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State Bar and Texas Young Lawyers Association outline member benefits, mentorship and wellness supports for newly sworn lawyers
Summary
State Bar of Texas and Texas Young Lawyers Association leaders urged new lawyers to seek mentors, participate in pro bono work and use bar-provided resources including free legal research, practice management tools, and confidential wellness services.
Steve Benesh, president of the State Bar of Texas, told newly sworn lawyers that the bar offers member benefits intended to support attorneys' practices and well-being, and he encouraged mentorship and pro bono participation. "If there's one thing that you take away from my words today, it is that help is always available," Benesh said, highlighting free legal research through VLEX Fastcase, free billing and trust accounting software through Smokeball, a career center, an attorney ethics helpline, a lawyer-referral service, and online practice-management tools.
Benesh described the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program (TLAP) as a strictly confidential service offering crisis counseling, referrals, peer assistance and well-being guidance for lawyers, judges and law students. He also said the State Bar offers a free month of online therapy through BetterHelp followed by 15% off if members continue service.
Hesham Masri, president of the Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), said newly licensed attorneys are automatically eligible for membership in TYLA and urged them to use TYLA resources, including a checklist for first-year attorneys, podcasts, and a wellness hub. Masri cited basic population and lawyer-count figures in emphasizing the small ratio of lawyers to Texas residents and urged incoming lawyers to seek collaboration and mentorship to succeed in practice.
Both speakers positioned these supports as professional-development and public-service tools: Benesh framed mentorship and pro bono work as ways to "advance the cause of equal access to justice in Texas," while Masri described TYLA as the State Bar's public-service arm that helps lawyers thrive in practice. The remarks were delivered as guidance and encouragement during the induction ceremony and did not announce new programs or changes to existing benefits.
