SECTION NEWS
a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice.
Photo by Robert Maryland
LEGAL FUSION 2014
Maureen C. Onyeagbako is
A Night of Celebration, Camaraderie, and Commemoration by Maureen C. Onyeagbako
S
acramento’s legal community turned out in full force on August 21, 2014, for the Wiley W. Manuel Bar Association’s (WMBA) Legal Fusion event to celebrate scholarship and service. WMBA and its philanthropic arm, Friends of the WMBA, hosted the annual gathering to raise funds and award scholarships to deserving law students and to recognize community service award recipients. WMBA President Shanae Buffington welcomed the crowd at The Firehouse Restaurant and Mistress of Ceremonies Fredericka McGee kept the energy going with some risqué lawyer jokes before recognizing the judicial attendees and announcing the award recipients. Nonprofit of the Year went to 100 Black Men of Sacramento. Criminal defense attorney Keith Staten was named Lawyer of the Year. Staten has 20 years of legal experience and has tried over 120 cases to verdict. He is also an active community member who mentors youths and professionals, presents “Know Your Rights” seminars, and coaches a high school mock trial team. A true renaissance man, Staten also sang in a reggae band! He thanked his family and the late Nathaniel S. Colley Sr., who inspired Staten and was a dominant presence throughout the evening. Lifetime Achievement honoree, Judge James Long (ret.), also spoke of inspiration from Colley, but not before others had an opportunity to explain why “Jimmy” Long is so well respected and admired. Judge Long grew up in Sacramento’s Oak Park neighborhood and served on the Sacramento County Superior Court bench for 30 years. U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley shared anecdotes on the slack that
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SACRAMENTO LAWYER | November/December 2014 | www.sacbar.org
Judge Long refused to give him when Nunley first appeared in his court and the strong friendship they later developed. Donald Heller spoke of Judge Long’s “incredible sense of humanity” and said that Judge Long was one of the best trial judges he has appeared before. Former WMBA President Dale McKinney, who met the judge in 1969, credited Judge Long for inspiring him to change the course of his life. The honoree also received a letter of congratulations from the mayor and kind words from Fredericka McGee and WMBA Vice President Carlton Davis. After much ado about something, Judge Long thanked the crowd for making him feel “pretty good.” He paid tribute to Colley, for whom the Lifetime Achievement award was named, and described him as “an excellent human being.” The first black attorney in Sacramento, Colley was raised in the Jim Crow south, attended Yale Law School, argued successfully before the U.S. Supreme Court, and “made life better” for men and women around the country. He and Judge Long also worked together as regional counsel for the NAACP. Judge Long also gave a shout out to John Virga with whom he worked for many years. The event rounded out with scholarship presentations to Lincoln Law students Kaliah Kirkland and Jody Johnson. The evening was a wonderful celebration and window into the past, present, and future of Sacramento’s legal community. The hosts thank Renee Carter, the Center for Sacramento History, and all the Legal Fusion sponsors for their contributions to the successful event.