Raising the Bar: Sister Bar Presidents Aim High for 2013
by Meghan George
The Dallas Bar Association is proud to introduce the new presidents of its sister bar associations and looks forward to supporting these leaders as they seek to advance the goals of their organizations and promote the interests of their members throughout the coming year.
Mandisa “Mandy” Price, an associate in the corporate section at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, will serve as president of the J.L. Turner Legal Association (JLTLA). Ms. Price is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard Law School. Her practice focuses on complex corporate and transactional matters, including public and private acquisitions, divestitures and investment transactions. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the ChildCareGroup and The University of Texas at Austin’s 1883 Council.
Ms. Price has been active in JLTLA throughout her career, and she has served as president-elect, vice-president and director of the organization. JLTLA was founded in 1952 to address social ills and tackle the most crucial issues affecting African-American lawyers in Dallas. Members of JLTLA provide scholarships and attorney mentors for law students, perform educational and other community outreach projects for North Texas area residents, and promote awareness of African-American attorneys who practice in various areas of the law. Ms. Price’s primary goal for her presidency is to continue the legacy and vision set forth by the organization’s founders and strengthen ties between JLTLA and the Dallas community.
Sarah Rogerswill serve as president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL). Ms. Rogers is a partner at Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons, LLP, and practices in the area of civil litigation with a focus on personal injury, dram shop and products liability. Ms. Rogers graduated cum laude from SMU Dedman School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Journal of Air Law and Commerce.
Ms. Rogers began serving on the board of DAYL in 2008 as a director. Since then, she has served as secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president-elect. In addition to continuing hundreds of current programs and projects, DAYL has several new initiatives planned for 2013, including a new program called Inroads, which is a system for matching new lawyers with more active members who can introduce the new lawyers to other DAYL members and programs, and a wellness initiative to encourage even the busiest young lawyers to focus on maintaining their heath, mind and overall well-being.
Under her leadership, DAYL will continue to generate topical, substantive CLE programs, but also plans to focus on hands-on workshops and CLEs to develop young lawyers’ professional skills, such as taking and defending expert witness depositions.
Jennifer C. Wang, who recently joined the Dallas City Attorney’s office as an Assistant City Attorney in the General Litigation section, will serve as president of the Dallas Asian American Bar Association (DAABA). Prior to her transition into the public sector, Ms. Wang was a litigator with Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P. After graduating from SMU Dedman School of Law, Ms. Wang clerked for the Honorable Sam A. Lindsay.
Ms. Wang was first drawn to active participation in DAABA while serving as an officer of the Asian American Law Students Association at SMU. As a Chinese immigrant from Taiwan, Ms. Wang has been excited to see the growth of the Asian-American community in Dallas. This growth is reflected in DAABA membership, which has grown from just over 100 member four years ago to more than 250 in 2012. One of Ms. Wang’s goals for 2013 is to build relationships between DAABA’s legacy and new members. In addition to her involvement with DAABA, Ms. Wang also serves on the Women in the Profession Committee of the State Bar of Texas.
Angelina LaPenotierewill serve as president of the Dallas Hispanic Bar Association (DHBA). Ms. LaPenotiere, a graduate of The University of Texas School of Law, is a partner at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal, L.L.P. Her practice focuses on employment law, including representation of employers in administrative hearings, state and federal court cases and arbitrations, as well as general commercial litigation.
Ms. LaPenotiere has been involved in DHBA for several years and has served as director and as co-chair of the organization’s annual event committee. In the coming year, Ms. LaPenotiere hopes to continue to increase member participation in the community and build on the great achievements made this year through pro bono events. She also aims to increase membership by improving communication with members and continuing to offer worthwhile networking and CLE events for members.
Meghan George is an associate at Baker & McKenzie. She can be reached at meghan.george@bakermckenzie.com.
