From rough and humble beginnings, attorney Gaven Norris has made a name for himself and a success of his life.
Norris lived in three foster homes and three children’s shelters and with two different sets of relatives all between the time he was 4 and 8 years old. When he talks to young people, he tells them about his early life because he wants them to know he didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
“I give them the quote from Langston Hughes, ‘Life for me hasn’t been a crystal stair.’ … I give them that story, so that wherever you come from, if you really have the right support and you’re determined you can do what you want,” Norris said.
Norris and two other siblings were adopted by their grandparents, the Rev. Curtis Norris and Annie Pearl Norris.
Rev. Norris pastored the House of Prayer Baptist Church and also had a barber shop, and Annie Pearl Norris had a hat shop.
He has three sisters and two brothers, but grew up with an older brother and a younger sister. He didn’t connect with his other family members until right before he went to law school in 2011.
“I grew up poor. There were times we were homeless. I remember times where we lived where we didn’t have lights; where family members traded welfare benefits for electricity, or for a bath. … I remember every foster home that we lived in; every children’s shelter that we lived in; the plans that me and my siblings had of how we were going to stick together, or run away,” Norris recalled. “Those have never left, but those are things that made me who I am. And those are the things that really pushed me to make sure that I give back to other kids because there are so many kids who go through that and just don’t know. … There are a lot of kids in my situation who haven’t made it out and didn’t have the resources, or people who love them. It’s really a message of hope and encouragement, hopefully, and then a responsibility to give back” once you attain what you want to attain, he added.
Born and raised in Odessa, Norris graduated from Permian High School. He finished his bachelor’s at University of Texas Permian Basin. He participated in the Archer Fellowship Program and then went to Texas Southern University for his law degree.
He got the idea to become an attorney when he was a senior in high school and got into an argument with his math teacher. “… We back and forth and she said, you know, you should be a lawyer; you’re wrong, but you should be. That really kind of planted the seed …,” Norris said. He added that there were a lot of students interested in law at the time. Out of the group of people he hung out with there, everybody ended up going to law school.
Most of them are practicing; some are trial lawyers, others are transactional; and some have gone into oil and gas law. Returning to Odessa after law school, was a “God thing,” Norris said.
“… I wasn’t trying to come back when I finished law school and we took the bar that summer. Most places in Houston, where I was, wanted you to have your license before you started working. I’d had great internships. I’d interned with BP and ExxonMobil, but they … didn’t guarantee you a job without … (passing) the bar. So I came here and Permian offered me a job to teach there,” Norris said.
“I was teaching juniors and seniors economics and government, and so I taught that year and then started my law practice when I got my bar results. My practice just kind of picked up and went from there,” he added.
His first trial was against the late Tom Hirsch.
“… He kicked my butt all across the courtroom; up and down; every which way. My client was threatened to be put in jail by the judge. It was bad and so I had a little chip on my shoulder,” Norris said.
“The next hearing I had, we (won) … We went for almost a year without losing any cases. … That … got my name out there and people started coming in. The business just built from there. It wasn’t the plan to stay, but I think it was God’s plan,” he added.
The teaching job helped Norris get readjusted to the Basin. He added that it also helped him develop patience when dealing with clients.
“… Because if you can deal with junior and senior high school kids, you can probably … deal with anybody. … Those are the things that have helped the most… Right after that, when I finished I actually was the assistant county attorney in Upton County. And so … the job at Permian really helped … make a launchpad for me to be able to do all these other things,” he said.
Teaching also prompted him to help young people. “While I was there at Permian, because of my legal expertise and school credentials, I was able to help quite a few students … help them get out of trouble and even help work with some of the administration on a few issues,” Norris said.
That led to defending students, particularly in sports with University Interscholastic League issues, and to future clients.
Norris’ main practice areas are family law, including divorce, child custody, child support and adoptions. They do probate and estate planning, including matters such as wills and estate planning and probating wills and estates. The practice also represents some oil and gas companies.
At any given time, he has 400 to 500 active clients and five people in the practice.
Family law is the busiest right now.
“It’s interesting because probate was really our bread and butter for four years. And then about three years ago, we just switched and family just took off. I think we’ve made a name for ourselves … that we take care of clients because we do very little advertising. …,” Norris said. He added that 95 percent of his business is word of mouth.
“And now because of COVID, it’s people seeing us in court on Facebook,” Norris said.
In 2019, in addition to his private practice, Norris began working as the staff attorney for the Crisis Center of West Texas where he prosecutes cases of family violence for men, women, and children victims of family violence, cases of sexual assault and human and sex trafficking. CCWTX started its legal program in 2019 and it is still growing today, he said.
He practices mainly before 446th District Court Judge Sara Kate Billingsley. From watching him practice, Norris says people can tell he cares about his clients and will fight for them.
Some people watch court all day in all parts of the state. Norris also has fans. A woman came up to him at a Permian sporting event recently, asked him who he was to make sure and said she was “fan crushing.”
“… That … happens quite a bit and I’m sure with all the other attorneys that happens as well,” he said.
Norris and his wife, Candace have been married for almost seven years. They have two Goldendoodles.
Candace Norris is from Odessa, too, has a Juris Doctor degree and works in the legal field. She will be taking the bar this summer, he said.
The Norrises ran in the same circle of friends and church, but never met each other.
”.. She finished her senior year at TCU. … She graduated early and I was finishing at UTPB …,” Norris said.
They met at a fashion show, started dating and dated through college. They went to law school together and tied the knot right after they graduated.
Norris said he feels it is his responsibility to give back to the community that has given so much to him. He often mentors young men and young lawyers. “… We can’t take resources from the community and not put back, or we’ll leave our community devastated. It’s really a responsibility to be able to give back and I believe the saying that to whom much is given, much is required. I tell my staff that all the time. We’re blessed to be where we are. We’re blessed to have the opportunity we have and to have the business we have …,” Norris said.
He added that his grandfather and the church taught him about service to others.
“… If I ever leave West Texas, I want it to be better because I was here and I think that would be the legacy that I want to leave …,” Norris said.
Norris would like to expand his law office.
“… There’s a difference between a law office and a law firm. We’re looking to expand to have a multi-lawyer firm, a multi-practice area. There are a few other practice areas that we want to get into, which is immigration, municipal law … We’re looking to expand and bring some new lawyers in here and just really build a firm. There aren’t any midsize or larger minority owned firms here in the area. That’s the other legacy I’d like to leave is to create a minority owned law firm that can help represent the minority community …,” Norris said.
Judge Billingsley is definitely a fan of Norris. “Jay-Z once said regarding his nerves about performing at Madison Square Garden that he ‘didn’t want to be successful, he wanted to be relevant.’ In my opinion, Gaven Norris shares that mindset with Mr. Carter,” Billingsley said. Jay-Z was born Shawn Corey Carter. “Gaven is not afraid of societal expectations and often breaks all the norms in his life and inside the legal field. One can see multiple examples of this by watching his super-sized adoption day extravaganzas, listening to him spout rap and hip-hop lyrics during closing arguments, or seeing the beautiful Kente Stoles he wears each day during Black History Month,” she added.
“In breaking those norms, Gaven doesn’t just make progress — he makes real impact. He organizes forums, peaceful protest, rallies and meetings to have hard conversations where everyone leaves both heard and respected. He is almost always smiling and making others laugh. Gaven shares positivity and light, many times when others are not. Gaven has shown that he is more than a one-hit-wonder. He is a man of faith; a fierce advocate for his clients; a loyal friend; a consistent student; a loving husband; a patient and humble servant; and a strong and most capable leader,” she said.
