Thirty-Five Years of the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court

BAR BUSINESS

BY SUSAN CONE KILGORE

Whether 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 Hardberger 3 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 Harkins 11 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-of-year party, a dapper gentleman approached then-Associate Inn member ileta! and her husband Jay. As the gentlemen shook hands and conducted introductions, a misunderstanding turned into a pleasant joke among the new friends. That dapper gentleman was William S. Sessions, and ileta! asks, “How many people can say that they made the former Director of the FBI laugh upon introduction?”

Every year, the entire Inn membership is divided into pupillage teams, with each team consisting of a few members from each membership category. Each pupillage team creates and presents one educational program for the Inn program year. The programs and their topics are limited only by the team’s creativity and the one-hour format. Some teams write and present shows. Some teams bring in guest speakers. Judge Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez’s favorite program involved the San Antonio Four—four women who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated. 14 The women provided concrete examples of attorneys breaching their ethical duties. As Judge Speedlin Gonzales observes, the women’s presentation “put a mirror up to the face of our profession and hopefully changed how we treat our clients.” This author’s favorite program addressed immigration status. Bexar County Sheriff’s deputies greeted each member upon check-in and requested the member’s bar card. Members who could produce a bar card received an American flag sticker on their nametags. Those who could not produce a bar card were labeled “undocumented.” From the moment members stepped off the elevator to attend the Inn meeting that night, we were immersed in something like the immigration experience.

Each year, one pupillage team is designated as the Inn’s Outreach Group, responsible for creating at least one community program. The 2020-21 Outreach Group conducted several programs, including a December 2020 suitcase drive for The Children’s Shelter.

The Inn meeting usually includes a shared meal and the educational program, but it was not always so. 15 From 2001-05, Renee Yanta served on the Sessions Inn Board, ultimately serving as President. 16 She recalls that, early in her membership, Inn meetings were simply receptions. During her term on the Board, the Inn meetings changed to a half-hour social reception, followed by a full dinner to complement the educational program.

Since March 2020, Inn meetings have been held on-line due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 17 The first half hour remains social time, and the educational program follows during the dinner hour. H. Walker Bauer, a 2020-21 Pupil, commented that even though the meetings were on-line, he enjoyed the friendliness and social aspect of the Inn. It was clear to him that members were happy to assist in any way they could. Mr. Bauer’s perception is keen, and ileta! Sumner recalls that a casual conversation with another Inn member led her to the adoption agency where she and her husband met their sons.

In October 2019, Pupillage Group 1 presented a program on the British Legal System, in part to promote the Sessions Inn’s October 2020 visit to a London Inn. That visit had to be rescheduled, but the Inn is considering an October 2021 visit. In this photo, from left to right, are Judge David Canales, Carlos Solis, Erica Maloney, “Archetype Texas Lawyer,” Paul Barkhurst, and Catrina Guerrero.

Regardless of the meeting’s format, the Inn promotes cordiality and welcomes guests. The first thirty-five years of the Sessions Inn have introduced younger attorneys to their elders; provided programs where experienced attorneys have been awed by those with fewer years of practice; and done so with good humor and smarts.

Fifty years after Chief Justice Burger wrote The Necessity for Civility, the American Inns of Court and the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court remain dedicated to professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence in the practice of law. If you would like to inquire about visiting a meeting, please go to https://inns.innsofcourt.org/inns/officers. aspx?innid=30020.

Susan Cone Kilgore is an Attorney Advisor for the United States Department of the Army. From July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, she was the Immediate Past President of the William S. Sessions American Inn of Court.

ENDNOTES

1. Honorable Warren E. Burger, The Necessity for Civility,52 F.R.D. 211, 212 (1971).

2. The English Inns of Court began in 1292 when King Edward I directed his Chief Justice to satisfy a growing need for skilled advocates at the Royal Court at Westminster. The English Inns of Court emphasized the value of learning the craft of lawyering from those already established in the profession. Their collegial environment fostered common goals and nurtured professional ideals and ethics. https://americansall.org/ legacy-story-group/american-inns-courts (last visited June 5, 2021).

