HYLA UPDATE

Best Yet to Come in Great HYLA Year

By DAVID CHAUMETTE

As the holiday season passes, we at the Houston Young Law-yers Association are now focused on the new year. At the midpoint of the bar year, I am excited about what we have been able to accomplish and by what lies ahead. HYLA is built on three prongs: (1) community service; (2) service to the bar; and (3) improving our members. We have been busy in all three areas. Unfortunately, this space could not accommodate all that members of this organization have done, but let me try to give you a taste of where we have been.
In June, the year started with our largest joint Final Thursday ever. Over 600 people, representing HYLA, the Emerging Leaders, First Act, and the Art Crowd, converged on the Petroleum Club to kick off the summer. Everyone had a great time, due in no small part to the hospitality (and friendly environs) of the Petroleum Club. That event showed us that young professionals in town have a real interest in networking with each other, and we have followed up with other events. The latest joint event – our 40 Under 40 Kickoff – in November is our attempt for us to identify 40 of Houston’s most outstanding professionals under 40. In addition to the original group of organizations, others have joined, including the Jaycees and Leadership Houston. This process will take about a year for us to set criteria and make this happen, but how can we not get excited about the collaboration on this effort?
June also began our charitable efforts with the 1st HYLA Virtual Food Drive. Organized by Mark Rodriguez of Vinson & Elkins, our Food Drive raised almost $1,000 for the hungry in Houston. And it did not cost a dime, so all the proceeds raised went straight to the Houston Food Bank. The calendar year ended with two perennial favorites, the HYLA Hunger Relief Drive and Adopt-an-Angel. One of the most amazing things about my time as HYLA president has been the overwhelming number of people who make time to be part of our charitable projects. Adopt-an-Angel almost had too many volunteers looking for opportunities to give presents to kids. That’s a nice problem to have.
Improving members – and having fun – has also been an important part of our year. The cornerstone has been the HYLA Leadership Academy headed by Dominique Varner, Brad Hancock, and Derrick Mitchell. Our first class includes one general counsel, an Iraq War veteran, and several other extremely impressive young lawyers from all over Houston. Upcoming visitors to Leadership Academy meetings include Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and former State Bar President (and former HBA President) Lynne Liberato. This program in its first year will hopefully develop leaders in the bar for years to come.
On a lighter note, HYLA has now completed its 2nd Annual Trivia Bowl. With Leif Olson at the helm (and slightly easier questions, thankfully) about 50 people regularly competed to see who knew the most about nothing. The winners this year – Doug Elliott, Kyle Giacco, Brian Tagtmeier, George Webb and Mike Yanochik – will travel to Dallas at the end of January to compete against Dallas’ best. Poor Dallas.
This is but the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t even mentioned the Small Steps Reading Days, or Evening with the Judiciary, or the 2nd Annual Corporate Counsel Symposium – all of which were successful. The next six months will feature the Special Olympics Auction, the finals of the Barbara Jordan Project, the HYLA CLE Cruise, our HYLA Year-End Party in May and, in March, An Evening in the Memory of Hon. Paula Gavrel Asher, co-hosted by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Young Professionals. Details for each of these events will be on www.hyla.org (which will be sporting a new face in February). Look there and look here; the best is yet to come.

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