Photos by Don Shreve
A pretty young girl sits in the back of the courtroom. She’s not there to testify, nor is she on trial. Rather, she’s there because she loves watching our judicial system in action. From an early age, Beth Storey Bryan wanted to be an attorney – just like her dad, Circuit Judge William Storey. She realized that goal, earning her law degree in 1998. And come this January, she will don her own black robe, pound her own gavel and preside over her own court as the 4th Judicial District’s newly elected Div. 5 circuit judge.
Born in 1973, Beth Storey Bryan grew up in Fayetteville, attended The New School, then Root Elementary, Woodland Junior High and Fayetteville High School. Staying in her hometown, she graduated from the University of Arkansas with a degree in Political Science and ultimately went on to earn her juris doctor at the U of A School of Law – 30 years to the day after her father graduated from the same law school. She never drifted far from home, or her family. “I remember my freshman year moving into the Fulbright dormitory on campus and crying because I missed my family,” Beth recalled. The irony being they lived just down the street, the house could be seen from her dorm room window. But that’s just how close she and her parents and her two sisters, Jill and Lindly, were (and still are). “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t talk to my mother Pat, and my father. I look to my mother for advice about parenting issues, and talk politics and news with my dad.”
Beth was extremely shy as a small child, making her career choice and her successful political campaign rather paradoxical. Her mother shared this story: “Beth is the youngest of our three daughters, and was the center of my attention for a few years before she started school. She loved the time we spent together feeding horses, ducks and the latest batch of kittens, and especially the trips down to the mailbox in her red wagon. She saw no need to communicate verbally with any other adult, including her dad. Her reluctance to speak earned her the ‘barking’ role of Toto the puppy in her first school play. Now, her career is based on her exceptional ability to communicate with others!”
Serious from the Start
From a young age, Beth was interested in news, politics and law. She had her own subscription to Newsweek when she was in the fourth grade and developed strong opinions on a variety of issues, which, according to her mother, she was always eager to share at the dinner table. Beth said she always looked forward to the Washington County Fair – while her friends were excited about the rides, she gravitated to the politicians’ booths in the exhibit hall where she’d collect campaign giveaways and listen to candidate discussions. Besides politics, Beth also loved the courtroom, where she’d spend hours watching some of Fayetteville’s legal legends like Bill Bassett and Walter Cox try their cases. So, it came as no surprise to those who knew her when she decided to pursue a law degree. While in law school, Beth worked for Bobby Odom, another iconic Fayetteville attorney. And after graduation, she joined the practice of John Everett, a local litigator known for his toughness and brilliance in the courtroom. Beth said it was intimidating at first, because rather than assigning new attorneys with menial tasks as so many practices do, Everett handed her a file, introduced her to a client, and directed her to let him know how things turned out. Beth later became a partner in that firm, and in retrospect feels Everett’s ‘jump right in’ training methodology was a great way to learn the profession…not to mention the benefit of being able to observe one of the best trial lawyers around in action.
Raising a Family and Overcoming Obstacles
During her senior year in college, Beth met and fell in love with a handsome, charismatic young man named Davey Bryan, whom she married in 1999. Four years later, the Bryans welcomed their firstborn, King, named after Davey’s dad, a prominent Pine Bluff resident know for his dedication to Babe Ruth baseball and who died just before his namesake was born.
When baby King was just a few months old, he began having seizures. Beth and Davey took him to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, where after multiple tests he was diagnosed with a rare condition best described as “the opposite of diabetes” – his tiny body was producing too much insulin. ACH recommended King be transferred to a children’s hospital in Philadelphia that was more familiar with his disease. There they removed all but 3 percent of his pancreas, which controlled his condition but left him vulnerable to developing diabetes. The Bryans were away for three months, but Beth’s close-knit family took turns visiting and helping out. With the support of family and friends, and with the comfort of John Everett’s assurance that her job was secure, they made it through this tumultuous time. Today King is a healthy, robust seven-year-old and has a beautiful little sister, three-year-old Chloe Elizabeth.
On Her Own
In 2004, Beth took a big career step and went out on her own. For the first few years, she shared an office with Ken Shemin, who, like Everett, she considers to be a premier courtroom attorney. In talking about the contrast between the two attorneys, Beth said, “I would say that Ken has a quiet, gentlemanly approach, while John has a more aggressive, in-your-face approach. What has been so fascinating to learn from them both is that each style is equally effective for the clients they so zealously represent. Both share the ‘your word is your bond’ approach in dealing with other lawyers, judges and clients, in that one must always be truthful above all else no matter how bad the facts or the case law may be. It is a lesson I learned from both attorneys, and it’s the most important trait of a good lawyer.”
Centering on family law — divorces, child custody cases and the like — Beth’s practice is now located in the Fulbright Building on East Dickson Street in Fayetteville, originally home to the Fayetteville Public Library, which she frequented growing up. She also handles probate, corporate and civil cases.