3. From 1970-93, Phil Hardberger was a partner at Hardberger & Rodriguez, Inc. In 1994, he became an Associate Justice on the Fourth Court of Appeals, and from 1997-2003, he served as that Court’s Chief Justice. In 2005, he was elected Mayor of San Antonio, and he served two two-year terms in that capacity. Phil Hardberger Park, named in his honor, opened in May 2010 and is a 311-acre park located on either side of Wurzbach Parkway between N.W. Military Highway and Blanco Road.

4. Randolph (Randy) Peter Tower practiced law at Clemens & Spencer from 1973 until he retired in 2011. Although primarily a trial attorney who practiced in both state and federal court, Randy also did appellate work. He was Board Certified in Labor & Employment Law. From 1975-1990, he was an Adjunct Professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law, and in his later years, he was highly sought after as a mediator and arbitrator. Randy died on November 19, 2013.

5 https://inns.innsofcourt.org/for-members/inns/ the-william-s-sessions-american-inn-of-court/ about/(last visited June 6, 2021).

6. In 1994, the Honorable Fred Biery was appointed to serve as United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Texas, a position he still holds with distinction today. From 2010-15, he served as Chief Judge of the Western District. Prior to his ascendency to the federal bench, Judge Biery was Judge of County Court at Law No. 2 in Bexar County (1979-82), Judge of the 150th District Court (1983-88) in San Antonio, and Associate Justice of the Fourth Court of Appeals (1989-94).

7. Since 2002, John Cornyn has served as one of the two United States Senators from Texas. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served as the 49th Attorney General of Texas (1999-2002), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas (1991-97), and Judge of the 37th Judicial District Court in San Antonio (1985-91).

8. Gerald “Gerry” Goldstein is a nationally known and highly respected criminal defense attorney, whose stellar career has spanned more than fifty years. He is a fellow in the American Board of Criminal Lawyers, the American College of Trial Lawyers, and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. He has been an adjunct professor at both the University of Texas School of Law in Austin and the St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio. In 2020, the State Bar of Texas recognized him as an Outstanding 50 Year Lawyer. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and in Texas Lawyer’s Legal Legends. Gerry is Past President of both the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, and he is also a founder and course director of the NACDL White Collar Crime Seminar.

9. The Honorable Andy Mireles was Judge of the 73rd Judicial District Court in San Antonio for more than twenty years. Widely respected for his high ethical standards, Mireles created Bexar County’s juvenile justice system and was a driving force behind the development of Bexar County’s child abuse and neglect court. Judge Mireles died in December 2009. In 2011, Northside Independent School District opened the Judge Andy Mireles Elementary School.

10. From 2018-21, Edward C. Prado served as United States Ambassador to Argentina. Before his appointment to that position, he served for fifteen years as Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (2003-18), for nearly twenty years as United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Texas (1984-2003), and for about three years as United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas (1981-84).

11. Dan Harkins was the President-Elect of the Sessions Inn until July 1, 2021, when he became President of the Inn.

12. Julia Mann was invited to join the Inn as a Pupil and has been a member as an Associate, Barrister, Master of the Bench. She served the Sessions Inn as President in 2019-20.

13. https://inns.innsofcourt.org/for-members/inns/ the-william-s-sessions-american-inn-of-court/ about/(last visited June 6, 2021).

14. The Honorable Rosie Speedlin Gonzalez is Judge of County Court at Law No. 13 in Bexar County, Texas. She was elected to the bench on November 6, 2018.

15. Recent health guidelines have restricted gathering and meal sharing, but the Sessions Inn plans to return to in-person meetings as soon as possible.

16. The Honorable Renee Yanta was appointed Judge of the 73rd Judicial District Court in San Antonio, following the death of Judge Andy Mireles, and she was elected to that bench in 2010. In 2014, she was elected judge of the 150th Judicial District Court, where she served until 2018.

17. On July 1, 2021, Brant Mittler, M.D., J.D. became the Immediate Past President of the Sessions Inn, following his one-year tenure as President.