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September/October 2005

HYLA UPDATE


Meet Your 2005-2006 HYLA Officers

By Tim Weltin

JILL McCARTHY ARNTZ (President)
currently serves as president of the HYLA. She previously served on the board as president-elect, vice president, secretary and as a director of the HYLA as well as editor-in-chief of Pocket Parts, the bi-monthly newsletter. Jill also chaired the Long Range Planning Committee and the Animal Welfare Committee. Since 1995, she has been active in numerous other HYLA activities including the Special Olympics, Adopt an Angel, Teen Court, and Fun Run committees. Jill is a Fellow of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and served as secretary of the State Bar of Texas Court Rules Committee. She is also active in the Houston Bar Association. Jill practices commercial and employment litigation with Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP. She received her B.A. in English from Michigan State University in 1991 and her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1995. Prior to graduation, Jill clerked for Judge Charles Baird with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. While in law school, she competed on the National Environmental Law Moot Court Team. Jill was recently selected as a 2005 Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star Attorney. She is married to Kevin Arntz, an officer with the Houston Police Department. They have a one-year old daughter, Emmaline. She is a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church.

DOMINIQUE MARSHALL VARNER (President- elect) practices bankruptcy and creditors’ rights law at Hughes, Watters & Askanase, L.L.P. She has been on the board of directors for five years, having served as treasurer for two years and secretary for one year. She was formerly the chair of the Arts & Entertainment Committee, (1998-2000), was co-chair of that committee during (1997-97), and a committee member since 1995. She has also been active in the TYLA’s Reading Power Club Committee, sponsoring reading contests for children at B.C. Elmore Middle School and Lee Elementary School. (1996-2000). She was formerly president of the Italian Lawyers of Texas Association (1997-2000). Dominique also holds the position of treasurer for the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and has completed her fourth year on the board of trustees for the Foundation. Dominique graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990 and earned her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 1994. She is married to Roy Varner, Jr. and has a son, Grant, age five.

CYNTHIA RUIZ MANSFIELD (Vice President) practices civil litigation and family law with Simpson & Ruiz, P.C. She has served on the Board of Directors for five years and has served as both the secretary and treasurer for HYLA. Cyndi was the Membership Benefits Chair in 2002-03. Ruiz co-chaired the Arts & Entertainment Committee in 2000-02. She also co-chaired Teen Court in 2002-03. Ruiz is a Fellow of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation and served as a trustee on the HYLF Board for the 2002-03 year. Ruiz received her B.A. in Speech Communications in 1992 and her J.D. in 1996 from Baylor University. Cyndi currently serves as a director for her neighborhood association, the Meyerland Community Improvement Association. She is married to Chad Mansfield, a chemical engineer with the Lubrizol Corporation. They have an 11-month old daughter, Arabella.

JULIE P. BAUMGARTEN (Secretary) recently rejoined The Williams Companies, Inc. This is her fifth year on HYLA’s Board, and she has chaired several HYLA committees including Texans for Safe and Affordable Water & Wastewater Services (2003-04), Membership (co-chair 2001-03) and Law Day (chair 2000-01, co-chair 2001-02). She is a 1999 graduate of the University of Houston with a J.D. and M.B.A., Julie is a former chair of the Houston Young Lawyers Foundation. She is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation and has served on the board of directors for the Texas Young Lawyers Association. She is a Harris County Precinct Chair and an active volunteer for University of Houston, the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, and the HBA’s annual all-lawyer musical, Night Court.

LIA HAYES CAMPBELL (Treasurer) is a contracts attorney with Amegy Bank N.A. (formerly Southwest Bank of Texas). Lia graduated from the University of Houston in 1997 and received her J.D. from South Texas College of Law in 2004. Lia served as HYLA’s Law Student Director representing South Texas College of Law in 2003-2004. She has also served as chair of the Law Student Outreach Committee and as co-chair of the Barbara Jordan Project Committee. Lia is married to Isreal Campbell.

LAURA J. BECKMAN (Immediate Past President) currently serves as Executive Council Liaison to several HYLA committees. She has served on the HYLA Board for nine years and has been an officer for the last seven years. In addition to her HYLA activities, she has chaired the board of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and served on the TYLA board of directors from 1998-2004. She currently holds a cabinet-level position in the ABA Young Lawyers Division as Meetings Coordinator and served for two years as the ABA/YLD District Representative for South/Central Texas. For a number of years, Laura has volunteered to help the Aspiring Youth raise money at its annual gala for children’s charities. She practices commercial litigation at Harrison, Bettis, Staff, McFarland & Weems. Laura graduated from Baylor University in 1990 and earned her law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1994.


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