Magic City Bar Association

10/16/2026

10/15/2026

It was wonderful to see MCBA and Birmingham Bar Association members, judges, Miles College students and faculty, and community guests come together for an informative “Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve.”

Thank you to our speakers, Attorney Raymond Johnson Jr. and Attorney Kimberly Ballard, for sharing their insights, and to our moderators, Judge Tamara Harris Johnson and Judge Patricia Stephens-Moss, for guiding the conversation.

Special thanks to Judge Johnson for welcoming us into her courtroom, the Magic City Judicial Council for partnering with MCBA, and everyone who helped make the event possible.

We appreciate everyone who took time to join us.

10/12/2026

What do Michael Jordan and the Magic City Bar Association have in common? Currently, the number 45!

When Michael Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995, he wore jersey No. 45.

Today, 45 professionals have RSVP'd for the Magic City Bar Association's upcoming Continuing Legal Education (CLE) program, and there's still room for you!

Join us for Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve, a timely conversation exploring how legal professionals use their knowledge, experience, and influence to make a meaningful difference beyond the courtroom.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕛 Noon to 1:30 p.m.
📍 Jefferson County Courthouse, Courtroom 640
⚖️ 1.0 CLE Credit Hour

Featured Speakers:
Attorney Raymond Johnson Jr.
Attorney Kimberly Ballard, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Southern Poverty Law Center

Moderators:
The Honorable Tamara Harris Johnson
The Honorable Patricia Stephens-Moss

Whether you're an attorney, law student, or community professional interested in the intersection of law and public service, we invite you to join the conversation.

Don't miss your shot to be in the room!

🔗 Register here:

https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nw47q63

10/02/2026

Everyone and everything has an origin story. Beyond the Bench made its debut on April 9, 2025, at 6:13 p.m. CST. Since then, our little newsletter has grown up a bit, but one thing has remained remarkably consistent: a 50–60% open rate. For a little perspective, Constant Contact reports that nonprofit membership organizations average about a 36% open rate, while its top-performing customers average 48%. So when half, and sometimes more, of our readers consistently open Beyond the Bench, we don't take that for granted. We like to think it means we're giving MCBA members, friends and community partners something worth opening. The October edition is now in your inbox, and it all boils down to one question: Friends, what are you doing on October 22? 👀

10/01/2026

You may know Judge Patricia Stephens-Moss from the bench. But do you know the road that brought her there?

Before becoming a judge, she served as a prosecutor with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office and later worked in private practice, representing clients in criminal and civil defense, family law, and personal injury.

Then came the bench.

Since 2013, Judge Stephens-Moss has served in Jefferson County Circuit Court’s Domestic Relations Division, where she is now Presiding Judge.

On Wednesday, October 14, she’ll bring that experience to a different kind of conversation as a moderator for Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve.

Judge Stephens-Moss and Judge Tamara Harris Johnson will guide a conversation with featured speakers, Attorneys Raymond L. Johnson Jr. and Kimberly Ballard, about the many ways lawyers can use their skills and influence to serve their communities.

📅 Wednesday, October 14, 2026
🕛 Noon–1:30 p.m.
📍 Courtroom 640, Jefferson County Courthouse
⚖️ 1.0 CLE hour

Come be part of the conversation. Reserve your seat today:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nw47q63/lp/6891d638-767f-412d-9a59-f7bd640557cc

09/30/2026

Time is running out. The 2026 MCBA Scholarship application deadline is October 2 at 11:59 PM CST. Know an eligible law student? Tag them. Share it. Send it.
🔗 www.magiccitybarassociation.org/annual-scholarship

09/30/2026

Kimberly Ballard knows what happens when the lawyer advising the leader becomes the leader.

For more than two decades in higher education, she advised leaders and governing boards on governance, strategy, risk, and complex institutional challenges. Her most rewarding role during that time? Serving as legal advisor to 35 colleges and universities.

Then, she stepped into the top leadership role herself, serving as a university president.

Today, Ballard is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of a national social justice organization, where she serves on the executive leadership team and as Secretary to the Board of Directors.

On October 14, she brings that perspective to Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Courtroom 640 | Jefferson County Courthouse
1.0 CLE hour

Presented by the Magic City Judicial Council and Magic City Bar Association.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nw47q63

09/29/2026

What does it take for a lawyer’s voice to reach from the courtroom all the way to Congress?

Attorney Raymond L. Johnson Jr. has testified before the United States Congress on major civil rights legislation, led the Los Angeles Branch of the NAACP, and spent decades litigating civil rights issues in state and federal courts.

His career has also included service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, teaching constitutional and civil rights law, and providing legal analysis for national news organizations including NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, NPR, and Newsweek.

On Wednesday, October 14, Johnson joins us for Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve, a conversation about how attorneys can use their legal training, leadership, and influence to make an impact beyond individual cases.

Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Courtroom 640, Jefferson County Courthouse
1.0 CLE hour

Presented by the Magic City Judicial Council and Magic City Bar Association.

Register here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nw47q63

Come hear the conversation.

09/28/2026

Friday night’s Wild Cards premiere gave us plenty to talk about after the credits rolled.

MCBA Immediate Past President Johnathan F. Austin, Esq., joined actor Leon, director Wes Miller, and EJ Turner for a panel discussion about bias and the questions raised by the film. Isis M. Jones moderated the conversation.

The night also brought news worth celebrating: EJ had recently learned that he passed the bar! Congratulations, EJ. What a moment to share with everyone in the room.

Thank you to Johnathan for representing MCBA and helping carry the conversation beyond the screen.

09/28/2026

For Judge Tamara Harris Johnson, serving beyond the courtroom isn’t just a CLE topic. It’s something she has spent a career doing.

From public service and private practice to teaching future lawyers and serving on the bench, Judge Johnson’s career reflects a belief she grew up watching: what you achieve matters, but so does what you do with it.

On Wednesday, October 14, she’ll help lead a conversation about exactly that.

Judge Johnson will serve as a moderator for “Beyond the Verdict: How Lawyers Transform the Communities They Serve,” alongside Judge Patricia Stephens-Moss, with featured speakers Attorney Raymond Johnson Jr. and Attorney Kimberly Ballard.

📅 Wed, October 14, 2026
🕛 Noon–1:30 p.m.
📍 Courtroom 640, Jefferson County Courthouse
⚖️ 1.0 CLE hour

Presented by the Magic City Judicial Council and Magic City Bar Association.

RSVP: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/nw47q63/lp/6891d638-767f-412d-9a59-f7bd640557cc

🎥 Pictured from left: retired Wilcox County Judge Jo Celeste Pettway, Judge Patricia Stephens-Moss, Judge Tamara Harris Johnson and Birmingham City Attorney Nicole King at MCBA's 2025 CLE program.