McKenna Nonnenmann
For our mid-semester Pre-Law Society meeting, we had the honor of meeting Walker County District Attorney Will Durham. Born and raised in Huntsville, Durham carries a lot of pride for his hometown, and after a successful career as a personal injury attorney, followed his “calling” into public service.
Durham went through the structure of the District Attorney’s office, laying out the office’s divisions, responsibilities, staffing, and community involvement. This structure includes divisions for hot checks, protective orders, other misdemeanors, felonies, and victims assistance. The DA also uses interns from SHSU!
Durham also went in depth about some of the updates he made in the office, primarily making it as efficient as possible through the purchase of software and other technology. Now, for example, all discovery can be done electronically, saving costs in terms of copies (and trees). Moreover, Durham described his hiring philosophy, as the 3 Hs. His office wants lawyers/staff who are hungry, happy, and humble. In other words, he wants people who are eager to learn and work, will bring a good attitude to the office, and keep the focus on the public service–not themselves.
We were very grateful for Durham’s enlightening presentation, and I know many in the room are looking forward to applying for internships at the DA’s Office.
That was not the meeting’s only business, however. We also had our normal business matters, as well as elections!
Of our existing officers, VP of Finance (Emily Albright), VP of Membership (Nicole Erazo) and Historian (me!) were unopposed. VP of Marketing (Ariza Martinez) has only one meeting left before graduating, and Cinthia ran unopposed to succeed her. But for President and Secretary, there were challengers.
Olivia Discon came into the meeting as “interim president,” and she quickly distinguished herself as a hands-on officer, working to gain more involvement and greater campus and community participation. Yliana Santillan, a junior at SHSU, challenged her, with Ms. Discon emerging victorious.
Jasmine Crooks has served as Secretary for the past year, and she was challenged by Jessica Cuevas, who first joined the organization in the fall of 2021. Following their presentations, the vote showed Ms. Cuevas as the winner.
As always, we are grateful for all the people who decided to run for office and serve the organization, and we hope those who came up short in the elections will still find ways to contribute their considerable talents to the organization.
Most of all, we are grateful for Mr. Durham for his wonderful and educational presentation.
We’ll see everyone at the November 15 meeting!
Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics 