FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2022
Contact: Lowell Brown
Communications Division Director, State Bar of Texas
(800) 204-2222, ext. 1713, or (512) 427-1713
lbrown@texasbar.com
Texas Young Lawyers Association unveils
project to educate
students on civility in government, law, public discourse
AUSTIN—The new Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA) program
Civility for All
encourages students to be respectful, engaged, and civil members and
leaders in their
communities.
The project can be found at the website civilityforall.tyla.org. It features videos and interviews with current leaders, experts, historians, and Texas Supreme Court justices such as Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd and teaches students about the importance of civility in public discourse, leadership, and the practice of law.
Civility for All includes an accompanying written
curriculum that satisfies Texas
Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards, allowing educators to
weave it into
current curriculum goals.
Civility for All is the brainchild of TYLA President Jeanine Rispoli, who has commented: “...As the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said, ‘You can disagree without being disagreeable.’ We are stronger and more united when we prioritize listening and understanding above arguing and trying to ‘win’ a conversation. Justice Sandra Day O’Connor knew what it was like to be different and the importance of coming together as she convinced a newly confirmed Justice Clarence Thomas that he must come to lunch with all the justices. Justice Thomas ultimately said of this interaction, ‘You know it made all the difference for me. I went from being lonely and alone to coming to lunch.’ If our United States Supreme Court justices can break bread together and be civil, so can you.”
Civility for All is made possible by a $45,000 grant from the Texas Bar Foundation. Since its inception in 1965, the Texas Bar Foundation has awarded more than $23 million in grants to law-related programs. Supported by members of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation is the nation’s largest charitably funded bar foundation.
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The State Bar of Texas is an administrative agency of the Supreme Court of Texas that provides educational programs for the legal profession and the public, administers the minimum continuing legal education program for attorneys, and manages the attorney discipline system. For more information, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @statebaroftexas, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/statebaroftexas, or visit texasbar.com.
Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), known as
the “public service arm” of the
State Bar of Texas, works to facilitate the administration of justice,
foster respect for the law, and advance the role of the legal
profession in serving the public. For more information, visit tyla.org.
