Brick by Brick

BY D. TODD SMITH, SMITH LAW GROUP

When I arrived in Austin in mid-2003, Justice Mack Kidd was a long-standing member of the Third Court of Appeals. I remember meeting and visiting with him at Austin Bar Appellate Section luncheons as I was getting plugged into the local legal community. He took a genuine interest in getting to know me, a young lawyer at a large firm looking to develop a practice in his court. He was charming and friendly, and as I learned later, he was a great mentor to many others. He was respected and loved.

In January 2005, Justice Kidd died by suicide.

At the time, no one talked openly about Justice Kidd’s death in those terms. Suicide and mental illness were taboo subjects, especially among lawyers and judges. We’ve made progress on that front over the past 15 years, but we still have a long way to go. How does change happen? Step by step, or in this case, brick by brick.

If you’ve read this column regularly, you know I have focused my presidency on lawyer well-being. Our new Lawyer Well-Being Committee has put on some fantastic events, with more to come, and this publication has featured a “Be Well” article each month. Our goal has been to help break stigma and to raise awareness of depression, alcoholism, addiction, and other mental-health issues so lawyers feel more free to speak up for themselves (to get help), to speak out on the issues (to advocate), and to speak into each other’s lives (to ask for and offer support from each other).

HELPING LAWYERS GET HELP After Justice Kidd’s death, a fund was established in his honor to assist local attorneys impaired by depression or similar mental-health conditions. The Justice Mack Kidd Fund anonymously helps pay for treatment, including therapy and medication, when no other resources are available. To date, the Fund has given out $50,000 and has helped more than 20 attorneys get the help they need.

We have reached a critical point in the Fund’s history, as it’s down to its last $10,000.

To help keep the Fund going, the Austin Bar Foundation is offering a limited number of commemorative pavers to be installed in the main walkway to Hilgers House, the Austin Bar’s new home. With a $500 contribution, a purchaser may name a paver after an individual or firm; or in honor, appreciation, recognition, or memory of someone else. The Foundation will help replenish the Fund by issuing a grant from a portion of the proceeds raised from this effort.

Purchasing a commemorative paver is a great way for lawyers and law firms of any size to show their support for the Justice Mack Kidd Fund and what it stands for.

The pavers will remind anyone entering Hilgers House that the Austin Bar looks out for its own. And with each paver sold, we will be one step closer to helping local lawyers take care of themselves in a way they wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

It’s only fitting that the Fund’s trustees—Chief Justice Woodie Jones (ret.), Ann Greenberg, and Velva Price—have purchased the first paver in honor of Justice Kidd.

Space is limited. When the pavers sell out, this opportunity will be gone forever. I hope you’ll join me in keeping Justice Kidd’s memory alive, helping lawyers in our community get the help they need, and ensuring the Austin Bar’s continued leadership on this important issue. Visit austinbar.org to purchase your paver today. AL