: Liberty Bell (awarded to a non-lawyer), Outstanding Young Lawyer, and AYLA Mentor. Nomination forms are due Friday, March 1, and can be found online at AYLA.org.

What an incredible start to Leadership Academy 2025! The #LeadershipAcademy2025 orientation on Jan. 10 was an inspiring kickoff to this year’s journey. The 2025 class heard numerous thought-provoking presentations from leaders in the Austin legal community.

AYLA’s 8th Annual Tailgate for a Cause fundraiser was a great success. For this year’s holiday event, AYLA will be partnering with Partnerships for Children for their Holiday Wishes Program. The tailgate was a great success and helped raise money to provide holiday cheer to families who might not otherwise have the opportunity. 

Each year, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., AYLA coordinates a Day of Service for its members to participate in several community service events and donation drives throughout Austin. The 15th annual MLK Day of Service will take place on Monday, January 20, 2025. This local project is modeled after the national MLK Day of Service, which is

In election years and otherwise, it seems every other day can bring something new to be stressed and despair over when reading or watching the news. When the world feels like it is spiraling out of control and we don’t know what to do in response, it can be easy to feel like our actions don’t really matter and freeze.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your law practice. I am an Associate at Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP, where I practice management-side labor and employment law. My practice encompasses all facets, including litigation, advising, and disputes before government agencies. I grew up in Austin and had the great opportunity to return to Austin after graduating from

AYLA recently completed production on its series of tutorial videos meant to educate members of the public on how to pick juries without a lawyer in justice of the peace and municipal courts. See the YouTube playlist here. These videos were made possible by a grant from the Texas Bar Foundation and with the help of Judge Sylvia Holmes, Justice

On Saturday, November 16, the AYLA Health & Wellness Committee organized a cycle class at RIDE Downtown. The class was an awesome opportunity for Austin attorneys to unwind and get to know each other outside of the office or courtroom. The Health & Wellness Committee is focused on facilitating lawyer well-being through regular activities like group exercise. Huge thanks to

At the AYLA board retreat in early August, AYLA President Emily Morris expressed that one of her goals this year is inclusion and prioritizing CLEs for AYLA members. With that end goal in mind, AYLA is intentionally recruiting young lawyers interested in speaking on their area of expertise on our panels and as CLE presenters.  Including young lawyers in presentations