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.   ..read more

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. Ne ..read more

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 Journ ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 Y ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read more