Today’s time of latest trends and chasing followers and clout (the new-age word for popularity), has made it easier to see someone for only their accomplishments or the finer things they’ve acquired and assume their life has always been that way. When we look at attorney Stephen Williams that could easily be the case, as he is seemingly living “the American dream” as a husband and father of two in his 16th year practicing law and his second year running his own firm.
Williams is full of life and overflows with love and kindness, but many don’t know the trials he’s endured or the school Williams truly attributes with his successes. Here’s the inside scoop.
As a Kansas City, Missouri, native and second generation Adventist, Williams has spent the last two decades of his life providing legal representation for underserved communities while trying to bridge the gap between seeking justice and actually experiencing it. Since the start of his career, he’s served as a youth federation president, school board president, youth leader and community service director at his church (Linwood Seventh-day Adventist Temple), board member for numerous non-profits, and has been a phenomenal community mentor to those younger and older. 
This kind of expression of love takes an exemplary village to cultivate and harvest. Williams acknowledges that—from a very young age—the keys to his successes came from his village which consisted of home, church and most notably, V. Lindsay Seventh-Day Adventist School.
For many children, home, church and school are three very separate entities. But for many Adventist children and especially children who, like Williams, are born to pastors, those pinnacle segments have a lot of overlap.
According to the Parent Institute, contrary to what it may seem, children only spend around 13 percent of their waking hours in school by age 18. This acknowledges that children learn some of their most important lessons at home – lessons that families teach best.
But what happens when your school environment is both like a family and church environment? In William’s case, the answer is relentless resilience that leads to physical, mental, and spiritual victories.
We recently sat down with Williams to get a personal look at his experience:
Why do you feel so endeared to V. Lindsay?
Having matriculated through various institutions of learning—i.e. majority institutions, Christian colleges, international programs, and the mecca of HBCU’s Howard School of Law—my experience has been that there was always a teacher or maybe two who saw something in me and invested in me. However, during my eight years at V. Lindsay, I was not only poured into by one or two teachers, I was poured into by every staff member there.
Further, they didn’t pour into me because I was special; they poured into me because that was the culture and expectation that V. Lindsay held and still holds today. Frankly, I’ve always felt that I was an average student with an above average support system. I champion V. Lindsay because I’m still grateful for what it gave me and I want other students/families to have the same experience.
Are there any life lessons learned at V. Lindsay that still benefit you today?
Yes, that your value is not connected to your accomplishments. Believe it or not, people have doubted my ability to reach my goals my entire life (except for my time at V. Lindsay). Some doubters are harmless and quiet, but with others, the doubt is harmful and loud; all of it heightens the pressure to succeed. In college there were those who didn’t think I’d be admitted into law school, pass the bar, and become an attorney. As an attorney, I’ve had supervisors who didn’t think I was smart enough, clients who didn’t think I was tough enough, lawyers and judges who simply didn’t think I had what it takes to represent multi-million-dollar organizations in trial.
So how do you keep pushing when trying to accomplish something that most haven’t when the haters are waiting for you to fail and eager to scream “I told you so” at any opportunity? You separate your value as a person from your accomplishments and failures.
At V. Lindsay, despite my circumstances, behavior, grades, attitude, accomplishments or failures, I was always treated in a way that made me feel like I was enough. With this level of confidence and self-awareness, I am capable of facing the daily haters and doubt and remain resilient in times of defeat and humble in moments of victory.
I believe the same lesson about people’s value is what led me to become a public defender and why community service is more of a lifestyle choice than a one-off event for me. I strongly believe that we are all more than our current circumstances and I’m grateful to have been taught that at V. Lindsay and equally honored to be able to share that this year with current students of V. Lindsay.
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On Aug. 7 , 2022, V. Lindsay hosted their first-annual Back 2 School Bash, sponsored by the Law
Office of Stephen R. Williams, LLC. True to himself and his passion for people, children, and his alma mater, Williams desired to commemorate his one-year anniversary of having his own firm by sponsoring this event. Together he, the school’s principal, Jessica Jacobs, and nearly 30 other vendors and volunteers hosted a phenomenal three-hour event with live music, bounce houses, water slides, a petting zoo, dunk tanks, free food, and best of all, giving away nearly 150 pairs of brand-new shoes to V. Lindsay students and surrounding community children in grades kindergarten to fourth—with the help of some new friends at Target.
Many alumni came from near and far to show their support and brought their own families to participate in the raffles and free giveaways. There was an intense game of musical chairs where top winners received cash, $100 gift cards, and other gift cards to popular stores and restaurants. The grand prize of a 55-inch television was fought for tooth and nail through a dance-off won by
the son of a V. Lindsay alumnus. As it turns out, the tenacity, perseverance, high-energy and confidence gained at V. Lindsay has multi-generational results.
For more information about V. Lindsay Seventh-Day Adventist School, visit www.central-states.org/vlindsay.
For more information about the Law Office of Stephen R. Williams or to schedule a free consultation, visit www.srwilliamslaw.com.
Author Ana Davis is a legal assistant for the Law Office of Stephen R. Williams, LLC.
