HELLO... MY NAME IS By: Jennifer Franklyn Leitner Williams Dooley Napolitan
HILARY MAGACS We are featuring Hilary Magacs this month in DICTA’s “Hello, My Name Is…” Q-and-A column. Hilary is an Associate Attorney at Taylor & Knight, GP, where she practices in a wide variety of practice areas, including Civil and Constitutional Rights Litigation, Governmental Defense Litigation, Education Law, Employment Law, General Civil Litigation, Insurance Defense Litigation, and Personal Injury. She is a 2018 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. Prior to law school, she attended the State University of New York at Cortland for her undergraduate education, graduating with a major in communications and minor in political science, and attended graduate school at Syracuse University, where she attained a M.S. in Broadcast Journalism. Without further ado, please enjoy getting to know Hilary! What was your occupation before you started your legal career? Prior to becoming an attorney, I worked as a reporter for several TV stations across the south. Being a journalist was an incredibly unique and rewarding experience – I covered everything from fundraisers and festivals to presidential visits and hurricanes. I also covered a lot of crime and court stories, which influenced my decision to go to law school. Where is your hometown? I’m originally from Binghamton, New York. I was lucky to live in an area surrounded by woods with a lot of wildlife around, including bears and plenty of deer. I spent most of my childhood playing outside during the summer and inside bundled up in about five layers during the winter.
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Binghamton is COLD and very snowy! If you ever visit, I recommend going in June. All joking aside about the weather, it was a great place to grow up. Have you traveled or lived internationally? I love to travel. My maternal grandparents and my mom emigrated from Germany to the United States, which sparked my desire to learn about other countries. I’ve been to Germany and many other Western European countries and also studied abroad in Australia. Outside of work, what are your hobbies? Running is a big part of my life. I love exploring Knoxville’s greenways with friends or on my own listening to audiobooks. Tell me about your spouse. My husband, Rodney, and I met through a local running club. He is the smartest, funniest, and most kind person I know. We were married during the height of the pandemic and had to switch most of our wedding plans around last minute, but it was absolutely perfect. Do you have any pets? I have two cats named Lizette and Alfonso. They are incredibly cute and very spoiled. What’s your favorite binge-watching show? Dateline. I could watch that show all day, every day!
DICTA
December 2021
