The Austin College Pre-Law Society will host “Colloquium on Civil Discourse and American Democracy: The Lawyer and American Public Life” on Thursday, November 12, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. via Zoom. Wyatt Hill, Class of 2021 and Pre-Law Society president, said all interested Austin College alumni and members of the College community are invited to attend the event sponsored by the Hatton W. Sumners Foundation of Dallas.
The colloquium is inspired by the reflections of Alexis de Tocqueville on the crucial public roles of the lawyer and the judiciary in the American democracy, Hill said. Frank Stevenson, partner at Locke Lord in Dallas and former president of the State Bar of Texas, will provide the keynote address. He has been with Locke Lord throughout his nearly 40-year legal career and has been honored several times for his professionalism, his mentorship of attorneys and efforts to diversify the profession, as well as steady advocacy of pro bono and expanded access to services.
Continuing the program, Austin College alumni Kevin White, Class of ’96 of Hunton Andrews Kurth in Washington, D.C., and Jim Walker, Class of 1982 of Cole Schotz in Dallas, will present their perspectives as lawyers. Chief Justice Robert Burns of the Texas Fifth Court of Appeals in Dallas and Judge Alfonso Charles of the Texas 124th District Court and Chief Administrative Judge of the Texas 10th Judicial District in Longview will discuss their roles as judges.
The Austin College Young Conservatives and the Austin College Campus Democrats join the Pre-Law Society and the Sumners Foundation in sponsorship.
COLLOQUIUM ON CIVIL DISCOURSE AND AMERICAN DEMOCRACY:
The Lawyer and American Public Life
Thursday, November 12, 2020
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81734341418
Meeting ID: 817 3434 1418
11:00 a.m. Welcome
Steven P. O’Day, J.D., President, Austin College
Wyatt Hill ’21, President, Austin College Pre-Law Society
11:05 – 11:55 a.m. Keynote Speaker
12:05 – 12:55 p.m. Lawyers Panel
1:05 – 1:55 p.m. Judges Panel
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and more than 100 expert faculty members allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.