Haynes Boone this week hosted a virtual “Day in the Life of a State Representative” program for students from the L.G. Pinkston P-TECH Preparatory Collegiate Academy in Dallas.
Haynes Boone, for years, has mentored students from L.G. Pinkston, whose student body historically comes from underrepresented backgrounds. The P-TECH Collegiate Academy seeks to empower students who want to position themselves on the forefront of emerging health, science, and technology fields. Students can choose a career pathway and take courses that provide the academic, technical, and workplace skills employers are seeking.
Haynes Boone partnered with the school to develop a curriculum that provides students the basic courses and skills needed to pursue legal careers. For the “Day in the Life of a State Representative” program, Haynes Boone lawyers and Texas state representatives Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) and John Turner (D-Dallas) discussed their career paths, life in the legislature, and views on the upcoming session.
During the panel, the students asked questions about elected offices, such as:
- What is the best part and the toughest part of being a state legislator?
- What advice would you give students if they want to get involved with local or state-level politics but aren’t eligible to vote yet?
- How do you manage a legal practice with your role as a state legislator?
“These events serve as great opportunities for the students to develop their networking and negotiating skills, learn about a variety of career paths, and meet leaders of industry and government,” said Ben Breckler, Haynes Boone Associate and P-TECH Coordinator. “We are especially grateful that Representatives Anchia and Turner took the time out of their busy schedules to help inspire the next generation of leaders in the state.”
Haynes Boone will be hosting a “mock negotiations exercise” in March. The following month, Haynes Boone lawyers across six of the firm’s offices will join Dallas Independent School District industry partners to conduct mock job interviews, network, and discuss resume tips with the students.
This program is a part of Haynes Boone’s Pipeline Initiatives Network, whose mission is to inform diverse and underrepresented students about opportunities in the practice of law. This network partners with local communities to support, encourage, and develop a talented and diverse future workforce. The network’s primary focus has been on high school and college students, but it plans to engage with middle school students, veterans, women in STEM-related areas of law, and elementary school students through literacy efforts.
Haynes Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services in energy, technology, financial services and private equity. With 600 lawyers, Haynes Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It was recognized for excellence in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2021 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.
