Armin Salek (J.D. ’16) at Lone Star Legal Aid, which offered him his first law-related job in the summer after Salek’s 1L year.
Armin Salek, a UH Law Center alum, presenting at the Comal County Courthouse.
May 15, 2025 – University of Houston Law Center alumnus Armin Salek (J.D. 16) was recently elected to be president-elect of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and will serve as president from June 2026 to June 2027. He received 52.6% of the 4,053 votes cast.
Salek plans to use his time as president-elect to reach Texas’ most vulnerable communities. He hopes to work with Houston Volunteer Lawyers, Texas Legal Services Center, Texas Free Legal Answers, and more to maximize their pro bono impact in the upcoming years.
“Winning this election means that a campaign focused on direct legal service clinics and investing in the pathway to law school resonated with young lawyers across Texas,” said Salek. “It also means that I need to take that support and spend the next year learning from the brilliant public interest lawyers across our State who dedicate their time and energy to supporting our communities who struggle to access legal support for their most basic legal needs.”
Salek is a longtime champion of legal education. When studying at UHLC, he participated in the Street Law program, where he volunteered as a law instructor for Houston ISD. After receiving his J.D., Salek moved to Austin, where he started the first high school legal aid clinic, earning him the Austin ISD High School Teacher of the Year and the Texas Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year. He later earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard and returned to Texas to advance the program.
As a part of his new role, Salek will be sworn in to the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors in June 2025 for a three-year term.
“When my time as president is complete,” said Salek. “I want our TYLA Board and attorneys across Texas to look back on that year as a time where young lawyers served as an example of public service and that we fought to address the Justice Gap in a moment where urgency was desperately needed.”
TYLA is a division of the State Bar of Texas and is commonly referred to as the “public service arm” of Texas. Their programs offer legal information to the public and aim to aid underserved members of Texas communities. All Texas lawyers who have been licensed for 12 years or less as of June 1 are considered members of TYLA.
