Patrick and Femi start off 2022 with a conversation with HYLA President, Alvin Adjei.  Alvin, who started his term in June 2021, checks in with Patrick and Femi halfway through his presidential term to talk HYLA and his involvement with the organization over the years, as well as some new developments this year.  He highlights a project he is particularly excited about that epitomizes HYLA's mission for service: the 2022 MLK Day of Service.

The 2022 MLK Day of Service, presented by the Day of Service Committee, is a week-long program dedicated to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., starting on Tuesday, January 11.  The program kicks off with the Allyship Book Club and continues through Saturday, January 15th with a CLE event and various volunteering opportunities.  Members can find more information and RSVP at https://www.hyla.org/.

Alvin Adjei is a partner and co-founder of Burrit Adjei PLLC, a  personal injury law firm here in Houston.  This is his second time on the Hylights Podcast.  He first spoke with Patrick and Femi in the October 6, 2020 episode "Starting a Law Firm," where he discussed his career path from law school, interning and working at the Harris County, moving into private practice and ultimately starting his own firm.  You can listen to that episode here: https://anchor.fm/hylights/episodes/Starting-A-Law-Firm--pt--1-ekjgh1.

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers  Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would  like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at  [email protected].

Join Patrick and Femi as they speak with non-profit attorneys Neha Dubey and Eric Sundin!  Neha and Eric are attorneys at Restoring Justice, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas that provides holistic and client-centered representation to marginalized members of the Houston community facing criminal charges.  The stated goal for Restoring Justice is “to end mass incarceration one client and heart at a time.”  Learn more about the non-profit here: www.restoringjustice.org

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would   like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

On this episode of Hylights, Patrick and Femi chat with Brandy Copley, who is Senior Legal Counsel overseeing M&A and Finance at PTTGC America LLC.  Join them as they discuss her role as senior legal counsel for Thailand’s largest company, the company’s use of “circular economy principles” to conduct long-term, sustainable business strategies, how she led a massive international transaction that spanned over nearly every continent, her dedication to helping young diverse and women attorneys progress in their careers, some of the benefits to amassing a wide range of skills and more!

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected]. Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

Utsav Mathur is a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright in the Houston office, where he is a shipping, offshore energy, and global disputes lawyer.  On this episode, he talks to Patrick about his career as a maritime lawyer.  As the son of a captain who had the chance to spend time at sea growing up, Utsav was a young lawyer in Houston who raised his hand and volunteered to tackle maritime issues that arose in his matters.  Today, it is 100% of what he does.  In our conversation, he breaks down the fundamentals of maritime law and the industries and disputes where it arises.  He also talks to us about recent trends and events in the industry, from offshore wind farms to the recent obstruction of the Suez Canal.  

This episode is part of a collaboration with Behind the Lines: The Houston Lawyer Podcast, a podcast of the Houston Bar Association (https://behind-the-lines-the-houston-lawyer.buzzsprout.com/930415).  On April 21, it released an episode on "Energy and the Environment," featuring informative segments on the February 2021 winter storm, cryptocurrency, and electric vehicles.  On our Hylights episode today, we focus on maritime law, which, as Utsav demonstrates, is relevant to the economy of the Houston Ship Channel and offshore energy projects for both carbon-based and, increasingly, renewable forms of energy. 

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers  Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would   like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at  [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

Anthony Collier is a 2L at the University of Texas School of Law and the G. Rollie White Public Service Scholar. He is the outgoing President of the Student Bar Association and was recently elected as the Chair of the National Black Law Student Association (NBLSA), a term which he began in April.  Anthony talks to Femi and Patrick about being a student leader--at his law school and in NBLSA, the largest student-run nonprofit organization in the country--and the challenges he's faced and the accomplishments he's achieved during this difficult time for the country.

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would  like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

Phil Gallagher is the Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender for the Southern District of Texas, who has been practicing in the Houston area for nearly two decades.  He is also the trial chief for the Houston Office.  On this episode of HYLIGHTS, Patrick and Femi get a glimpse of Phil's day-to-day activities protecting federal defendants, the rigors of the job, and also get attuned to why he and his fellow colleagues continue to fight for our rights.

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would  like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/why-should-you-join-hyla

As part of a two-part series covering the Texas Young Lawyers Association candidates for President, Patrick and Femi interview Reginald "Reggie" Wilson, Jr. Wilson is a first-generation college graduate raised in Houston.  He works senior associate of Norton Rose Fulbright US in the public law practice group. Since 2017, Wilson has been the TYLA District 6, Place 5 director, where he serves as co-chair of the Law-Focused Education Committee and member of the Public Service in the Community and Attorney Wellness committees. For his service in TYLA, he received the distinguished Keith L. Krueger Leadership Award in 2020.

He serves on firm committees focused on the recruitment, retention, and promotion of new attorneys. Wilson lives in Houston with his wife, Gabrielle, and their dog, Capone. He played football for the Fighting Tigers of Texas Southern University, where he was a two-time captain, and received his J.D. from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law in 2015.

Learn more about the TYLA state-wide elections here: https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Elections

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers  Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would  like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at  [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

As part of a two-part series covering the Texas Young Lawyers Association candidates for President, Patrick and Femi interview Michael Ritter.  Ritter is a first generation lawyer born and raised in Austin.  He works in San Antonio as a career staff attorney on the Fourth Court of Appeals of Texas.  Ritter currently serves as Vice President of TYLA.  Over the years, he has been involved with a number of committees, including the Diversity, Mock Trial, and Local Affiliates committees. 

Michael is the first candidate openly from the LGBTQ+ community to be nominated for a state-wide State Bar election in Texas.  He has nearly 40 legal publications and presentations on civil and criminal appellate law issues, bar service, and diversity in the law.  He lives in San Antonio with his husband, Dilshan, and their two rescue puppies, Lolo and Poncherello.  He completed his undergraduate at Trinity University and received his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 2010, after which he clerked for two state appellate courts.  

Learn more about the TYLA state-wide elections here: https://www.texasbar.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Elections

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers   Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would   like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/page-18141

The Honorable Jennifer Walker Elrod is a circuit judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit with chambers in Houston. Femi and Patrick are joined by Judge Elrod (with a surprise appearance by a former clerk, and HYLA President, Krisina Zuniga). Judge Elrod talks to us about her journey to the Fifth Circuit bench, from clerk, to Baker Botts associate, and then to state judge. From her own experience as a clerk and with the help of her own clerk, Krisina, she gives us insight into the importance of clerkships and the judge-clerk relationship.

The Hylights Podcast is brought to you by the Houston Young Lawyers Association!  If you have any comments or questions, or if you would  like to be a guest on a future episode, please email us at [email protected].

Join HYLA: https://www.hyla.org/why-should-you-join-hyla