Tell Me A Story

TELL ME A STORY By: Meghan Morgan

Pilot Company

DON’T SAY NO TO CHANGE

Well, being a doctor is not for me. That was the realization I had after shadowing a local physician in a hospital setting. The continuum of care in the medical field was too long for my need to feel like I was making an immediate impact in someone’s life. So where did that leave this junior in college? On the path to a law degree of course. I loved and excelled in school, enjoyed research and writing, and thought law school would be the best way to impact people’s lives.

Enter three years of law school at Washington and Lee University School of Law, interning for Judge Norma Ogle on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and summer internships with two very highly respected Knoxville firms. After graduation, I hit the ground running. My career began at Woolf, McClane, Bright, Allen and Carpenter PLLC as a general civil litigator. I worked for WMBAC for six years and then spent the next six at Baker Donelson, also working as a litigator but predominately in the labor and employment field. In October of 2017, I made an abrupt change and moved in-house at Pilot Flying J, where I’ve worked in a number of roles, none involving litigation.

Looking back at my career, I can say I am the product of: (1) incredible mentorship and support by a strong network cultivated over years of relationship building; (2) trusting others when they saw skills and qualities in me that I did not see in myself; and (3) leaning into the uncomfortable. These three things have led me to where I am in my career today.

Mentorship and Networking

No one succeeds on their own. I have been very lucky to have had incredible mentors at every phase of my career. When I started in private practice, my first secretary, Liz Loy, taught me more than three years of law school about the practice of law. Liz stuck with me as I learned the hard way to keep up with my time and write it down EVERY DAY, and then rolled her eyes when she found me scrambling to sort through my stack of post-it notes to input missed time entries at the end of the month. She helped me learn to articulate and speak slowly. She explained certified mail and certificates of service, how to figure out court fees and where to find information on judges and clerks. She was a mentor in the practice of law. My other assistants, Robin and Amy and my paralegal Debbie at Baker Donelson, were equally as impactful on my development. I was also lucky enough to start at a firm with unbelievably accomplished attorneys. I had the privilege of working closely with Mike King, Tony Dalton, Chad Hatmaker, Ford Little, Luis Bustamante, Robert Noell and Nic Arning (among others) for years. These attorneys taught me not only how to draft pleadings, research and write effectively, take depositions, and how to advocate in court, but also taught me to have confidence in my skills as an advocate and to be proud of my work ethic and work product. I was able to see them navigate their families, caseloads, and civic involvement daily. I admire all of them tremendously.

WMBAC also encouraged me to be active in the KBA Barristers and in the community. Through networking opportunities, I was able to meet and connect with lawyers recently out of law school as well as more experienced attorneys. This was critical. I attribute whatever career success I have, in part, to a strong network of attorneys, law school classmates, community leaders, clients, and friends who have taught me the hard and soft skills needed for a successful career. Everyone you meet can teach you something, and you never know when someone may need a lawyer. I always tell law students to value and cultivate their networks early. It’s career advice I wish I had been given earlier.

When I transitioned to Baker Donelson, I felt extremely lucky that I got to work very closely with Tim McConnell and Eddy Pratt, and made very solid connections across its footprint with strong female litigators. At Baker, I transitioned from general civil litigation to mostly commercial and labor and employment. Eddy and Tim were truly partners, mentors, and friends during this transition. Baker saw me go from a single associate, to a newlywed and new mom, to a divorced mother of two small boys and supported me with every life transition.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Latisha Stubblefield. Latisha is younger than me but has had a profound effect on my legal career. We worked together at WMBAC, Baker, and now at Pilot. She is an amazingly smart, dedicated, and committed attorney. She’s my version of a legal “ride or die” and has been a mentor and friend almost my entire career. Everyone needs a Latisha to bounce ideas off of, complain to, and build up.

At Pilot, I am lucky enough to work with Kristin Seabrook, my first female boss and the Chief Legal Counsel of a multi-billion dollar company with a nationwide footprint, as well as a team of the most talented and selfless commercial attorneys that exist. In this role, I do not litigate at all. I took a leap of faith and trusted others that thought I could excel here in a different sort of legal role, and five years later I continue to lean in and learn about different aspects of Pilot’s business and the laws and regulations that impact our commercial success.

Trusting Others

One of the more difficult paths to success in my career has been trusting others who saw things in me I may not have seen in myself. When I doubted myself, I trusted my mentors. WMBAC saw me as a litigator when I saw myself as a quiet transactional attorney. They encouraged me to develop my litigation skills, trusted me to go to court early, and take ownership of cases. At Baker, Tim saw an associate with an affinity towards relationships and people, and brought me into the practice of labor and employment. He saw my desire to connect with people and put me in a position to provide counsel as well as advocacy. When I interviewed at Pilot, Kristin saw my work ethic and dedication and trusted that I could transition my practice into a more transactional role, stressing the importance of the relationship skills I had developed to help bring trust and buy-in from our business units. She set me on the path to be Pilot’s Head of Privacy and Legal Retail Operations. She encouraged me to take ownership of new and expanding areas of law, to think commercially, and trusted me to lead a team to strengthen and enhance Pilot’s privacy practices. I think that much of my career path could be attributable to listening to others who had my best interests at heart and trusting that they could objectively give me guidance when my own doubts crept in.

Leaning into the uncomfortable

My career has taken the twists and turns it has because I have leaned into the uncomfortable. To step into a new area of law or transition firms is wrought with anxiety. We question our decisions, our competency and our sanity. However, I will say that leaning into change has always resulted in positive outcomes for me professionally. Take on a new project. Raise your hand in meetings. Offer your advice. Figure out ways to manage anxiety and reduce stress, but don’t say no to change.

Looking at the last 18 years, I can say I am proud of my professional and personal growth, and I can’t wait to see what the next half of my legal journey entails. My story is still unfolding, and I look forward to the lessons I learn in the future.

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Barristers New Admittees Welcome Reception

The KBA and Knoxville Barristers sponsored a Member Appreciation and Welcome New Bar Admittees Celebration on Thursday, October 20 at the Friendship Pavilion at UT Gardens. The event would not have been possible without the generous financial support of First Horizon Bank.