Congratulations to Austin Bar Award Winners!

The Austin Bar Association has recently recognized four outstanding members with prestigious awards.

Professionalism Award: Jane Webre

Jointly presented by the Austin Bar Association and the Texas Center for Legal Ethics and Professionalism, the Professionalism Award is given each year to a lawyer, selected at the local level, who best exemplifies, by conduct and character, truly professional traits and who inspires others to be their best.

The 2023 Professionalism Award winner is Jane Webre with Scott Douglass & McConnico LLP.

Webre practices civil appellate law and handles most of the firm’s appeals. Her practice also includes trial court litigation involving complex matters that present significant legal issues, including oil and gas litigation and landuse regulation. Webre has argued appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, the Fifth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Texas, and many of the courts of appeals around the state.

Webre is a longtime member of the Austin Bar Association and has been active in the Civil Appellate Section. She has also served as an officer for the Calvert Inn of Court.

Webre is also a frequent speaker at seminars involving appellate procedures and analysis of Texas Supreme Court opinions.

Before joining Scott Douglass & McConnico, Webre was a law clerk for the Hon. Reynaldo G. Garza of the Fifth Circuit.

Webre was nominated for the Professionalism Award by Austin mediator and arbitrator Patrick Keel.

“Jane is a true mentor and a shining example for all lawyers, especially young lawyers,” Keel said. “Her professional skills are legendary, as are her warmth and sense of humor.

In other words, Jane excels both at being an accomplished lawyer and at being an admirable, likable person, which is ideal in our profession. Jane is among the best-known and most-admired lawyers in the Austin Bar community. The reaction to her receiving this award should be, ‘How appropriate!’”

David H. Walter Community Excellence Award: Velva Price

The David H. Walter Community Excellence Award is presented annually to an Austin Bar member who has recently made a significant impact in the community and, at the same time, raised the profile of the profession.

The 2023 David H. Walter Community Excellence Award winner is Velva Price.

Price currently serves as Travis County’s district clerk. She came to Travis County to attend The University of Texas School of Law in 1983. She graduated in 1986 and represented clients that included individuals, governmental entities, and corporations throughout Texas.

Price was the first African American woman to be elected president of the Austin Bar Association. She has also previously served as president of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and the Travis County Women Lawyers’ Association.

Additionally, Price served as chair of the City of Austin’s Minority-Owned and Women Owned-Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE) and Small Business Enterprise Procurement Program Advisory Committee.

Price has performed extensive volunteer work with a variety of organizations, including the State Bar of Texas, Volunteer Legal Services, Interfaith Action of Central Texas, the Texas Supreme Court Grievance Oversight Committee, and the City of Austin Ethics Review Commission, among others.

Price was elected district clerk of Travis County in 2015.

Price was nominated for the award by Nadia Bettac, staff counsel at USAA and adjunct professor at UT Law School.

“Velva is a long-time supporter of the Austin Bar’s commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Bettac said. “She is one of the prime organizers of the Travis County Expunction Expo, which has cleared more than 400 people’s records so far. She is a perfect example of community excellence and of raising the profile of the legal profession.”

Larry F. York Mentoring Award: Archie (Carl) Pierce

The Larry F. York Mentoring Award is given annually to a local lawyer or judge who has demonstrated exceptional skill and generosity in mentoring younger members of the bar. The award’s namesake encouraged many young lawyers in Travis County to achieve professional and personal excellence with integrity, grace, and humor. Nominees have practiced at least 10 years and have served as role models and counsellors to other lawyers, distinguishing themselves as leaders of their profession while fully embracing life’s experiences.

The 2023 Larry F. York Mentoring Award winner is Archie (Carl) Pierce with Wright & Greenhill PC.

Pierce has practiced for 34 years on the civil side of the docket, prosecuting and defending personal injury and damage claims. He is board-certified in personal injury trial law. He was admitted to the State Bar of Texas in 1974. He has also been admitted to the bars of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Pierce obtained his J.D. in 1974 from the University of Houston Law Center, and he has been included in Texas Super Lawyer magazine since that publication’s debut in 2003. Between 1976 and 1984, Pierce served as assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas.

Pierce was nominated for the award by AYLA President Blair Leake.

“When an attorney comes to him with a question or a problem, Carl is the kind of person who will generously invite them to sit down and work through their litigation problem together,” Leake said. “Carl has been consistently recognized for his outstanding legal skill. He’s a longtime member of the Austin Bar Association and has considerable past involvement as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Federal Bar Association, and the Texas Association of Defense Counsel.”

Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award: Judge Eric Shepperd

The Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award is named in honor of Joseph C. Parker Jr., the first African American president of the Austin Bar Association. Parker has spent his life championing the ethical and fair treatment of all people and raising awareness of the need for diversity in the Austin community. The award honors an individual or firm who has led the way in bringing diversity to Austin’s legal community and who exemplifies all that Parker stood for.

The 2023 Joseph C. Parker Jr. Diversity Award winner is Travis County Court at Law No. 2 Judge Eric Shepperd.

Shepperd has served as the presiding judge of County Court No. 2 since January 2007.

Shepperd received his B.A. from Andrews University and his J.D. from UT Law School. After graduating, Shepperd became assistant attorney general in the Law Enforcement Defense Division. After seven years, Shepperd became the first director of the Civil Litigation Division of the Travis County Attorney’s Office. There, he directed and managed the entire litigation division and was charged with handling the disposition of cases, preparing appellate briefs, and presenting cases before both state and federal district and appellate courts.

In 2005, Shepperd was instrumental in dedicating the civil courthouse after Heman Marion Sweatt, UT’s first Black student. Sweatt’s courage and sacrifice ensured the opportunity for people of color in Texas to receive higher education. Sweatt v. Painter was a key precedent in Brown v. Board of Education four years later.

Shepperd is an active member and mentor in his community. He is a lecturer for the UT Law School’s Trial Advocacy Program and an adjunct professor at Austin Community College, where he teaches advanced litigation. He was named a Top 10 Super Lawyer by the Austin Black Business Journal in 2020. He has served as either president or chair for numerous organizations, including the Austin Bar Association, the Austin Bar Foundation, the Aus - tin Black Lawyers Association, the Texas Center for the Judiciary, and the Lloyd C. Lochridge Inn of Court.

Shepperd was nominated for the award by Rudy Metayer, Pflugerville City Council member and of-counsel at Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody.

“Eric has been one has been one of my biggest supporters, one of my biggest critics, and one of the best mentors anyone could ask for in life,” said Metayer.

The 2023 Austin Bar and AYLA award winners gathered for a group photo at this year’s Bench Bar conference. (L-R): Velva Price, Katie Naranjo, Judge Eric Shepperd, Carl Pierce, Justice Chari Kelly, Dominique McLeggan-Brown, and Jane Webre.