Jackson Walker is pleased to congratulate Mariana Gonzalez Davila and Ivan De Leon on their selection to participate in the 2025-2026 Houston Young Lawyers Association (HYLA) Leadership Academy, a competitive program dedicated to cultivating the next generation of leaders in the Houston legal community.

The Leadership Academy’s mission is to prepare young attorneys for leadership roles within HYLA and other professional and civic organizations through a service-oriented leadership training curriculum. Over the course of the program, Academy members engage in experiential learning designed to strengthen skills such as strategic planning, collaboration, and community engagement, while building lasting professional relationships.

During the Academy term, participants will work together to design and execute a service project with the goal of creating a meaningful and sustainable impact on both the Academy and the broader community. This hands-on approach provides members with practical opportunities to apply leadership principles, manage team dynamics, and deliver measurable results.

Selection to the Academy is based on a range of criteria, including demonstrated leadership skills, abilities, and potential; professional achievements and accomplishments; and a record of community and bar involvement.

Founded in 1937 as the Houston Junior Bar Association, HYLA is comprised of a diverse group of lawyers in their first twelve years of practice, as well as law students. Each year, HYLA offers its members a wide range of social networking events, continuing legal education opportunities, and avenues for leadership development and volunteer service. HYLA is recognized for its longstanding tradition of community involvement and leadership within the Houston legal community.

Meet Mariana

Mariana Gonzalez Davila is an attorney in the Real Estate practice of Jackson Walker’s Houston office. During law school, she externed for Judge R. Gary Klausner of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, where she worked on insider-trading investigations, and also served as a teaching assistant and Writing Center specialist. She began her career as an immigration paralegal handling visa petitions and removal proceedings before USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security.

Meet Ivan

Ivan De Leon is an attorney in Jackson Walker’s Houston office, practicing in the Trial & Appellate Litigation section with experience in high-stakes personal-injury and complex commercial disputes. Before joining the firm, he practiced at a boutique Texas firm handling a diverse personal-injury docket from liability and damages evaluations to dispositive motions and trial readiness. While at South Texas College of Law, he served as Board of Advocates Co-Chair, competed in Moot Court, taught Civil Procedure, contributed to the Law Review, graduated second in his class, and twice served as a Jackson Walker summer associate.