DAYL Receives Top Honors

At the 2013 State Bar of Texas Bar Leaders Conference on July 27, DAYL received top honors from the Texas Young Lawyers Association for projects it completed in 2012. Among the awards received were:

• 1st Place Comprehensive – DAYL was recognized as the best all-around young lawyer affiliate in Texas;
• 1st Place Newsletter – The Dicta;
• 2nd Place Service to the Bar – Court Visitor Training Program;
• 1st Place Diversity Project – Diversity, Dinner, and Dialogue, “Creating a Culture of Inclusion” with TYLA and author Ron Hall; and
• 1st Place Public Service Project – Generation Generosity.

Generation Generosity is a grass-roots, monthly service project series that saw over 500 volunteers donate hundreds of hours to 15 service organizations in 2012. Among the organizations served were Mazie’s Mission, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, and North Texas Food Bank.

The January Dinner, Diversity, and Dialogue event began with speaker Ron Hall, author of the novel, “Same Kind of Different as Me.” Mr. Hall spoke about his own experiences in befriending a homeless man on the streets of Fort Worth and the positive impact on both of their lives that came from a seemingly unlikely friendship. A panel discussion of several local attorneys about diversity in the workplace and creating a culture of inclusion followed.

The Elder Law Committee – together with the probate courts and their investigators – held multiple training sessions in 2012 for attorneys who are willing to become court visitors and to be appointed as Attorneys Ad Litem on guardianship cases. The training programs consisted of 5-hours of CLE that included discussions on the guardianship process and necessary documentation, case studies, discussions with a guardian and ward, tips for prove-ups, and available community resources.