Last Word

THE LAST WORD By: Jack H. (Nick) McCall

Q: So, Dale, what’s with the kangaroo in your office? WALLY Junior Associate at Montpelier, Della-Rodolfa & Lope, P.C.

Well first of all, mate, I am not a kangaroo. I am a WALLABY, an Agile Wallaby to be precise. You probably see the correlation with my name! For all practical purposes, wallabies and kangaroos are identical with a few big differences such as how we use our tails. The biggest difference is our size. I will grow to about 40 inches, whereas a male red kangaroo will exceed 9 feet including its tail! Now I know the scurrilous connotations kangaroos have in the legal community, which brings me to our second biggest difference. While we are all born with the law in our genes, the law genes in a wallaby are always fair and balanced, our attitude is one of serenity and compassion, and our work ethic is relentless. Take my great-great-great-great grandpappy for instance. When he first ascended the bench back in the old country, the family story goes that he would never hop down. Once he made his way up there, he was determined to never leave. Well, at least not until he was enticed off with a bit of kiwi fruit. And I try to do the same. To help out when I can, always with a smile and a little pop in my hop. On that note, if I may say this mate, the legal community in Knoxville has been absolutely terrific to me. Lawyers and their assistants come to my office and treat me like a king. And the judges! I went to juvenile court and all of the judges stopped what they were doing to meet me. I never felt so honored. I hope to meet each and every member of the Knoxville Bar Association. Anyone who wants to visit me is more than welcome. The boss makes me work just about every weekday, so come on by and bring me a strawberry! A: DALE MONTPELIER Montpelier, Della-Rodolfa & Lope, P.C.

Wally is an aberration that came about through a twist of fate. Some of your readers know that I practiced law in Vietnam years ago. That gave me the opportunity to travel around Southeast Asia. Towards the end, I visited a friend of mine who lives in Australia. I had already fallen in love with their kangaroos, and I mentioned that I wished they made miniature ones. He was the one who opened me to the world of wallabies. After I got back, I studied every book and resource I could find about wallabies before deciding that I had to have one. It took me years of gently coaxing my wife to come around to the idea. It even got to the point where I changed out all of my ties so they have nothing but kangaroo patterns on them, a subtle hint of my dogged determination. Imagine my surprise when one, and only one judge noticed. I explained the whole story to Chancellor Pridemore and he wished me luck with my wife every time I saw him after that day. Then it finally came. “What do you want for Christmas,” she asked last year. “A wallaby,” I said, never expecting her to agree and most certainly not wanting another pair of socks. She said ok, I started my search, and I had Wally in my arms by mid-January. Since then he has come to the office every day with me, save for those rare times when I think my fenced backyard would be better for both of us.

Wally has had a real impact on our firm. Besides being a great junior associate – although he does seem to sleep a lot – he has a magnetic personality that draws everyone to him. I can literally count four people who were not impressed with Wally. Every day that I drop my son off at school, the teachers in the car line give him a wave as I yell to my son, “Watch the tail! Watch the tail!” He has been welcomed into every business he has ever visited, rules notwithstanding, often ending up in photo sessions. He has also been to court. I cannot express the feeling Joe and I felt the first time we took him to juvenile court. So many kids in the most miserable of situations came up to him with giant smiles to see the novelty of this rare law-practicing animal. Seeing the happiness he brought to them brought happiness to us, as well. Our clients also love Wally, some even holding him on their laps while they tell their stories of legal despair. Or, perhaps, they just feel more confident knowing they have a kangaroo on their side?

As for me, Wally is my constant companion. Sometimes I have a bad habit of working all night writing papers, but now I have someone to bring me back to reality. Whenever I hear the loud thud on my desk when he hops up, I know he is pushing me to go home. Throughout the day he hops into my office, stretching up on his back legs until I pick him up. He is always calm, never demanding, and always ready to share his time. Whenever I get frustrated, he is there to show me his cavalier attitude about life, reminding me to take a step back. Being a practicing lawyer is a hard job for anyone, so it really is a Godsend that this little roo has come into our lives to ground us in the things that are most important.

“The Last Word” column is coordinated by KBA Member Nick McCall. If you have an idea for a future column, please contact Nick at nick.mccall@gmail.com

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KBA & Knoxville Habitat for Humanity 2020

The KBA is celebrating more than 25 years of partnering with Knoxville Habitat for Humanity to build homes for families in our community. Construction for KBA’s ninth house began on Saturday, September 12, and will end in November. Now more than ever, Habitat for Humanity’s work is critical. For many families, those who were already struggling with a need for decent and affordable housing, their daily lives have only become more challenging. The KBA and First Presbyterian Church will be building a home for Teresa Raysin, who is a grandmother that loves spending time and making memories with her family. The KBA’s involvement with Habitat over the years has provided members with a real opportunity to build relationships, not only among lawyers but also among community volunteers who have a shared vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.