The John M. Langston Bar Association will honor four legends in the legal field during its 29th Annual Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon on Saturday, October 23, at 11:30 a.m., at the Conference Room, in Playa Vista.
According to Nyanza Shaw, association president, the event recognizes the contributions and community service of legal professionals who have practiced a minimum of 35 years. This year’s honorees are Victor Anderson III, Esq.; Winston Kevin McKesson, Esq.; U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Erithe A. Smith and L.A. Superior Court Judge Patricia J. Titus.
Anderson, a retired partner in Thompson Coe’s L.A. office, is a skilled trial litigator who served as lead trial counsel in over 50 trials. His experience includes 19 years with Haight Brown & Bonesteel and 13 years with Crandall, Wade and Lowe. Previously a board member of the Boys & Girls Club of Venice, Anderson is also a longtime volunteer for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of pediatric cancer research in the United States.
McKesson has built a prominent legal career since beginning in 1982 as an associate with Early, Maslach, Leavy and Nutt. He later worked at the Law Offices of Ronald Sweeney, followed by the Law Offices of Johnnie Cochran Jr. He and Sweeney formed a practice in 1991 and in 1997 attorney Carl Douglas joined them. In 2010, McKesson became a solo practitioner specializing in criminal law. His awards include the 2017 Trial Lawyer of the Year – Jerry Giesler Memorial Award from the Criminal Courts Bar Association.
Smith is the longest sitting African American bankruptcy judge in the country. Appointed in 1994, she is the only African American woman to be named to the bankruptcy bench in the Ninth Circuit. Previously, she was a partner in a boutique law firm in Irvine focused on corporate insolvency and bankruptcy law. A graduate of Loyola Marymount University, she created and funds the Erithe Smith Annual Scholarship. Together with matching funds from the university, she has awarded nearly $100,000 in scholarships to African American students at LMU.
Titus enjoyed a 15-year career as a criminal prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office before being elected as a Superior Court judge in 2000. In 2009, she was assigned to the Inglewood Superior Court where she hears requests for domestic violence and civil harassment restraining orders and presides over the Drug Court. An author of multiple books and recipient of several honors, Titus dedicates considerable time to young people by participating in school Career Days and mentoring law students and attorneys seeking judicial positions.
The theme for the induction ceremony is “Celebrating Our Legacy,” said Anne Saxton and Margo Bouchet, program co-chairs. Kente Scott, a comedian and actor, will serve as emcee.
Tickets for the in-person and virtual event are available at www.langstonbar.org/HOF2021. Proof of vaccination will be required for in-person registration. Proceeds from the program will benefit the John M. Langston Bar Association scholarship fund.
To learn more, visit www.langstonbar.org
