2022 Austin Bar Association Commencement

PRESIDENT'S COLUMN

By DAVID COURREGES, UNIVERSITY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

Oh, the Places We Have Gone!

Before we begin this celebration, I invite you to silence your phones and refrain from talking. Be courteous to those around you. For those of you who still insist on using flash photography—don’t. It distracts me. The 2022 Austin Bar Association Commencement is about to begin!

[Cue “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D.”] 1

[Clear throat dramatically, make reassuring yet pithy reference to allergies.] Good day everyone! My name is David Courreges, and I am delighted to be your host for this, the 2021-2022 Austin Bar Association Commencement Exercises. Allow me a moment to recognize our distinguished faculty for yet another fine year in the face of unprecedented adversity. Delaine, Debbie, Sonta, Chase, Doug, Carol, Marissa, Leslie, Melody and Pannapa, we are afforded great opportunity because of you…. We are better because of you! Thank you! [Pause to allow for thunderous applause.]

To quote the great Sir James Paul McCartney and the late, great, but never knighted John Winston Lennon: The long and winding road… Will never disappear. I’ve seen that road before. It always leads me here… Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” 2

Graduation day is a time to rejoice. It is also a time to reflect on that long and winding road we have valiantly traversed together. Today, we pause to acknowledge and celebrate a brief milestone in our journey which began seemingly so many years ago, and has led us here once again.

We began the year by proclaiming this, the second in a succession of “year of years,” to be our Homecoming. You were challenged to come together as a family to continue our work as stewards of our community, promoters of the rule of law, preservers of access to justice, and buoys of one another. Despite what seemed to be an endless parade of variants and postponements, you responded to the call! You did not disappear! [Pause for intermittent chuckles from Beatles fans in conjunction with awkward silence from the rest.]

While it is impossible to single out every committee, section, member, and/or affiliate who has contributed to make this year a success, I would like to honor a few of the many who have gone above and beyond to ensure we continue to bring quality service and opportunities to you, our members.

To the Bench Bar Committee who has overcome three postponements of its namesake conference: The fourth time is the charm! Thank you for your tenacity and willingness to “pivot” at a moment’s notice. You are amazing! We are looking forward to celebrating our distinguished judiciary with you on June 3! 3 [Applause.]

Speaking of amazing! Didn’t the Gala Committee do such a wonderful job? Please give them a hand! [Applause.] Like the Bench Bar Committee, they were asked to pull off something quite spectacular in the face of the unknown. In fact, most of the planning was being done while the City of Austin was in the midst of Stage 5. Their determination and foresight guaranteed an in-person event even if we were faced with the prospect of yet another variant. And they did just that! Amanda, Mary-Ellen and Nadia… you rock!

Speaking of rock stars… the District and County Judges! Thank you for trusting us to help facilitate CLEs and town hall events to help you and our members feel more comfortable with returning to in-person hearings and trials. We appreciate you for all you continue to do for our community, and are always happy and grateful to have the opportunity to work with you! [Applause with great reverence.]

Please join me in conveying special gratitude to the Equity Committee and its chairs, Ayeola Williams and Mindy Gulati, for continuing to facilitate our exploration of equity and implicit bias awareness. I invite you to make a concerted effort to attend the 2022 Equity Summit on Friday, June 10, which will explore gender equity and feature some outstanding speakers and special guests. 4 [Applause with even greater reverence than before.]

You were challenged to come together as a family to continue our work as stewards of our community, promoters of the rule of law, preservers of access to justice, and buoys of one another. Despite what seemed to be an endless parade of variants and postponements, you responded to the call!

Thank you to the Law-Related Education Committee, chaired by Ann Greenberg, Judge Karin Crump, and Armin Salek, who helped re-establish the Austin Bar Association’s participation in Law Day. This is a tradition that we have sorely missed, and we are so very happy that it is back in our lives. I also want to thank Pastor Joseph Parker and the Austin Bar’s History & Traditions Committee for continuing your valiant work in studying and preserving the rich history of the Austin Bar, and the legal community. I am so excited to see what is next for both of these committees! [Happy applause.]

Finally, I would be negligent in the performance of my duties, remiss even, if I did not provide a special acknowledgment to one of my favorite projects and committees, the 2022 Austin Bar Association/Austin Young Lawyers Association Leadership Academy. You may have missed it, but the Leadership Academy is celebrating its 10th anniversary! [Pause for air horns and whistles.] This year’s class will be hosting a reception following today’s graduation. [Unfold and read from invitation in dramatic manner.] The event is called “Lawlapalooza” and will be held Saturday, June 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the outdoor lawn of Hilgers House. For more information, please contact Michelle King at mking@mvbalaw.com. I will see you there!

Alas, the time has come for me to say goodbye. [High enthusiastic and anticipatory applause.] I am optimistic and excited about all of the wonderful things we will all accomplish in the coming bar year. I know President Amanda Arriaga will only improve upon what so many others have worked so hard to build before her.

Before I go, however, it is only fitting that I leave you with this pontification from Theodor Seuss Geisel, who is widely knows as the “Learned Hand of children’s literature”:

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…. Say! I like green eggs and ham! I do! I like them, Sam-I-Am! Thank you! AL

Footnotes

1. Fun fact time! “Pomp and Circumstance” was first performed in Liverpool England on Oct. 19, 1901 by the Liverpool Orchestral Society. The title was derived from Othello, specifically the line “Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!”

2. Fun fact time again! Sir James Paul McCartney and John Winston Lennon were both born in Liverpool, England. Note to self: Learn how to convey a “deadpan delivery” in prose so that it is painfully obvious to the reader without having to add notes to let them in on the joke. Yes, it is generational common knowledge that John Lennon changed his name to John Winston Ono Lennon before his untimely death in 1980.

3. Yet another fun fact! You can purchase tickets to Bench Bar, and many other Austin Bar Association and Austin Bar Foundation events, at www.austinbar.org.

4. Id.

David Courreges is general counsel at University Federal Credit Union.