© 2013 The Texas Lawbook.
By Patricia Baldwin
Lifestyle Writer for The Texas Lawbook
Attorney and Austin City Planning Commissioner James Nortey II reads opportunities and challenges in media stories, such as:
“Can Austin Keep Itself Weird?” (The New York Times)
“Austin Envy” (Forbes)
And social media went viral when, in the series finale of NBC sitcom “The Office,” Jim and Darryl’s fictional sports marketing company moved to Austin. The firm even got an equally fake welcome from Mayor Lee Leffingwell. (He told an entertainment writer he was a fan.)
Nortey, an associate in the Public Law section of Andrews Kurth, notes the media often depict the “Austin We Show,” not the “Austin We Know.”
“I find this dichotomy striking in my work as an attorney and community advocate,” Nortey says. “In some respects I’m helping to build a shiny new Austin, and, in other roles, I am trying to ensure that we can preserve Austin and ensure we can afford to still live here.”
Two years after graduating from Harvard Law School and moving to Austin, Nortey spends much time listening to people – about Austin’s past and the city’s future – and wants to make a difference.
“Some used to say ‘If we don’t build it, they won’t come.’ Well, we didn’t build it, and they’re still coming,” Nortey says. “Austin is a magical city. I really do believe that. We have the culture, the people, the right times.”
At the same time, however, he is concerned about affordability, transportation, education and other city issues. He says he takes the responsibility seriously to help shape the planning and zoning of the city – after all, he intends to be a resident for decades to come.
Austin Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole, who appointed Nortey to the Planning Commission, says she was impressed when the attorney interviewed for the appointment.
“He was better prepared than anybody I had ever interviewed. He had watched over 20 past meetings and had strong, well-formed ideas of all of the most important issues of the time,” Cole says.
Nortey acknowledges the position is time-consuming – especially in addition to being a law firm associate. But, he says, “I have a passion for it.”
Nortey attributes that passion to being a son of immigrants from Ghana. And although he graduated high school in El Paso, he got to know Austin when his parents later moved to Cedar Park.
“I did not have the financial or social capital that some of my peers had,” Nortey explains. “But I knew that, because of the people’s tax dollars, I had a chance to go to the public education system. Through my parents, neighbors, ministers, churches, educators, I was the beneficiary of a lot of input. That allowed me to get a lot further than I ever thought I could. I have an obligation to return that favor.”
Rex VanMiddlesworth, managing partner of the Austin office of Andrews Kurth, describes Nortey as “a very talented lawyer who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done, including pulling the occasional all-nighter.”
VanMiddlesworth adds that he was impressed with Nortey from the moment he met him at Harvard.
“He has a warm and engaging presence. He looks you in the eye and listens to what you have to say,” VanMiddlesworth says. “He has already shown that he can skillfully cross-examine expert witnesses and argue – and win – motions. Andrews Kurth is lucky to have him.”
The feeling is mutual. Nortey modestly acknowledges that law firms are “at your doorstep” when you attend Harvard Law. He knew, however, that he wanted to come to Austin. And he decided to join Andrews Kurth because the firm offered “more of the regulatory, public policy practice I was looking for.”
Nortey’s love affair with public law and policy began at Baylor University in an undergraduate class called “Plato’s Republic,” which, he says, “got my mind tinkering about policy.”
Still, he decided to go to law school to become a prosecutor and “reform the system.” Then he realized he would have a better chance to impact change from the outside, not the inside. He took “class after class” in public policy at Harvard and found his passion.
He also used law school opportunities to leverage personal aspirations. He traveled to Ghana to learn about his roots in an interdisciplinary class called “Making Rights Real.” The group of Harvard students investigated Ghana’s health care system, established a dialogue and wrote a report about the system’s future financial stability.
During the experience abroad, Nortey met many cousins and returned to the United States with a love for travel and the conviction “I am Ghanaian.”
Then, during the brief “January Term” at law school, Nortey sent a “random email” to Mayor Pro Tem Cole, asking for the opportunity to study the “concept of growth” in Austin. He recalls, “She took a chance on me, and we hit it off.”
That first encounter with city leadership eventually led to Nortey’s appointment to the Zero Waste Advisory Commission, dedicated to making Austin a “Zero Waste City” by 2040. After serving on that commission for about six months, the City Planning position opened in September 2012.
“The staff knew I was interested,” Nortey says. “But I thought I was too young, too inexperienced.”
Cole viewed Nortey otherwise. “I felt that his youth, passion and analytical skills would be a great addition to one of the city’s most important citizen commissions,” she says.
What has surprised Nortey about city government is “how easily a small number of organized Austinites can change city policy.” So, using his own path as an example, he encourages others to become involved.
The dedication carries over to his legal work.
Andrews Kurth partner Lino Mendiola III says he’s impressed with Nortey’s diligence and judgment.
“James is a dedicated lawyer and a dedicated public servant. Still in the early years of his career, he has committed to learning the art of advocacy and the lawyer’s profession,” Mendiola says. “He doesn’t seem to mind spending a few hours in the evening doing public service and then hitting the law books for a few more hours to find the right answer for a client.”
In fact, Nortey says his life is akin to a juggling act. Still, he finds time for reading (nonfiction and history), running (four to six miles every other day), community organizing and social networking.
He acknowledges and laughs at the fact that some people say he sounds like a politician, but he also says he doesn’t know what the future holds. The political arena is a “possibility, but not the only possibility.”
He adds, “My goal always has been to be a social justice champion. Sometimes I think I can make more change and more effective change as an outsider.”
Mendiola, however, is confident about Nortey’s future: “If hard work is a recipe for success, then James is guaranteed to be successful.”
Do you have a special avocation, hobby or other lifestyle interest to share? Please email patricia.baldwin@texaslawbook.net
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