LILY LEAL LAW
ADMISSIONS
STATE BAR OF TEXAS
EDUCATION
South Texas College of Law, Juris Doctor, 2013
University of St. Thomas, B.A., 2003
LANGUAGESI'
Vietnamese
Spanish
Lily Leal graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Houston in 2003 with a bachelor of arts in Philosophy and Political Science. Upon graduation, Lily began her education career as an elementary bilingual Spanish pre-kindergarten teacher in one of the largest school districts in Texas, the Houston Independent School District. Lily's leadership in the classroom coupled with her compassion to help students and their families subsequently earned her various leadership roles in HISD and the surrounding communities she served. Throughout her years in HISD, she fulfilled various leadership roles such as director of a family literacy program, grant writer and development coordinator, and as a parent engagement specialist for 43 schools in HISD. Lily's interest in law began during her final year in HISD as she worked with various families and non-profit organizations in the community. She realized that she could offer much more assistance as a licensed attorney in terms of properly advising individuals and entities of their legal rights and responsibilities.
During law school Lily developed a keen interest in estate planning, probate & guardianships , non-profit formation & governance, and intellectual property matters, specifically in copyrights and trademarks. She also attended a study abroad program at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic that strengthened her knowledge in intellectual property matters. In addition to her studies, Lily also took on the role of student attorney in the estate planning and trademark clinics, which allowed for her to work with clients to guide them through their legal inquiries and issues.
EXPERIENCE
Small Businesses
Lily has worked with area small businesses in providing them with relevant and professional legal advice and services to guide them in selecting the right legal entity as well as advising them through their start-up phases or day to day operations. Lily also has trademark/copyright law experience that began during law school when she served as a legal intern to the Policy & Compliance administrator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. She continued her trademark experience in her final year of law school in its inaugural trademark clinic, working under the supervision of an experienced trademark attorney.
Non-Profit
Organizations
Lily has extensive experience working with new and existing non-profit organizations throughout the Houston area. Her non-profit experience began as an educator, grant administrator, and parent engagement specialist with the Houston Independent School District (HISD). In addition to her time with HISD she served on numerous non-profit organization boards and assisted them with strategic infrastructure of their organizations. She has worked with several community organizations in assisting them with their development, governance, sustainability and serving as general counsel on legal issues.
Estate Planning, Probate & Guardianships
Lily has counseled many clients in estate planning matters in helping them to plan for their future. She began her estate planning/probate interest in law school and worked with indigent clients at the law school's estate planning clinic. She has also worked with several clients on probate and guardianship matters in various neighboring counties in the Houston area.