Hylights

Maryam Ghaffar is a law clerk for Justice John Philip Devine at the Texas Supreme Court.  Join Patrick and Femi as they hear about Maryam's journey through applying, interviewing and surviving her first year of clerking (especially during the pandemic!), prepping for her second clerkship in the Southern District of Texas, as well as her tips and tricks for first-gen, Asian-American women who endeavor to go through this process as well.

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

Maryam Ghaffar is a law clerk for Justice John Philip Devine at the Texas Supreme Court.  Join Patrick and Femi as they hear about Maryam's journey through applying, interviewing and surviving her first year of clerking (especially during the pandemic!), prepping for her second clerkship in the Southern District of Texas, as well as her tips and tricks for first-gen, Asian-American women who endeavor to go through this process as well.

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

Sometimes an opportunity comes when you least expect it—even if you knew it was meant for you all along.  When the Honorable Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore was offered the nomination to the federal bench, it came as a shock not because she didn’t think she wasn’t qualified – because she knew she was – but because she was on the nominating committee herself!

Judge Gilmore is a U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas.  She was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and was confirmed by the Senate that same year.  At the time of her appointment and confirmation, Judge Gilmore, a black woman and graduate from Hampton University, was the youngest sitting federal judge in the country.  And now, after a thrilling legal career spanning over forty years, the judge plans to retire from the bench and take on the next phase of her life.

Join Patrick and Femi as they hear about Judge Gilmore’s stunning career in the legal field, her dedication to public service and raising her son while maintaining a bustling legal docket.  As a person who describes herself as "fabulous," they also get insight into Judge's views on staking one's “claim to fame” and living one's life to the fullest outside of their career.  

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

Alexei Segall and Akina Newbraugh, both capital markets associates at Sidley Austin LLP, are co-founders of the Playing Field Project Foundation, a non-profit organization tasked with increasing the rate of diverse admissions to esteemed law schools across the United States.  The organization's motto is that "equal justice cannot happen without equitable assistance." Join Patrick and Femi as talk to Alexei and Akina about how they started the Playing Field Project, the current issues that diverse law school candidates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face as they apply to law school compared to their white counterparts, and how the non-profit's goal of expanding the pool of qualified candidates to law school can lead to a more just and equitable society for all Americans.   Learn more about the Playing Field Project: https://theplayingfieldproject.org/ Learn more about Leg Up Legal, The Playing Field Project's sister organization: https://www.leguplegal.com/ 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

Femi and Patrick chat with Cece Burbach (3L at South Texas College of Law Houston), Joe Holloway (2L at University of Houston Law Center), and Arriyana Patton (2L at Thurgood Marshall School of Law).  All three are currently law students at Houston-area schools and serve as Student Directors on the HYLA Board of Directors, alongside Femi and Patrick.  Femi and Patrick ask their three guests a number of questions about the significance of 1L fall grades and what the internship-search looks like for 1L students.  Together, the five of them offer their insights and advice for 1Ls during this important time of the year.  

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

Terence O'Rourke is a life-long environmental attorney that currently serves as a Special Assistant County Attorney in the Harris County Attorney's Office. In addition to talking about his career in government and in environmental law, he joins Femi and Patrick on the podcast to discuss the environmental challenges Houston faces and and the legal forces at play.  Terry also discusses the potential, existential threat of future hurricanes-- as well as possible solutions, including the Galveston Bay Park Plan, a conservation project that has the potential to protect Houston from these grave dangers.

You can read more about Terry and these topics by reading this Texas Monthly article from August 2020 (https://www.texasmonthly.com/news/houston-hurricane-ship-channel-orourke/) and reviewing the Galveston Bay Park Plan brochure (PDF).  In this article, Terry describes the environmental risks posed to Houston by the evolving global climate, mentioning that a future hurricane smashing into the numerous chemical facilities in the area could result in “America’s Chernobyl,” as a great enough storm surge can cause a “toxic pond” that can render Houston inhabitable for years to come.

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

Catherine Curtis is a Ch. 7 and Ch. 11 bankruptcy trustee for the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.  On this episode, we learn about the ins and outs of the bankruptcy practice, Catherine's interesting practice as a trustee, her background as a consumer bankruptcy attorney and get a rundown of her favorite restaurants in the South Texas area.  Catherine is partner at Pulman, Cappucio & Pullen LLP.  An avid presenter on bankruptcy topics, she sits on the planning committee for bankruptcy CLE events throughout the Southern District of Texas.

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

Mitch Neurock is an Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas, in the Houston office.  In this episode, Patrick and Femi learn about Mitch's start as an AUSA role in Laredo, his love for appellate work, his transition to working in the Houston office, and more.  They also learn about Mitch's executive role as the office's lead in recruiting new AUSAs, supervising support staff, and coordinating with the U.S. Attorney and First Assistant U.S. Attorney on policy and strategy issues.  As Mitch began his legal career as a judge advocate (JAG) in the U.S. Air Force, they also get a taste of Mitch's ongoing military obligations as a Brigadier General.

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

Ellen Denum, an immigration clerk for the Department of Justice, joins Patrick and Femi in the podcast studio for a very special episode of HYLIGHTS, in which the team discusses their first year of practice.  Tune in as they discuss the highs and lows they encountered in their first years, what they hope to achieve in the coming year, and how to purchase a car like a lawyer!

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

In this episode, Patrick talks with Mikayla McIntyre about her experience taking the 2020 October Bar Exam online.  Mikayla, a 2020 graduate from the University of Texas School of Law, previously spoke with Femi and Patrick about her concerns leading up to the exam (COVID-19 and the Bar Exam, pt. 3).  Here, she debriefs what the exam was like and what she is up to now.  

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