Meet the Austin Black Lawyers 2025 Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon Honorees

Judge Texanna Davis, Sedora Jefferson, and Deborah Thomas were honored at the 2025 Austin Black Lawyers Association Foundation (ABLAF) Andrea Pair Bryant Legacy Luncheon.

Judge Texanna Davis

Texanna Davis has served as an associate judge for more than 15 years and is now the senior associate judge. She uses her extensive knowledge and a profound commitment to the field of juvenile law to ensure that the youth before her receive justice.

Her distinguished career in law spans more than 30 years, including 15 years as a former assistant district attorney, where she played a pivotal role in many significant juvenile cases and honed her expertise in juvenile law.

Judge Davis graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, where she earned her Juris Doctorate. She is board-certified in Juvenile Law and has served as an advisory member for the Texas Board of Legal Specialization’s Juvenile Law section. She has also served as a board member for the Travis County Credit Union for more than 15 years, where she provides invaluable insights and leadership.

Judge Davis was born and raised in Austin and grew up in the historic Clarksville neighborhood.

Sedora Jefferson

Sedora Jefferson was introduced by the Hon. Lora Livingston, retired Travis County district judge. Jefferson just retired from the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB), where she served as associate executive director and chief corporate counsel from August 2003 to January 2025.

Prior to joining TASB, Jefferson held similar executive-level legal counsel positions with state and local government, including the City of Austin and the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Starting out in litigation at the Texas Attorney General’s Office, she defended governmental officials and agencies in employment and civil rights cases, as well as represented financial agencies of the state in enforcing insurance, banking, and securities laws.

Jefferson has a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of California – Los Angeles School of Law. She has been practicing law in Texas since 1986.

Jefferson is a lifetime member of the Austin Black Lawyers Association and Jack and Jill of America (Austin Chapter). She is president of the Austin-Travis County Duplicate Bridge Club, an affiliate of the American Bridge Association, participated in her TASB’s adopt-a-school program serving as a tutor and pen pal for more than 20 years, and was elected to the CommUnityCare Board of Directors in 2023.

Jefferson maintains an active lifestyle through pilates, walking, and reading books with the same book club for almost 35 years. She is also the proud mother of Paige and spouse to Carl Searles.

Deborah Thomas

Deborah Thomas was introduced by Karen Kennard, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Austin office. Thomas is an experienced attorney with more than three decades of legal experience, specializing in municipal law.

Since July 2024, Thomas has served as the interim city attorney for the City of Austin, where she leads a team of 115 attorneys, paralegals, and administrative professionals, providing counsel to elected city officials and city management on a wide range of complex issues impacting the city, including civil rights, environmental policies, and land development.

Prior to her current role, Thomas held leadership roles in the City of Austin Law Department for the past 17 years, first serving as division chief over the Land Use and Real Estate Division and, for the last 10 years, as deputy city attorney. Earlier in her career, Thomas served as a hearings officer with the Texas Water Commission (now the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), presiding over regulatory hearings related to water quality, hazardous waste, and utility rates.

Thomas is a graduate of the University of Houston Law Center. She also earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science degree in health planning and administration from the Pennsylvania State University. Thomas’ legal career and public health background underscores a lifelong commitment to public service.

She is married to Eric Thomas, and they will soon celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary. They have two children, Nia and Omari.

Violinist Shawn LeSure graced the event with soothing music while Judge Eric Shepperd emceed. President of the Foundation Ayeola Williams welcomed the attendees, Rev. Joseph C. Parker, Jr., gave the invocation, and Vice President of the Austin Black Lawyers Association, Arthur Bryan, II, gave closing comments. The Hon. Velva Price chaired the luncheon, which was held at Chateau Bellevue. All funds raised went to the Virgil C. Lott and Heman Marion Sweatt Scholarships.

Austin Black Lawyers Foundation appreciates the sponsors who helped make the luncheon a success and ensure that the scholarships will continue:

Platinum: The Carlson Law Firm

Gold: Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody, Scott Douglass & McConnico, Judge Linda VonQuintus

Silver: Gary Cobb, Sylvia Hardman-Dingle, Brian Jammer, Lloyd Gosselink Rochelle & Townsen, Richards Rodriguez & Skeith

Bronze: Austin Bar Association, Beveridge & Diamond, Judge Maya Guerra Gamble, Judge Bianca Garcia, Judge Sylvia Holmes, Justice Chari Kelly, Hon. Velva Price, Gabrielle C. Smith, Judge Jan Soifer, Judge Todd Wong

The Legacy Luncheon is named after Andrea Pair Bryant, one of the founders of the Austin Black Lawyers Association, who was always a “woman with a mission” and an iconic figure who held a deep passion for the law, the arts, and volunteerism.