austinbar.org FEBRUARY 2026 | VOLUME 35, NUMBER 1
Where Your Money Goes When You Donate to the Austin Bar Foundation
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hank you for your flexibility and understanding as we work to reschedule the 2026 Austin Bar Foundation Gala. Funds raised through this year’s Gala will go toward funding the Austin Bar Foundation’s various charitable programs and projects. We want to highlight several individuals who graciously allowed us to interview them to see how the work of the Austin Bar Foundation has impacted their lives. Austin Adoption Day The Austin Bar Foundation plays an integral part in Austin Adoption Day, held every year in November. Funds are used to pay for the decorating of the Travis County Civil and Family Courthouse as the Land of Oz, provide food and beverages, and ensure the day is special for the families and especially the children involved. Pastor Daryl Horton of Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Austin and his wife, Shalonda, finalized the adoption of their daughter, Eshana, at Adoption Day 2024. “We initially met her in 2023 and fostered her until the adoption was finalized at Adoption Day 2024,” Horton said. “When you’re adopting a child, you don’t
think about all the legal things. You’re thinking about, ‘How do I care for this child? How do I get my home ready?’ We’re very thankful for the Austin Bar Foundation for the help they provided us in adopting our daughter.” Hon. Lora Livingston Fellowship The Austin Bar Foundation administers the Hon. Lora Livingston Fellowship. Named after long-time Travis County Judge Lora Livingston who retired from the bench in 2022, the scholarship provides stipends to first-year law students from diverse backgrounds. The fellowship also enables these students to participate in law firm, governmental agency, and judicial clerkship experiences. The stipends provided to students is funded by charitable donations from firms offering internships. To date, $410,000 has been awarded through the program. “As a first-generation law student, my exposure to the legal field was very limited,” said UT Law 2L Jamarqus “Jay” Winbush, a 2025 fellow. “As a result of the fellowship, I’m better prepared to plan my future.” Winbush’s fellowship was at the law firm of Naman Howell, and he’ll be interning at the firm this summer.
Pastor Daryl Horton and his wife, Dr. Shalonda Horton, finalized the adoption of their daughter, Eshana, at the Austin Bar Foundation’s annual Austin Adoption Day.
Chris Philley is a family law attorney in Austin who was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer. With the help of the Austin Bar Foundation’s Crisis Assistance Program, Chris’ cases were taken on by volunteer attorneys while Chris received treatment.
“Sometimes, the true difference between average and greatness is opportunity,” he said. “The fellowship program does a great job of showing you what’s available to you as a first-generation law student.” Winbush said the fellowship
is important because it provides life-changing opportunities. “The experience certainly changed my life,” he said.
Foundation continued on page 26.