Family First
The closeness and support structure of the Storey family would be called upon again in 2009. Lindly, Beth’s middle sister, lived in Texas with her husband Shannon and their two babies. Lindly, who had postponed starting a family, had embraced motherhood, putting her career on hold to be a stay-at-home mom. Then, on one fateful day last July, she received a phone call. Lindly’s husband, who was attending a conference in San Diego, had failed to show up for his meetings. All she knew was that he had left the hotel for his morning run and was not seen or heard from after that. In desperation, frustrated with the reluctance of the police to take action and after fruitless calls to the area hospitals, Beth called the morgue. They indeed had a ‘John Doe’ who had been brought in the previous day wearing running clothes. It turned out to be Beth’s brother-in-law Shannon. He had suffered a heart arrhythmia episode. Beth’s sister, along with her toddlers, moved back to Fayetteville to be closer to her family. Since that time, and in an effort to spare other families the terrible ‘John Doe’ experience, Beth’s other sister Jill’s husband, who is in the advertising business, invented what he calls a jog tag – an ID that runners can wear on their clothing or shoes. The tags are already becoming quite popular and are sold at running stores.
Onward and Upward
When the opportunity came along to run for the Div. 5 circuit judge position, Beth’s interest in family law dovetailed with the bulk of docket cases heard in court and seemed a natural fit. “When Beth decided to run for judge, I was delighted,” her father said. “I knew that she was well prepared for the job, and if elected, would do an outstanding job.” As for Davey, he was totally supportive, knowing how passionate Beth is about law, politics and children. “Davey has always been an involved dad and shares in the caregiving, which enabled me to run for office,” Beth explained. That said, during the campaign, she tried to never miss one of King’s soccer games, and she made every effort to be home in time to put the kids to bed or be there in the morning when they got up.
Of course, the kids had a great time campaigning for Mom. She said they especially loved the pancake breakfasts in the fire stations and made a game of spotting Beth Storey Bryan signs wherever they went. King, especially, took the campaign seriously, and sometimes personally when he heard an opponent’s ad. When Beth woke King the morning after Election Night, his first question was, “Did I win? I mean did we win?” Beth laughed and went on to tell a story about when she knew it was time for Election Day: “Chloe began calling me ‘Beth Storey Bryan for Circuit Judge’ instead of Mommy.”
Campaigning and the election were also challenging for Beth’s parents. Being a seated judge, her father couldn’t have any involvement in her campaign or campaign-sponsored events. On Election Day, faced with an open docket, he drove to Tulsa and back just to keep busy. “Having a daughter run for public office was much more difficult than having a husband run,” Beth’s mom said. “I wanted to shield her from the long hours and the time spent away from her precious children. Thankfully, juggling her family responsibilities, career and campaign was possible because of Davey’s loving support and tireless efforts.”
But now the race is behind her and she’s ready to take office this coming January, which will necessitate the closing of her practice in late fall. Though a little anxious, she has frequently appeared in that court as an attorney, so she’s familiar with the staff and gets along with them. The Div. 5 court usually hears half domestic relations cases, half probate, with a small number of civil cases. The district’s circuit judges, including both Judge Storeys, will meet on this allocation and then send their recommendation to the Arkansas Supreme Court for approval. Circuit judge terms are six years, however in this instance Beth will be serving the remaining four years of former Judge Mike Mashburn’s term, who stepped down due to health reasons. If she wishes to run again for a second, full term, she will have to run for re-election in 2014. For now, Beth is pleased that she and her father will be able to serve four years together; when it comes time for re-election, the senior Judge Storey will be ineligible to run again due to age limits capping the age of judicial candidates at 70.
Her political plans? “I want nothing more than to be a judge,” Beth said. “I have no intentions of running for a different political office. I think my skin is too thin for that.”
Where does Judge-elect Beth Storey Bryan see herself in 20 years? With her charming smile, she answers: “In a courtroom, serving the community, and playing with my grandchildren with Davey at my side.” What would she like to be known for? “I want to be known as a hard worker. Known to be honest, kind and respectful…a good listener and fair as a judge. And the best mom I can be.”
This summer, Beth is looking forward to spending time with Davey and the kids, going to the pool, playing at Wilson or Gulley Park, and catching up on her hobby – photography. The extended Storey family is also planning a trip to Rosemary Beach, Fla., a family tradition. “This will be the first trip since Lindley’s husband died. It will be a difficult time remembering that last fun family vacation, but we’ll all be together to help each other.”
In less than six months, the little girl who sat in the back of the courtroom will have a different view – one from behind the bench. The Honorable Beth Storey Bryan will be presiding…with a passion for law and a love of family and children.
Q+A
1. What do you do to relieve stress? I watch what Davey calls ‘trash TV’ … mindless television programs.
2. If you weren’t an attorney, what would you be? A schoolteacher like my mom.
3. What groups and clubs are you active in? The Juvenile Diabetes (JDRF) Board, Fayetteville Junior Civic League, Arkansas Children’s Hospital Circle of Friends, and I’m active in my church – Central United Methodist.
4. Are you a strict parent? I’m the disciplinarian. Davey is the ‘Disney Dad’.
5. What is your favorite comfort food? Southern home cooking from the Rolling Pin or Neil’s Café. I don’t cook. Davey does all of the cooking.
6. What would you change about yourself? My tendency to give unsolicited advice.
7. Favorite TV show? I’m a news junkie.
8. What is something you’ve always wanted? A Harley.
9. Favorite book? The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.
10. People would be surprised to know… my nickname is Buck, thanks to the late Dr. Harrison Butler.
|
