by Meyling Ly, DAYL 2014 President
Winning – it’s what we as lawyers inherently want to do. Whether it’s for your client or for yourself, whether it’s an entire case or a single motion, whether it’s work or Candy Crush Saga on your iPhone, I think it’s easy for most of you to admit that you want to win. Well, I’ve got an easy way for you to win in 2014:
Join the winning legacy of DAYL.
For those of you who don’t know what I mean by a “winning legacy” and don’t realize what a phenomenal organization DAYL is, please allow me to share a few facts:
- DAYL has over 3,000 members, 30 committees and 150 projects a year.
- DAYL committees have raised thousands of dollars for local philanthropies and non-profits. For example, through the Freedom Run, DAYL has raised and donated over $200,000 to the Assist the Officer Foundation, which assists first responders and their families. Through the Animal Welfare Committee’s Yappy Hour, DAYL has raised and donated over $20,000 to Operation Kindness, the oldest no-kill animal shelter in North Texas. Just last year, the Equal Access to Justice Committee raised over $7,500 for the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program from proceeds from DAYL’s annual Wine Tasting.
- DAYL members have also worked hundreds of hours for the local community – including answering legal questions at Ask-A-Lawyer clinics, helping to build a home for Habitat for Humanity, packing care packages for troops stationed overseas with Attorneys Serving Troops, and making sandwiches for the homeless through Generation Generosity, just to name a few.
- Don’t just take my word for it — We win awards Every. Single. Year. DAYL has been recognized nationally by the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division and on the state level by the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Some of our award-winning projects include the Aid to the Homeless Committee’s Community Court Program, the Lawyers Promoting Diversity’s Dinner and Dialogue, and the Animal Welfare Committee’s Animal Control Officer Training. Just last year, we won awards for our newsletter (yup – the one you’re reading!), for our service project to the bar (Ad Litem Training for guardianship cases), for our service project to the public (Generation Generosity) and best overall young bar association of our size.
- Of course, this doesn’t magically happen. This success can only be attributed to the collective efforts of all the past committee members and chairs, board members, officers, and our executive director, Cherie Harris, who have all contributed to the winning legacy that made DAYL what it is today.
- I hope that you too will join the winning legacy of DAYL. It really is easy – just show up at one of our award-winning events or pitch in on one of our award-winning projects and reap the benefits of knowing that you’re already winning.