ABA midyear meeting. Meet the 2020 Spirit of Excellence Award honorees

• Author: Amanda Robert
• Pages: 66-67

ABA MIDYEAR MEETING

Meet the 2020 Spirit of Excellence

Award honorees

BY AMANDA ROBERT

A

Texas judge and four at-

torneys who have worked

to promote a more diverse

legal profession will receive

the Spirit of Excellence Award at the

2020 ABA Midyear Meeting in Aus-

tin, Texas.

The ABA Commission on Racial

and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession

presents the annual awards to lawyers

who excel professionally; personify

excellence at the national, state or local

level; and demonstrate a commitment

to diversity in the law.

“There are a lot of people who

agree that diversifying the profession

is important, but it’s sometimes put on

the back burner,” says Helen Kim , chair

of the commission. “What the Spirit of

Excellence Awards do is focus on its im-

portance by highlighting and showcas-

ing those who are promoting diversity

and inclusion in the profession. It also

inspires the people in the audience to

join in the cause.”

We asked each honoree the same

question ahead of their awards lun-

cheon Feb. 15: What does the Spirit of

Excellence Award mean to you?

Patty Ferguson-Bohnee is the

director of the Indian Legal Clinic and

faculty director of the Indian Legal

Program at the Arizona State Univer-

sity Sandra Day O’Connor College of

Law. A member of the Pointe-au-Chien

Indian tribe , she has helped four bayou

tribes obtain recognition from Louisi-

ana and has advocated for the rights

of unrecognized tribes in response to

environmental disasters.

“I realize in having the opportuni-

ties I’ve had, a lot of people fought for

those opportunities, and I spend a lot

of time giving back to my tribe and

serving my tribe in a pro bono capacity.

I think it’s awesome because I feel that

when I do things, I’m not just represent-

ing myself, but my family, my tribe and

where I come from.”

Donise E. Brown is director-corpo-

rate counsel for Starbucks, where she

supports corporate and retail real estate

matters in the mid-Atlantic and South-

east. She has served as co-chair of the

Starbucks Law & Corporate Affairs

Diversity Committee. She is a Florida

Bar-certi ed diversity trainer and facili-

tator and a member of the National Bar

Association Commercial Law Section’s

executive committee.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done

and the example I’ve set as a mentor,

but I don’t look at it from that perspec-

tive. I think of it as a mission because

we still aren’t where we need to be. In

our current climate, we have to have

advocates, and we have to have people

 ghting the  ght.”

Judge Lora Livingston sits on the

Travis County Civil District Court in

Austin, Texas. She is a member of the

ABA Center for Innovation Governing

Council and has served on the Standing

Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent

Defendants . She was recognized by

the Austin Bar Association and Austin

Bar Foundation for helping to bring

diversity to the legal profession and was

presented with the inaugural Joseph C.

Parker Jr. Diversity Award in 2016 .

“I have admired the people who

won this award. I think of them as legal

giants and as hardworking, brilliant

people who have throughout their

careers inspired the work I’ve done.

They have demonstrated a commitment

to diversity and inclusion as well as the

rule of law and access to justice, and

now counting myself among such giants

is humbling.”

Richard Pena is president and CEO

of the Law Of ce of Richard Pena in

Austin, Texas, where he represents

ABA Insider | ABA MIDYEAR MEETING

Photos courtesy of the American Bar Association

ABA JOURNAL | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2020

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