This year’s class of the Leadership Academy, a joint effort of the Austin Bar Association and the Austin Young Lawyers Association, has produced Law: A Profession of Service, a video of interviews with highly accomplished and well-known lawyers in Central Texas that aims to shine a positive light on the legal profession.

Attorney Elliott Beck, a member of the 2018 Leadership Academy class, said the idea for the video came from a conversation he had with attorney Sarah Weddington, a former member of the Texas House of Representatives best known for successfully arguing Roe v. Wade before the United States Supreme Court when she was 26 years old.

“One of our goals was to revive and reinvigorate the public’s opinion of the law,” said Beck.

The 10-minute video features interviews with eight members of the Central Texas legal community, including Berry Crowley, former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson, Dirk Jordan, Frank King, Judge Lora Livingston, Judge Robert Pitman, state Sen. Kirk Watson, and Weddington.

Beck anticipates showing the video to members of mock trial teams, debate teams, and high school government classes around the area. “We hope that a young person will hear these stories and be inspired to follow in their footsteps.”

The film will debut at the 125th anniversary celebration of the Austin Bar on August 29, which will be held at the Austin Central Library’s Special Event Center.

For more information about the Austin Bar Association, go to austinbar.org.