bar business
Thirty-Five Years of the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court By Susan Cone Kilgore
W
hether in private negotiation or public discourse, in the legislative process or the exchanges among leaders, in the debate of parties, or the relatively simple matter of a trial in the courts, the necessity for civility is imperative. Without civility no private discussion, no public debate, no legislative process, no political campaign, no trial of any case, can serve its purpose or achieve its objective. When men shout and shriek or call names, we witness the end of rational thought process if not the beginning of blows and combat. I hardly dare take the risk of adding that this may also be relevant to the news media.1 With these words, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren E. Burger decried the diminishing quality and declining civility of American lawyers’ work product. Several years later, in 1977, the Chief Justice observed the collegial approach of the English Inns of Court. He admired the way the Inns used apprenticeship to teach new lawyers the decorum, civility, and professional standards necessary for a properly functioning bar;2 and he challenged American lawyers to replicate the English Inns experience in the United States.
Creating the American Inns of Court In 1980, that group of lawyers founded the first American Inn of Court. They adopted the apprenticeship model, while modifying it to fit the American legal system. This group created the membership categories of Master of the Bench, Barrister, Associate, and Pupil. They also created the pupillage team concept of dividing the Inn’s membership into teams, with each team comprised of members from each category; and they created the mentoring concept that each team would work together to provide one educational program per year. By 1985, there were twelve Inns across the country. The Inn concept had taken root, and the American Inns of Court Foundation was organized to provide national support for the Inns and promote legal excellence, civility, professionalism, and ethics.
The 2019-20 kick-off program featured BG Malinda E. Dunn, USA (Ret.), the Executive Director of the American Inns of Court Foundation. She is pictured with some of that year’s Executive Board, Brant Mittler, Leslie Hyman, Malinda Dunn, Susan Cone Kilgore, and Dan Harkins.
Chartering the San Antonio American Inn of Court In 1986, William S. Sessions was the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas. That summer, Judge Sessions assembled an Organizing Committee to establish an Inn of Court in San Antonio. Terry Bickerton chaired the Organizing Committee, whose members included San Antonio lawyers Phil Hardberger3 and Randy Tower.4 On September 15, 1986, the San Antonio American Inn of Court was chartered as the twentieth American Inn of Court. Just as the Inn concept had taken root nationally, the San Antonio Inn took root quickly. Within three months, the first Inn meeting was held at the Plaza Club, and the Inn selected Judge Sessions to be its first president.5 The San Antonio Inn defined Masters of the Bench as attorneys licensed fifteen years or more; Barristers as those licensed between two and fifteen years; Associates as those licensed fewer than two full years; and Pupils as law students. The Inn followed the American Inns of Court practice of inviting members to join,
with the goal of keeping an appropriate ratio of more experienced lawyers to mentor those with less experience. Members created their programs side by side with some of the most experienced local judges and attorneys. When the San Antonio Inn was first formed, some of the more experienced early members were Fred Biery,6 John Cornyn,7 Gerry Goldstein,8 Andy Mireles,9 and Ed Prado,10 while some of the less-experienced attorneys included Dan Harkins11 and Julia Mann.12 The year after the San Antonio Inn was founded, Judge Sessions became Chief of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and moved to Washington, D.C. In honor of Judge Sessions, the Inn changed its name to the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court. In addition to the responsibility of proudly carrying Judge Sessions’ name, our Inn continues to uphold the goals he established: to encourage professionalism, ethics, and civility among the members of our bar.13
The San Antonio Inn in Practice ileta! Sumner recounts a story about Judge Sessions’ civility. In 1996, at the Inn’s end-ofJuly–August 2021
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