Hello My Name Is

BECCA PLANK

HELLO MY NAME IS By: Jennifer Franklyn

Leitner Williams Dooley Napolitan, PLLC

This month’s q-and-a features KBA and Barristers Member Becca Plank, who is a firstyear associate attorney at Landry & Azevedo. Becca practices real property and business law, both transactional and litigation, as well as general civil litigation, and she is looking forward to adding bankruptcy to her practice areas in the future. She is a 2021 graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law. I hope you enjoy getting to know Becca, a creative and bright new addition to the KBA.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I really enjoy the close-knit community that is my law firm. I felt welcomed right away and feel like I can go to anyone here when I have questions or need support or guidance.

What is one professional skill you are working on?

My current professional goal is to improve on giving legal consultations – taking in the facts and details from the potential client and building up the confidence to come up with decisions and solutions “on the fly,” so the potential client has the information necessary to make an informed decision.

Why did you decide to live and work in Knoxville?

My family moved to Knoxville when I was two years old, and my father had just become a professor at UT Law. I grew up here, and when I was a teenager, I spent so much time wanting to get out of Knoxville. I moved back after college and decided to become a tourist in my own city and ended up discovering that I love it here. I love that Knoxville has a “small town feel” but still has lots to do and explore, including many little weird quirks.

What is one piece of advice that you would give to a new law student?

Don’t lose sight of the things you love to do outside of being a law student. Whether you love to bake, run, play sports, or hike, keep making time to do what you love. Beyond those hobbies, rest! If you skip a couple readings because you’re feeling burned out, it will be better for you in the long run than trying to push through every time.

If you became independently wealthy, and you no longer needed to work, what would you do with your time?

I would make everything myself. I would grow a garden with vegetables and herbs, and I would learn how to make pickles. I would also have a woodshop and make my own furniture, and I would hand-make gifts for my friends and family. I would cook amazing meals and bake the most intricate treats possible. (Many of these are things I already do when I have the time, but to have the time to do all of these things would be a dream.)

What’s your binge-watching guilty pleasure?

I’m currently back to re-watching Grey’s Anatomy. I watch it when I need a good cry or when I need to fold laundry. (Sometimes both happen at the same time!)

If you could instantly become an expert in something, what would it be?

Carpentry and woodworking. I’ve taught myself some basic woodworking skills, and I love making little custom pieces of furniture with my miter saw. So far, I’ve made a standing desk, a coffee table, a small printer table for my father, and a few other things. I would like to advance my woodworking skills in the future.