University of Houston Law Center alumnus Armin Salek (J.D. ’16) is the executive director of Youth Justice Alliance.
Feb. 24, 2025 – University of Houston Law Center alumnus Armin Salek (J.D. ’16) is a candidate for president-elect of the Texas Young Lawyers Association. Voting in the State Bar elections starts April 1, and the winner of the election will be announced in May.
Salek’s legal career has been defined by his commitment to mentorship, education and access to justice. In 2021, while earning his Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, he founded the Youth Justice Alliance. The organization provides financial and institutional support for first-generation law students, addressing systemic barriers to legal education.
His interest in legal education sparked at UHLC, where he was actively involved in the Street Law program, an initiative that allows law students to teach legal principles in local high schools. His work with the program and the High School for Law and Justice solidified his commitment to legal education and ultimately shaped his career path.
“I wanted to create the Youth Justice Alliance because we have a pathway to the legal profession that is largely driven by financial access and the voices that are left behind are from the communities who are hurt most by the ‘access to justice gap’,” said Salek, executive director of the YJA. “I’m hoping that the Youth Justice Alliance can help uplift those missing perspectives and, more importantly, push the legal profession as a whole to invest in access and opportunity before law school.”
Salek’s impact has also been widely recognized through numerous prestigious honors, including the Camelback Fellowship (2025), the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers Award (2023), and the Texas Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award (2021).
Founded in 1930, TYLA is a division of the State Bar of Texas, an administrative agency within the judicial branch of the State of Texas. TYLA’s regular membership includes all members of the State Bar of Texas, irrespective of age, licensed 12 years or less on June 1.
