Page 17 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 2

e Seventh Lawyer
BY BOOKER T. EVANS
Ibegan practicing law in Nevada in 1978. I did not have a job when I graduated law school but knew that I wanted to learn to try
cases. I managed to talk the district attorney into hiring me and spent four years trying cases ranging from casino gaming violations to homicides. I was then o ered and accepted a position with the Nevada U. S. Attorney’s O ce which I believe was the springboard for the rest of my career.
In 1985, I transferred from Nevada to the U. S. Attorney’s O ce in Phoenix and subse- quently found o ers and opportunities in the private sector. Initially, I spent time in-house with APS where I enjoyed both the work and my colleagues. I transitioned from there to private practice where I have been fortunate to work in several rms allowing me to maintain a practice in both Arizona and Nevada.
I was Nevada’s seventh black lawyer and, in 1983, when we had “grown” to 12, we formed a local chapter of the National Bar Association (NBA). I had been a member of the NBA as a law student and had attended annual con- ventions in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta as a lawyer. e conventions were important to me because there was an opportunity to interact with lawyers who were similarly situated. We were trying to gure out how to succeed (not just survive) in a profession that seemingly created ways to limit and exclude us.
When I arrived in Arizona in 1985, there were more black lawyers than in Nevada and the few who were working in law rms were beginning to have success. A now deceased lawyer named Sidney Marable and Judge Cecil Patterson regularly attended annual NBA con- ventions and there was core of black lawyers who worked to keep the local group active and viable. A small group of us got together once a month for breakfast just to talk and to try and understand the obstacles that each of us might be facing in our practices. is provided an open forum for free discussion of issues. All of us wanted to see our numbers grow and to see doors open in the private sector. Without
decision making power, it turned out that the best way to accomplish that was for us to do good work.
e ABB provided an opportunity to dis- cuss cases, share strategies and develop ap- proaches to working on matters and cases. It also allowed for the free discussion of each of our work places and the expectations those supervising us held. As important as our in- dividual success might be, the most important bene t of the ABB continues to be that it al- lows for us to collectively interact with the community. It lets the community know that we are here and available while providing role models for young people who might be inter- ested in pursuing careers as lawyers, judges or other law related jobs and professions. I have enjoyed participating in mentoring programs; undergraduate recruiting programs; and of course, law school recruitment. ese things are an integral part of the ABB.
e question remaining is how do we in- crease our numbers in the legal profession? From the time I arrived here in 1985, I have seen marginal growth. ere will be continu- ing e orts by the ABB to inspire more young people to consider law as a profession. e ef- forts start with mentoring programs. Locally, the ABB has made concerted e orts to be available to schools, churches and organiza- tions like the Boys and Girls Club to share in- formation about the bene ts of education and to encourage young people to consider law as a career. In many instances, our members presence in law rms and other work places have resulted in the creation of relationships with schools and organizations with signi - cant minority populations.
Although in their infancy, a few of the pro- grams that I am familiar are beginning to bear fruit. e ABB is in the forefront of this e ort, but it is essential that the people and the or- ganizations that are in power take part in it. From the beginning of my career, I have heard how important diversity is to the legal profes- sion. It will take a uni ed e ort to achieve it.
17
We were trying to gure out how to succeed (not just survive) in a profession that seemingly created ways to limit and
exclude us.”