About Alison Macor

Alison Macor Articles written 56

A former film critic, Alison Macor has been working as a freelance writer and editor for more than 30 years. She’s followed filmmakers to Sundance and shadowed top breast cancer surgeons and trial lawyers. She’s written for Texas Monthly, Vogue Knitting, Thomson Reuters, and Humanities Texas, to name just a few. Alison also holds a Ph.D. in film history and is the author of four non-fiction books, including the forthcoming Hair Down, Claws Out: George Cukor and the Making of The Women (University of Texas Press). She lives in Austin.

Articles written by Alison Macor

Making Sure They’re OK

Jeff Gordon and his wife have found room in their home—and hearts—for more than 30 foster children

In 2011, Jeff Gordon received a text from a state licensing agency notifying him and his wife, Gay, that a 5-year-old girl in need of fostering was on her way to their house. She spoke no English and had experienced a recent trauma, although the Gordons weren’t told that initially. “You get very little information, and you have to say yes or no. They show up at your house within 10 minutes,” says Gordon. “And then she’s yours, and she could be yours for a while. And it’s your job to …

Never Say Die

Tom Slater is competitive but always a gentleman—except when it comes to farming

Tom Slater is a gentleman, and he enjoys talking about the 356-acre farm that’s been in his family for nearly 200 years. Just don’t call him a “gentleman farmer.” “Gentleman farmers are ones who don’t get their hands dirty,” says Slater, who has been working on the farm since childhood.  Full-time farming, however, was never in his sights. A college professor’s suggestion that he become a “country lawyer” led to a 57-year-and-counting career at Hunton, where he …

Belonging

Columbus litigator Kelli Amador has been focused on the law since 6th grade

The sixth-grader was participating in a mock trial as part of a school program, and her “client” was a man accused of accidentally starting a forest fire. The evidence revealed he was charged because he had marijuana on his person when questioned by police—though the fire did not originate near his campsite. “The other side was very focused on him having drugs,” says Amador, who won the case after “proving” the fire was started accidentally by two children playing with matches. …

Things That Matter

James E. Payne is committed to getting out the vote—and standing up for injured clients

James E. Payne’s docket includes a significant number of cases involving serious burn injuries. Among the many challenges they present, not least is the sensory issue. “There’s nothing like that smell,” says Payne. “You have to be strong. You can’t walk into the room—the hospital, the courtroom—and be emotional about it. [The client] is looking to you for strength. There’s absolutely nothing in law school that prepares you for that.” What did prepare the Beaumont attorney …

Team Player

Former UW swimmer Catherine Clark on the importance of mentoring

Many people who were old enough to watch the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich remember it for the shocking terrorist attack on members of the Israeli team. But Catherine “Cat” Clark was only 8 and watching the games on TV from her home in Yakima. To her, they were inspirational because many of the U.S. swimmers were from the University of Washington. “I saw them and said, ‘I’m going to do that’,” she recalls. Nine years and a lot of hard work later, she was indeed recruited to swim …

Aligned Spirits

Wine, beer, and spirits law showed Carrie Bonnington an unexpected path

In the early 2000s, when Carrie Bonnington first started at her firm, she says, “I didn’t even know the beverage regulatory practice existed.” Now, the 47-year-old partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Sacramento office is known for her expertise in the food and beverage area, particularly concerning alcohol regulatory matters. She leads the firm’s wine, beer, and spirits law practice, and co-leads the restaurant, food, and beverage industry team—where she helps companies …

‘Things That Really Matter’

As Shirin Afsous sees it, public service is not optional

In under a decade as a litigator, Shirin Afsous has clocked hundreds of pro bono hours, mostly helping victims of domestic violence. One memorable case came in 2022, when she represented an Afghan woman seeking to end her marriage to an abusive spouse. The client could neither read nor write, did not speak English, and could not drive. “There were a lot of barriers to her knowing what to do and how to protect herself and her children,” says Afsous, who emigrated from Iran at age 4 and …

‘What Was Coming’

Phillip Robinson was thrust onto the front lines of the housing crisis

At the height of the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, Phillip Robinson would arrive around 8 a.m. at Northwest Stadium, where more than 1,000 people were lined up to receive legal assistance and advice regarding their often-dire housing situations. Robinson was there to help. As then-executive director of the legal nonprofit Civil Justice, Inc., Robinson oversaw dozens of attorneys trained to offer volunteer legal help alongside other nonprofits. More than 1,000 attorneys would eventually go …

Can I Discuss Politics at Work?

So how do you really feel about the election? You might want to reconsider sharing potentially polarizing opinions at work or on social media—particularly if they become supercharged. Free Speech for Public vs. Private-Sector Employees When it comes to speech protections based on the First Amendment, matters are different depending on whether you’re a public or private employee. “Unlike private employees, public employees actually have some First Amendment protections,” says Melinda …

How We Do It

Five millennial attorneys talk law, life, AI and the generation gap

You don’t have to tell millennial attorneys that change is a constant. From the Great Recession to the pandemic, they’ve lived it their whole careers. Civil litigator Kimberly Chojnacki was in her first year of law school when the bottom of the legal market fell out. “I saw older students sobbing because offers were being withdrawn,” she says, “and people were suddenly unemployed when they had already bought a house on their future salary.” None of this has made them averse to …

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