Archer Fellowship Program Alumni Profiles
Gaven Norris
Fall 2009 Archer Fellow
Internship: NAACP Washington Bureau
Education
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
B.A. Political Science; May 2011
Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University
J.D.; May 2014
Career
Attorney/Owner at The Norris Law Office
Assistant County Attorney for Upton County - previous
Fall 2009 Archer Fellow
Internship: NAACP Washington Bureau
Education
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin
B.A. Political Science; May 2011
Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University
J.D.; May 2014
Career
Attorney/Owner at The Norris Law Office
Assistant County Attorney for Upton County - previous
“The Archer Fellowship Program has given me the courage to dream big, follow my dreams, and make an impact in whatever community I call home.
Q & A with Gaven
Please tell us about your current position.
I am a former prosecutor and trial lawyer who litigates civil matters in West Texas, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. My boutique law firm specializes in family law, will and estate planning, and commercial/business law, where we represent businesses in the oil and gas industry with their legal matters.
Please tell us more about your Archer Fellowship Program internship.
As an NAACP intern, my main responsibility was working on the NAACP's policy position regarding the proposed Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare. It was my job to research the proposed legislation, highlight the pros and cons, and draft the proposed position of the NAACP in-favor-of or against the ACA. I traveled with and assisted the Director of the NAACP Legislative Bureau, weekly, to meetings on The Hill, Congressional hearings, and meetings with the conglomerate of civil rights organizations headquartered in the D.C. area. I also traveled with the President of the NAACP, Ben Jealous, as an advance man as he met with political and business leaders in D.C.
What has been your general career path?
After graduating from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, I attended law school at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. While in law school I interned as an in-house legal intern for British Petroleum (BP), ExxonMobil, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. After passing the bar, I worked as prosecutor in the County Attorney's office in West Texas while building my private practice. I left the County Attorney's office in 2017 and worked full time in private-practice, where I run a busy litigation firm. I also serve on several community boards, including the Odessa Police Department Police Training Advisory Board.
How has your experience as an Archer Fellow influenced your career path and goals?
Undoubtedly, I am only a lawyer today because of my Archer Fellow experience. I was unsure whether I would go to law school. However, each time I accompanied the Director of the NAACP Legislative Bureau, a high profile lawyer in D.C., to a meeting, he would list all of the reasons why I should go to law school and list all of the good things I could do in the world with a law degree. He would then introduce me to other civil rights leaders who would encourage me to do the same. It was his chats and influence that helped shape my decision to attend law school. But for the Archer Fellowship, I would not be a lawyer today. The Archer Fellowship Program has given me the courage to dream big, follow my dreams and make an impact in whatever community I call home.
What did you value the most about your Archer Fellowship Program experience?
What I value the most about my Archer Fellow experience is the exposure to a wide variety of people and places through my internship with the NAACP Legislative Bureau and the opportunity I was granted to work directly with the President of the NAACP. Those experiences created life-long professional networks, friendships and mentors.
What do you value the most about being an alumnus?
Aside from the prestige that the name "Archer Fellow alumni" carries with it and the many doors that this name has opened for me as an Archer Fellow alumnus, I have benefited greatly, personally and professionally, from the assistance of other Archer Fellow alumni, some of whom I didn't know well, but just because we are part of the “Archer Family,” they were willing to assist. This is the value of being an Archer Fellow alum, or a part of the “Archer Family.”
What is your favorite memory as an Archer Fellow?
My favorite memory is a tie between Dr. Swerdlow's class at the Lincoln Memorial and the class discussion of whether Lincoln was a great president because he "freed slaves" versus his personal indifference towards ending slavery in the United States, and standing in line with my housemates to eat at Eastern Market almost every Saturday morning.
Please tell us about your current position.
I am a former prosecutor and trial lawyer who litigates civil matters in West Texas, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio. My boutique law firm specializes in family law, will and estate planning, and commercial/business law, where we represent businesses in the oil and gas industry with their legal matters.
Please tell us more about your Archer Fellowship Program internship.
As an NAACP intern, my main responsibility was working on the NAACP's policy position regarding the proposed Affordable Care Act, a.k.a., Obamacare. It was my job to research the proposed legislation, highlight the pros and cons, and draft the proposed position of the NAACP in-favor-of or against the ACA. I traveled with and assisted the Director of the NAACP Legislative Bureau, weekly, to meetings on The Hill, Congressional hearings, and meetings with the conglomerate of civil rights organizations headquartered in the D.C. area. I also traveled with the President of the NAACP, Ben Jealous, as an advance man as he met with political and business leaders in D.C.
What has been your general career path?
After graduating from The University of Texas of the Permian Basin, I attended law school at Thurgood Marshall School of Law. While in law school I interned as an in-house legal intern for British Petroleum (BP), ExxonMobil, and Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. After passing the bar, I worked as prosecutor in the County Attorney's office in West Texas while building my private practice. I left the County Attorney's office in 2017 and worked full time in private-practice, where I run a busy litigation firm. I also serve on several community boards, including the Odessa Police Department Police Training Advisory Board.
How has your experience as an Archer Fellow influenced your career path and goals?
Undoubtedly, I am only a lawyer today because of my Archer Fellow experience. I was unsure whether I would go to law school. However, each time I accompanied the Director of the NAACP Legislative Bureau, a high profile lawyer in D.C., to a meeting, he would list all of the reasons why I should go to law school and list all of the good things I could do in the world with a law degree. He would then introduce me to other civil rights leaders who would encourage me to do the same. It was his chats and influence that helped shape my decision to attend law school. But for the Archer Fellowship, I would not be a lawyer today. The Archer Fellowship Program has given me the courage to dream big, follow my dreams and make an impact in whatever community I call home.
What did you value the most about your Archer Fellowship Program experience?
What I value the most about my Archer Fellow experience is the exposure to a wide variety of people and places through my internship with the NAACP Legislative Bureau and the opportunity I was granted to work directly with the President of the NAACP. Those experiences created life-long professional networks, friendships and mentors.
What do you value the most about being an alumnus?
Aside from the prestige that the name "Archer Fellow alumni" carries with it and the many doors that this name has opened for me as an Archer Fellow alumnus, I have benefited greatly, personally and professionally, from the assistance of other Archer Fellow alumni, some of whom I didn't know well, but just because we are part of the “Archer Family,” they were willing to assist. This is the value of being an Archer Fellow alum, or a part of the “Archer Family.”
What is your favorite memory as an Archer Fellow?
My favorite memory is a tie between Dr. Swerdlow's class at the Lincoln Memorial and the class discussion of whether Lincoln was a great president because he "freed slaves" versus his personal indifference towards ending slavery in the United States, and standing in line with my housemates to eat at Eastern Market almost every Saturday morning.
