austinbar.org DECEMBER 2025 / JANUARY 2026 | VOLUME 34, NUMBER 10
Meet the Austin Bar Foundation Gala Award Recipients
David Chamberlain
D
avid Chamberlain, Judy Kostura, and Richel “Rikky” Rivers have been named the Austin Bar’s 2026 Distinguished Lawyers. The Hon. Rudy Metayer has been named the recipient of the David H. Walter Community
Judy Kostura
Richel “Rikky” Rivers
Excellence Award by the Austin Bar Association. The Austin Bar Foundation will also honor Travis County Court Administrator Warren Vavra, who will retire from the position soon after the new year, with the Legacy Award. Each of these recipients will be
Hon. Rudy Metayer
honored with a video presentation at the 2026 Austin Bar Foundation Gala on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at the Four Seasons Hotel. Tickets and sponsorships are still available at austinbar.org/gala. Distinguished Lawyer David Chamberlain Chamberlain McHaney David Chamberlain is a partner at Chamberlain McHaney. Double board-certified in trial law, David has also been recognized as the Outstanding Defense Bar Leader in the nation by DRI, the
Warren Vavra
largest association of defense trial lawyers in the country, from which he received the Fred Sievert Award. He is a past chair of the Board of Directors of the State Bar of Texas and past chair of the Board of Trustees of the State Bar of Texas Insurance Trust. In 2024, he received the Richard T. McCarroll Professionalism Award from the Austin Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. He received the “Standing Ovation” Award from the State Bar of Texas for outstanding service as the course director or speaker for Awards continued on page 10.