So many Browns

"Turn the heat down": Harsh words but no sanctions for attorneys in Brown HandCenter doc divorce

Rachel Brown in 2011 photo
Photo via My Fox Houston/Channel 26
Michael Brown

The second day of oral hearings in the divorce of Michael and Rachel Brown found attorneys struggling to find time to address all the issues in front of the court, from custody to property issues.

But in a break from witness testimony, the dozen or so attorneys involved in the case gathered around judge Sheri Y. Dean to address the motion for sanction filed by the female attorneys representing Michael Brown and his related corporate entities against Rachel Brown's attorney Marshall Davis Brown. Brown, the attorney, was accused of making statements to and about the female counsel that were "extreme, outrageous and sexually inappropriate."

"If your mama wouldn't like it you probably shouldn't be saying it," Dean said.

He filed a counter-motion that didn't exactly deny making the statements, but did add some colorful details as to the situation when some of the named offenses occurred, in addition to launching similar accusations against Michael Brown attorney Robert Kuehm.

Judge Dean did not single out Brown or any attorney for censure but did express her displeasure at the alleged behavior between the parties.

"To do anything to personally insult someone, to harass them because of their gender, it's inappropriate, whether it's to that person or a third party," said Dean. "If your mama wouldn't like it you probably shouldn't be saying it."

Dean noted that the state bar does not take incidents like this lightly and that all parties should be concerned about their licenses. She granted the request to require all attorneys to refrain from making sexually suggestive comments or insults based on gender, which was unanimously supported.

Admitting that it's natural to get wrapped up zealously defending their clients in a high-profile case, Dean had one final word of advice for the lawyers: "Turn the heat down a little bit."

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”