A Year In Review

PRESIDENT'S COLUMN

Looking Back on the 2020-21 Bar Year

BY KENNON WOOTEN, SCOTT DOUGLASS & McCONNICO

When we look back on 2020-21, all of us will have stories about how life as we knew it changed. We endured a pandemic. As a result, many of us learned how to do our jobs from home, and many of us lost friends and loved ones. In the wake of inflammatory rhetoric surrounding COVID-19, we witnessed a surge of anti-Asian racism. In the wake of George Floyd’s death in May 2020, we witnessed increased awareness and action in relation to racism and antiracism. In February 2021, we experienced Winter Storm Uri and associated power outages, water shortages, and property damage. And, between July 2020 and May 2021, we said goodbye to several local legal legends, including William (“Bill”) Hilgers, Roy Minton, Lloyd Lochridge, and Broadus Spivey. These are just a few of the things that impacted us and, in some instances, changed our lives forever.

When preparing to serve as Austin Bar Association president during the 2020-21 bar year, I knew there was no way to predict how the unprecedented year would unfold and that there was no playbook for how to maintain our strength and well-being as an organization and as individuals. But I also knew that our organization is comprised of remarkable, resilient people who can weather almost any storm and who have the sensitivity and skills required to help others in times of need.

Thanks to the dedication and diligence of our board, committees, sections, and staff members, the 2020-21 bar year has been marked by productivity and progress for the Austin Bar. I am grateful for everything we accomplished together. This article spotlights a few of those accomplishments.

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION

Thanks to Zoom, the Austin Bar pivoted readily to virtual CLE programming during the pandemic and offered more than 70 hours of free CLE credit to its members. When our annual Bench Bar Conference had to be rescheduled due to the pandemic, Amanda Arriaga and Justice Chari Kelly coordinated Couch Bar, a fun virtual event with innovative programming. Arriaga stepped up again later in the year to coordinate a free CLE program geared toward government lawyers. And, after regrouping, the Bench Bar Committee—chaired by Rob Frazer, ALJ Megan Honey Johnson, Amy Meredith, Maitreya Tomlinson, Judge Kim Williams, and Judge Gisela Triana—hosted a successful, virtual Bench Bar Conference in September 2020.

PRO BONO INITIATIVES

Through monthly meetings of stakeholders in the legal-services community, the Pro Bono Committee—chaired by Bill Christian, Caitlin Haney Johnston, and ALJ Johnson—helped connect attorneys and paralegals with pro bono opportunities through the unique challenges presented by the pandemic and Winter Storm Uri. The Austin Bar also hosted a CLE program to teach lawyers how to further family reunification for children in immigration custody.

Thanks to Zoom, the Austin Bar pivoted readily to virtual CLE programming during the pandemic and offered more than 70 hours of free CLE credit to its members.

LAWYER WELL-BEING

Our Lawyer Well-Being Committee—chaired by Danielle Ahlrich and Diana Reinhart—coordinated multiple virtual programs designed to foster our well-being and keep us connected with each other despite social distancing necessitated by the pandemic. Thanks to Rachel McKenna, these programs included the new Cooking with the Judiciary series, through which local judges taught Austin Bar members how to cook delicious dishes. Beyond the online programming, committee members ensured that this publication regularly included articles focused on issues relating to mental health and overall well-being. During a tumultuous time that tested all of us, the Lawyer Well-Being Committee provided much-needed awareness and comfort.

VIRTUAL GALA

For the first time ever, we had a virtual gala for the Austin Bar Foundation. Our gala chairs—Arriaga, Elliot Beck, and Mary-Ellen Wyatt—confronted the task of transitioning to the virtual realm with bravery, creativity, and determination. In keeping with the Austin Bar’s focus on equity this year, the theme of the gala was “Around the World,” celebrating our diversity and illustrating the idea that, despite our differences, we are all connected and all part of the human race. Arriaga, Beck, and Wyatt brought the theme to life by doing things like (1) creating a Spotify playlist featuring music from around the world, (2) partnering with local restaurants to provide diverse food options for guests, and (3) including items from local businesses, like a signature cocktail kit from HipStirs, in party boxes for guests. They also coordinated an awesome virtual photo booth, which helped guests feel connected, and an interactive auction, through which funds were raised to support the Foundation's grant program benefiting legal-related programs in the area. As always, a gala highlight was the recognition of several award winners. Videos honoring winners of the Distinguished Lawyer Award are available at austinbar.org/ foundation/gala/.

HISTORY & TRADITIONS

Reverend Joseph C. Parker, Jr.—the Austin Bar’s first Black president—continued his service to the bar and broader community by stepping up to chair the History & Traditions Committee. Under his leadership, the committee developed a thoughtful plan to conduct oral-history interviews of Austin attorneys and judges in order to preserve the history of the Austin Bar, the Austin legal community, and significant legal events in the Austin area. Please be on the lookout for the work of this committee, as we endeavor to document our history without gloss.

The Austin Bar has made great strides in relation to equity this year. This progress would not have been possible without the Equity Committee, formed shortly before the bar year began. With the support of dedicated, compassionate committee members, they did so many things to increase awareness and create a more inclusive, equitable culture.

EQUITY

The Austin Bar has made great strides in relation to equity this year. This progress would not have been possible without the Equity Committee, formed shortly before the bar year began. The committee was led by Judge Maya Guerra Gamble (Chair), Judge George C. Thomas, former Justice Craig Enoch, Mindy Gulati, Craig Moore, Ayeola Williams, Drew Williams, and Cathy Garza. With the support of dedicated, compassionate committee members, they did so many things to increase awareness and create a more inclusive, equitable culture. Examples include supporting a 21-day racial equity habit-building challenge, compiling free resources for the Austin Bar’s website, coordinating events to increase awareness about inequities and racial injustice (like a watch party for 13th, as well as book-club and podcast discussions), preparing an equity statement for the Austin Bar, drafting implicit-bias jury instructions, and planning the Austin Bar’s inaugural Equity Summit which generated so much interest that it sold out weeks before it occurred.

At every step, the Austin Bar’s board of directors supported the Equity Committee’s initiatives. The board also augmented the committee’s work by doing things like (1) unanimously passing a joint resolution (with the Austin Young Lawyers Association) focused on honoring and advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion; and (2) implementing the Austin Bar’s first Equitable and Inclusive Vendor Policy, with invaluable assistance from the LGBT Law Section’s Chair Denise Hernandez, Chair-Elect Drew Williams, and At-Large Austin Bar Representative Leslie Hill.

At the beginning of this bar year, in the aforementioned joint resolution, Austin Bar leaders committed to strive to lay down the burdens of hate and divisiveness, respect the dignity and worth of every human being, and move forward in our progress toward a more unified bar and an equitable, just society that is at peace with itself. While a lot of work remains to be done, I am proud of what we have accomplished together and grateful to be part of such an inspiring team. AL

Kennon Wooten