20th Annual Austin Bar Foundation Gala Raises $160,000 Funds

Austin Bar President Amanda Arriaga (far right) and Austin Bar Foundation Chair David Courreges (far left) with Distinguished Lawyer Award recipients Judge Lee Yeakel (second from left), Judge Lora Livingston (center) and Bobby Taylor (second from right)

Funds Raised Support Foundation’s Law-Related Programs, Projects, Grants

BY MARY-ELLEN KING, THOMPSON, COE, COUSINS & IRONS, LLP

Nearly 600 guests attended the masquerade-themed Austin Bar Foundation Gala on January 28, 2023. Members of the legal community, many arriving in beautifully adorned masquerade ball masks and their finest black tie attire, turned out for the event at the Austin Marriott Downtown. Guests enjoyed an elegant pre-event cocktail hour while bidding on a chance to win $10,000 or a gorgeous diamond pendant donated by Diamonds Direct.

Paul Betori, Jo Ann Merica, Nikki Maples, Keith Maples, and Greg Hitt.

During the seated dinner, guests were treated to a video presented by Austin Bar President Amanda Arriaga, where they learned more about the Foundation’s various programs and grants and were invited to continue donating. In addition, the video featured three 2023 Distinguished Lawyer Award recipients: Judge Lee Yeakel, Judge Lora Livingston, and Bobby Taylor, each of whom shared their story on the big screen.

The $160,000 raised for the Austin Bar Foundation is the most ever raised at an annual gala event and will be used to support many of the Foundation’s law-related programs and projects throughout the year, such as Austin Adoption Day; the CANLAW Clinic; the Veterans Assistance Programs; the Self-Represented Litigant Program; the Diversity Fellowship Program; scholarships for Texas LGBT law students; and the Justice Mack Kidd Fund. In addition, the Foundation has awarded over $200,000 in grants to law-related organizations. Past grant recipients include American Gateways, Volunteer Legal Services, Austin Community Law Center, Austin Classical Guitar’s Guitar and Juvenile Justice Program, CASA, and the Texas Fair Defense Fund, to name a few.

(from left to right) Eric Kennedy, Judge Lora Livingston, and St. Clair Theodore.

More than $17,000 was raised during the Fund-a-Need portion of the auction. Fund-a-Need proceeds will be used to benefit the Veterans’ Legal Advice Clinics and the Diversity Fellowship Program.

If you were unable to attend the event, you can still make a donation to the Foundation.

The event was chaired by Mary-Ellen King and Nadia Bettac.

Videos honoring all three Distinguished Lawyer Award winners along with photos and videos from the event can be viewed at austinbar.org.