The CIS Committee partners with Communities In Schools of Houston (CIS) to provide summer internships in the legal profession for academically outstanding high school students who attend at risk schools. The program provides each student with a paid eight-week internship in a professional legal environment, as well as enrichment programs and mentoring. The committee recruits the firms participating and develops the enrichment programs.
2025-2026 Co-Chairs:
Chris Agboli, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Anna Archer, Hicks Thomas LLP
James Phillips, BakerHostetler LLP
"We are working together providing enriching environments in which at-risk students can work, learn, and be inspired by legal professionals." - Tanya Urban, Gibbs & Bruns LLP
To sign up as an employer or for more information on this committee, contact HBA Associate Director of Community and Engagement Initiatives Georgina Peña at georginap@hba.org or (346) 471-3310.
"By the end of that first summer, I had a moment, and I remember it clearly, when I looked around the office and thought to myself,
I could see myself here one day.
That was when it clicked for me. What started as something I was doing just for exposure had become something I was genuinely passionate about."
- Yulianna, HBA CIS Summer Legal Internship Program participant (2024 and 2025). Read what she took away from her experience here.
Are you a Houston-area employer ready to ignite passion for the law for students like Yulianna?
Sign up for the 2026 program today!
Thank you to our 2026 sponsors!
Vinson & Elkins LLP
Thank you to our 2026 participating firms!
Baker & Hostetler LLP
Blank Rome LLP
Bush & Ramirez PLLC
Daniel, Williams & Associates PLLC
Dobrowski Stafford & Pierce LLP
Gibbs & Bruns LLP
Jones Day
Reynolds Frizzell, LLP
Rivera Law Group
Rymer, Echols & Nelson-Archer P.C.
Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea, BenMaier-Eastham
2025 HBA CIS Summer Legal Internship
Thank you to our committee members, law student mentors, and additional mentors for their support in making the 2025 possible.
CO-CHAIRS
Christopher Agboli
Maria Pimienta
*Served as a mentor
COMMITTEE
Rhonda Allen
Anna Archer
Jaclyn Barbosa*
Kristen Bollinger
Keiaireyona Brown
Aisha Dennis
Miguel Escobar
Hon. Toria Finch
Tory Finley
Sarah Frazier*
Misty Gasiorowski*
Ryder Haag*
Chase Jones*
Teresa Jones*
Stephanie Kerian
Shakshi Kshatriya
Farrah Lang
Colleen Mayer
Pete McDonald*
Tytiana McWhorter
John Meredith*
John Myers
Dennis Ng
Janna Oswald
Rose Pauler-Rush
James Phillips*
Kaitlin Schock
Re'Necia Sherald
Cynthia Stevens
Davina Ugochukwu
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS HOUSTON LIAISON
Keiara Jones
LAW STUDENT MENTORS
Nkati Amare
Morgan Chavers
Mia Droubi
Jasmine Frazier
Caroline Leal
Adrianna Long
Jack Martinez
Kayla Molina
Kioni Rayford
Tyeece L. Robinson
Graciela Rodriguez
Johnny Rubio
Ashlyn Sims
Jade Smith
AriAnna Swaab
ADDITIONAL MENTORS
Brigette A. Dechant
Lana Muranovic
Michael Cortez
Ryan Walton
Ryder Haag
Victoria E. Sloan
CIS Summer Interns Kick Off the 2025 Program with Orientation
The HBA Communities In Schools (CIS) Committee proudly hosted the 2025 HBA CIS Summer Legal Internship Orientation at Wells Fargo Plaza on June 9. The morning was filled with valuable insights, networking opportunities, and inspiration as aspiring legal professionals gathered to embark on their summer internships.
A big THANK YOU to our amazing speakers for their invaluable contributions and to program sponsors HisBA, Vinson & Elkins, Maria Pimienta, and Halls Maines Lugrin, P.C. for your support and for helping make this summer internship program possible!
Thank you to the offices who hired students through our program this summer: Baker Botts L.L.P., Baker Hostetler, Blank Rome LLP, Bush & Ramirez, PLLC, Dobrowski & Stafford LLP, Ericksen Law Firm, Gibbs & Bruns LLP, Harris County Attorney Office, Harris County District Clerk, Haynes and Boone, LLP, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, Jones Day, and Troutman Pepper Locke.
2025 CIS Summer Enrichment Visits
As part of the HBA CIS Committee's mission to promote legal enrichment and community engagement, CIS summer interns participated in a tour of the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library and a visit to the Harris County District Clerk’s Office.
At the Law Library, Associate Law Librarian Rod Hall guided students through the building while teaching them about the library’s history, services, and resources—providing valuable insight into how it supports both the public and the legal community. The visit to the District Clerk’s Office included stops at the Family Intake Office, the 1st Court of Appeals, the Historical Documents and Records department, and the Jury Plaza, along with a special welcome from District Clerk Marilyn Burgess.
These enrichment experiences foster a deeper understanding of the legal system and help inspire the next generation of legal professionals in Houston. Thank you to everyone who helped make these visits possible!
