Why run for TYLA President‑Elect? In Episode 1 of our special Young Gunners series, we dive into each candidate’s journey that led them to run for president-elect: their work, their path through TYLA, and the moments that sparked their call to lead. You can access this and all future episodes at this link, or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

Don’t forget – voting for Texas Young Lawyers Association is April 1-30, 2026!

#uncommonleaders #tyla #tylaelection #texyounglawyers #younggunners #presidentelect #legalpodcast #leadershipinlaw #barservice

Texas Young Lawyers Association proudly presents our special series of Young Gunners, where we’ll be interviewing Dave Hagan and Claire Harbert, the 2026-2027 TYLA president-elect candidates! Join us as we explore their stories, their vision, and the future of young lawyer leadership in Texas. You can access this and all future episodes at this link, or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

Don’t forget – voting for Texas Young Lawyers Association is April 1-30, 2026!

#uncommonleaders #tyla #tylaelection #texyounglawyers #younggunners #presidentelect #legalpodcast #leadershipinlaw #barservice

🎧 A new Young Gunners episode is live – and it’s a masterclass in perspective.

This week features Tim Adams, the 2026–2027 Chair‑Elect of Texas Young Lawyers Association and a Houston‑based criminal defense attorney whose career spans every corner of the criminal justice system. Tim’s path is rare: he began as a police officer in Gulfport, serving in Street Crimes, Narcotics, Criminal Investigations, and SWAT. After earning his degree in criminal justice, he moved to Texas, excelled at Thurgood Marshall School of Law, and went on to prosecute civil rights violations - holding law enforcement accountable from the inside.

Today, he leads his own criminal defense practice while also serving as a professor and Director of Advocacy at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. His episode explores what justice looks like when you’ve lived it from all three vantage points: officer, prosecutor, and defense attorney.

It’s a thoughtful, candid look at how experience shapes advocacy - and why the legal profession needs voices who’ve walked every side of the line.

Listen at the link below, or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

#younggunners #unlikelyadvocates #tyla #texasyounglawyers #podcast #legalpodcast #criminaljustice #defenseattorney #advocacy #civilrights #justicejourney

🎧 A new Young Gunners episode just dropped – and it’s a powerful one.

Meet Armin Salek, Executive Director of the Youth Justice Alliance and 2025-2026 President-Elect of Texas Young Lawyers Association, whose journey from immigrant to teacher to non-profit leader has shaped a mission that’s transforming access to the legal profession. Armin’s work centers on a bold idea: invest in aspiring lawyers before law school even begins - especially students from communities with limited access to attorneys or legal role models.

Through the Youth Justice Alliance, he’s building pathways that break down the financial and institutional barriers that keep too many talented young people from pursuing legal careers. His story is one of service, innovation, and a deep belief that the future of justice depends on who gets the chance to enter the profession.

You can listen to this episode at the link below, or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

You can learn more about Youth Justice Alliance here: https://youthjusticealliance.org/

#younggunners #unlikelyadvocates #tyla #texasyounglawyers #podcast #legalpodcast #youthjustice #accesstojustice #nonprofitleadership #futureoflaw

🎧 Episode 2 of Young Gunners is here!

Meet Christina Jump, a constitutional and civil rights litigator with more than 30 years of experience advocating for individuals and organizations in complex federal litigation across the United States who launched Jump Start Legal Justice Center to bring a focused, client-first approach back to federal-court constitutional work. Based in Dallas, TX, Christina focuses her practice on civil rights, labor and employment law, free speech, and religious discrimination in all federal civil contexts, including trial and appellate courts. Known for rigorous legal analysis and persuasive advocacy, she has presented oral arguments before multiple U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal and played a key role in precedent-setting constitutional cases.

A University of Illinois and University of Houston Law Center graduate, mediator, BigLaw alum, and past Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, she exemplifies this season’s theme of lawyers using their degrees to effect transformative change – returning to the core work she loves to protect rights and advance justice.

You can listen to this episode at the link below, or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

#younggunners #unlikelyadvocates #tyla #texasyounglawyers #podcast #legalpodcast #legaljustice #socialjustice #civilrights #probono

🎧 Episode 1 of Young Gunners is here.

Welcome to Unlikely Advocates, where we spotlight lawyers who’ve turned adversity into advocacy. In this powerful episode, host Jimmy Vaughn shares his deeply personal journey through the foster care system, and how his found family and legal career inspired him to advocate for young people navigating similar paths through legislation, legal education, and more.

Jimmy’s story is one of resilience, transformation, and purpose.

You can listen to this episode at the link below, or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

#younggunners #unlikelyadvocates #tyla #texasyounglawyers #podcast #legalpodcast #fostercareawareness #fostercare

⚠️ Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of abuse, violence, and drug use.

✨ Introducing Young Gunners: Unlikely Advocates! ✨

Episode 0 is here! 🎙️

Welcome back listeners to a new season of Young Gunners! This season - titled Unlikely Advocates - shines a spotlight on lawyers who overcame unexpected paths and personal challenges to become advocates in their communities. Through stories of perseverance, transformation, and purpose, we’ll explore the many ways a law degree can be used to create meaningful change.

In this mini-episode, you’ll meet our podcast hosts: Rebecca Lopez and Jimmy Vaughn, District 13 Director and District 3 Director, respectively, of the Texas Young Lawyers Association, who share why they have chosen to lead this season and how their law degrees became tools for transformation.

🔗 Listen to Episode 0 now and get ready for a season of grit, growth, and the power of purpose-driven lawyering.

You can listen to this episode at the link below, or anywhere you listen to podcasts: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

#younggunners #unlikelyadvocates #tyla #texasyounglawyers #podcast #legalpodcast

In the final episode of our SCOTX Series, we sit down with the court’s newest justice, Justice James P. Sullivan. A graduate of Rice University and Harvard Law School, Justice Sullivan reflects on his early days as a natural debater—a trait his mother always noticed as he would constantly ask if things were “debatable” as a kid. His time as a parliamentary debater at Rice University laid the groundwork for his career in law. Justice Sullivan also shares the people who shaped his path to becoming a lawyer and how his roots in Austin run deeper than the courtroom—he was actually an extra in the cult classic Dazed and Confused! (Yes, seriously!) This unique experience happened when he and his dad, who had built a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge, met with the film's director, Richard Linklater, who loved the car and decided to feature it in the film. Reflecting on his role as a justice, Justice Sullivan emphasizes the importance of the oath he took, honoring the judicial branch and his duty to the people of Texas.

You can access this episode and our other episodes here: https://tyla.org/resource/young-gunners-podcast/

#tyla #younggunners #scotx #legalpodcast