Advertise on podcast: Hylights

Alvin Adjei joins Femi and Patrick one more time on the Hylights podcast, now as Immediate Past President, to finish a conversation they started the last time he was on: sharing their thoughts on Spider-Man: No Way Home. This episode is exactly what it sounds like and has little to do with the law--and there are spoilers for the movie if you haven't seen it yet!  We hope you join us and enjoy the ride on this just-for-fun episode, as we soft-pilot our hopes for a HYLA Movie Podcast.  

Anna DeMaggio is a foreign-trained lawyer with a background in international studies and she joins us on Hylights to give her perspective on the ongoing war in Ukraine. Anna is from Ukraine but came to the United States over 10 years ago to do an LLM.  She has lived in Houston for many years, currently working as counsel at Orion Group Holdings, Inc. Despite being born in Ukraine when it was part of the USSR, growing up there after the end of the Cold War, and going to law school at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, not even Anna expected a war like this to ever take place. Nevertheless, Anna is uniquely positioned to give us insight into the changes the country has undergone since the end of the Cold War, as well as into the war, discussing its historical context and its import on international law and policy. In addition to now being a voice for the Ukrainian community in Houston, at Orion Group Holdings, Anna works with the project teams, operations, and management on contracting, compliance and claims prevention, management, and defense for the company’s concrete segment, TAS Concrete Construction, LLC.  Anna has also been involved in various community activities, including HYLA’s Professional Development Committee, the Houston Bar Association, Chicago Women’s Alliance, and a number of pro bono efforts pertaining to immigration. 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

Many litigators would agree with the notion that presenting a case before a jury and judge can feel like an emphatic performance, but few have truly performed in the way that Zachary Caballero has.  Zachary has a personal injury practice where he advocates and fights on behalf of injured Texans and families due to the negligence of others.  In addition to being a lawyer, Zachary is also a nationally recognized, award-winning poet.  Zachary was featured on Huff Post Latino Voices, as one of the Top 10 Spoken Word Poets who Speak to Diverse Latino Issues and in the Texas Bar Journal for his story as a poet and lawyer. Join  Patrick and Femi as they talk to Zachary about his poetic origins in middle school, discovering that he not only was able to tell a story – but that  he had a story – and how this passion came to be his greatest asset in his legal practice.  We also discuss Zachary’s involvement in the legal community, which include having held board  positions on HYLF and HYLA and co-founding the Stories of First Generation Attorneys Podcast. You can view one of Zachary’s poems, “Reasons to Live,” at https://cabbythepoet.com/2020/04/02/1-30-reasons-to-live/, and can view other works from Zachary at cabbythepoet.com. Listen to the Stories of First Generation Attorneys Podcast here: https://tinyurl.com/2p96myv7. 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

Lindsey Swiger is a project development, energy, and infrastructure attorney, working as a senior associate in the projects group at Norton Rose Fulbright. She joins Femi and Patrick on the podcast to talk to us about exactly what a "Projects" attorney is and the scope of this rapidly growing practice in Texas. Lindsey puts it briefly: she builds things--and she loves seeing the things she works on manifest in the real world. With experience in conventional and renewable energy, Lindsey paints a great picture of what it's like to be a senior associate in a projects practice.  This picture is rounded out by her career path--she started at a big law firm, went in house at a large energy company, and then found her way back to a big firm--and her candid discussion of career moves, work-life balance, and self-care. 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

Imad Khan is an international disputes lawyer who works as an associate at Winston & Strawn--while he's not from Houston, he tells Femi and Patrick how he made his way here and why Houston is one of the top cities to practice international arbitration.  Imad first moved to Houston right out of law school at Washington University.  He worked at a firm here for a couple of years, then went on to practice in Washington D.C. for several years, before returning to Houston.  Throughout all of these steps, international arbitration has been the focus of his practice.  He gives us a great overview of international arbitration (the kinds of cases and industries it involves) and also talks to us about the passions and activities that have helped build on his practice (Imad is heavily involved in a number of international arbitration associations and serves as an adjunct professor at his alma mater). 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

Looking forward to HYLA's Pro Bono Guardianship Project, in partnership with Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Femi and Patrick are joined by Stephanie Sommerlatte and Henry Sturm of HVL.  Stephanie and Henry join us to talk about the state of guardianship law in Texas and the importance of guardianship cases--and the need for volunteer attorneys to help out with them.  In the majority of these taken by HVL, clients are parents of children with disabilities, who are turning 18.  A guardianship is needed to ensure that a parent can continue to make necessary decisions on behalf of their child. HYLA is partnering with HVL for its Pro Bono Guardianship Project in an effort to mobilize its members to take on a case.  The project will kick off on March 24th, but interested attorneys are welcome to volunteer afterwards as well.  Stephanie and Henry will be helping guide attorneys through their cases.  For morn information, please go to HYLA's website (hyla.org) or email Kelly Hanen ([email protected]).  You can also contact HVL at their website (https://www.makejusticehappen.org/) or email Stephanie ([email protected]) Stephanie has been an attorney at HVL for over 10 years, spending now several of those years as a Supervising Attorney and Supervising Attorney for Medical Legal Partnerships, where she works on many guardianship cases.  Henry is a pro bono fellow for Hunton Andrews Kurth; he is in his second year working with HVL and has work on a variety of different kinds of cases and projects during this time. 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

Kelly Hanen is a trial attorney at Baker Botts LLP and the current President-Elect of HYLA.  She joins Femi and Patrick to discuss her practice, pro bono work, and involvement in HYLA over the years.  Femi and Patrick also ask her about her goals for her terms as President in the coming year, where she mentions that one of her focuses will be on the "Service" component of HYLA's mission.  She highlights an upcoming Pro Bono Guardianship Project that HYLA is undertaking, in partnership with Houston Volunteer Lawyers, and also gives a bit of insight into what it was like to grow up with two parents that were lawyers--one a federal judge, and another that was one of the first women at a large Houston firm and the first to own a female-owned law practice in Houston!  Kelly's term will begin on June 1, 2022. 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

Chanler Langham is a trial attorney and partner at Susman Godfrey LLP, a premier boutique litigation firm in Houston.  His practice focuses on litigation and arbitration on high-profile matters, ranging from antitrust, oil and gas, executive compensation, intellectual property and more.  Join Patrick and Femi as we discuss Chanler's incredible journey to the legal field and his practice as a dedicated trial attorney, what challenges he has overcome as a Black attorney in Houston, his favorite sci-fi and Japanese films, 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

Despite the fact that restaurant franchises and car dealerships are a consistent presence in our lives, many people--lawyers included--don't know or don't understand the special laws governing these entities and their contractual relationships.  Lisa Virgen joins Femi and Patrick on the podcast to introduce us to this area of the law--distribution and franchise law--a practice she has had the unique opportunity to explore and develop during her time as a litigation associate at BakerHostetler.  Specifically, Lisa talks about the relationship between car dealers and car manufacturers.  She discusses the history, policy, and effect of these laws, and the challenges and issues raised by current developments in the industry, including supply shortages and electric vehicles.   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

Amber Magee joins Femi and Patrick to talk about her experience as a clerk and her transition to being an associate.  Amber's transition not only brings for her a new job, but also a new city.  After finishing law school in 2020, she clerked for Judge Carl Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in Shreveport, Louisiana.  She moved to Houston after her clerkship to begin her position as an associate at Susman Godfrey.  Amber provides thoughtful insight on the clerkship application process and her experience int hat position, outlining three main considerations that prospective applicants should consider.  She also talks us through her decision to both accept a position at a litigation boutique and move to Houston, a city she had never lived in before.   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

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