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2022 Legacy Luncheon
Austin Black Lawyers Association Remembers the Past While Shaping the Future
BY CIARA PARKS
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The Austin Black Lawyers Association (ABLA) held its annual Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon at Chateau Bellevue on May 25, 2022. The luncheon was hosted by the Honorable Eric Shepperd and chaired by the Honorable Velva Price. In attendance were many judges and justices from Travis County criminal and civil courts, and the Third Court of Appeals.
We host this event each year to honor attorneys in the African American community who have made an impact in the memory of Andrea Pair Bryant, an iconic figure in Travis County who held a deep passion for law, the arts, and volunteerism. This year, we honored past presidents of ABLA whose work and commitment helps to exalt their respective communities, organizations, and the city. The honorees included: Hon. Brenda Kennedy Hon. Eric Shepperd, Hon. Rudy Metayer, Hon. Aurora Martinez Jones, Aden Allen, Ayeola Williams, April Griffin, Robynn Fletcher, Kameron Johnson, Brian Jammer, Monica Ingram, John F. McCormick, Linda Von Quintus, Linda Sorrell, Karen Kennard, Gary Cobb, Hon. Velva Price, Arthur Walker, Andrea Bryant, and Bobby Taylor.
Legacy Luncheon Honorees: (front row, from left): Judge Brenda Kennedy, Linda von Quintus, Karen Kennard, April Griffin, Ciara Parks, Gary Cobb, and Hon. Velva Price. (Back row, from left): Brian Jammer, Judge Lora Livingston, Hon. Rudy Metayer, Kameron Johnson, Ayeola Williams, Judge Eric Sheppard, Bobby Taylor, and John MCormick.
Andrea Pair Bryant was always a “woman with a mission.” After several years as a programmer, she embarked on a path to become an attorney, working as an attorney in training for IBM by day, attending law school by night. She graduated in 1978 with a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C. Andrea was then transferred to Austin by IBM. Soon after becoming an attorney, Andrea began her participation in the National Bar Association (NBA), the nation’s oldest and largest association of African American lawyers and judges. She was passionate about the organization, becoming a dedicated member and leader within the NBA. She served on the Board of Governors as secretary from 1988 to 2000, when she was named secretary emerita. Andrea also served on the National Bar Institute’s board, chairing its grants committee.
Andrea Pair Bryant
Andrea was also active in the Austin community. She was selected for the Leadership Austin program, and worked with groups such as the Austin Area Urban League and the Paramount Theater, participating on their boards of directors. She represented individuals pro bono through Voluntary Legal Services divorce cases and the Catholic Diocese Law Project.
Andrea’s passion for the law and the arts is exhibited by her participation over the years on boards and committees of organizations including the Austin Bar Association, American Bar Association, Legal Aid of Central Texas, Austin Black Lawyers Association, State Bar of Texas, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Women’s Symphony League, Pro Arts Collective, Zach Theatre and the City of Austin Arts Commission.
Before obtaining her law degree, Andrea Pair Bryant attended Howard University and Morgan State College (now University), where she earned a B.S. degree in Physics, graduating with high honors in 1965. Andrea continued her physics studies as a Fulbright Scholar in Karlsruhe, Germany. AL
Ciara Parks is the general counsel for the Texas Board of Law Examiners, president of the Austin Black Lawyers Association, and secretary of the Austin Young Lawyers Association. She enjoys spending her spare time with her husband and three children.
