President’s Message

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE By: Jason H. Long

Lewis Thomason P.C.

FLEXIBILITY: A KEY INGREDIENT TO SUCCESS

This month, I take to the bully pulpit of the bar to preach about an issue recently on my mind, due to three recent stories I heard and experienced. They have driven home, for me, the importance of flexibility in achieving success.

The first involves a recent law school graduate, a friend of a friend living in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, waiting to get their license this fall. This person was offered a position at a firm in Charlotte, where they had been clerking over the summer. The offer checked off a number of boxes for this student: They always wanted to work in Charlotte, they wanted to work at a large private firm, and they wanted a competitive pay rate (this offer was top of the market with generous benefits). It seemed like a perfect situation. The only problem for the graduate was that the firm’s need for a new associate was in the labor/ employment law division and this person had their heart set on doing commercial litigation. The graduate fretted over the decision for weeks before ultimately turning the offer down. It was not their dream job, and they were going to hold out. Unfortunately, they had no other offer at the time to fall back on. This graduate, saddled with loans to repay, is now hitting the pavement looking for a job, having turned down an A+ offer out of the gate. Maybe it was the right decision for them, I don’t know, but it seems to me that sometimes holding out for the perfect circumstances can cause you to miss great opportunities along the way.

The second story involves a speaker I heard at the recent KBA CLE “A Panel Discussion on the ‘Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till’ Documentary.” (A side note here, this was an amazing program, and I hope we are lucky enough to be able to offer it again in the future. If we do, do not miss out on the opportunity to attend). I had the opportunity to meet Keith Beauchamp, Producer/Director/Host of Till Freedom Come Productions, LLC, and learn about his amazing journey to awardwinning filmmaker and civil rights activist. Keith was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and, early on, became fascinated with the story of Emmett Till and the brutal lynching of the fourteen-year-old boy in 1955 Mississippi. His own experiences with racism and intolerance, along with his continued interest in the Till saga caused him to study criminal justice at Southern University with the avowed intent to go to law school and become a civil rights lawyer. Shortly after graduation from Southern, he moved to New York City to help some friends with a video production company and realized that his ambitions would be better served by using film as his preferred medium, rather than a courtroom. With no formal training whatsoever, he decided to become a documentary filmmaker and began his own investigation into the Till murder, with the intent of bringing the untold elements of the story to the world. Keith has spent the last 27 years investigating, interviewing and documenting the Till case and other cold case civil rights actions and bringing those stories to the world. His efforts were the direct impetus for the FBI to open a cold case file into the Till murder, to bring to justice those who escaped the consequences of their actions over 60 years ago. By any measure, he is an unqualified success, having completed his Till documentary, and several others. In fact, by the time this article goes to print, a feature film entitled “Till” and starring, among others, Whoopi Goldberg, will be in theaters. Beauchamp collaborated on the film, and his documentary was a large part of the reason it was produced. Keith’s pivot from aspiring lawyer to documentary filmmaker was a bold choice and one that continues to pay off.

The final story is a humblebrag about our own Bar Association. For years, we have hosted the Supreme Court Dinner as an opportunity to honor our highest court and enjoy time together with our fellow bar members. The event predates my entry into the practice of law and, quite honestly, I do not know how far back it goes, but it is a long way. We have always taken great pride in the event, as no other bar across the state did anything similar. Then COVID hit, and we had to cancel it, for the first time in modern memory, two years in a row. We began reimagining what the event could be, out of necessity. How could we keep people properly socially distanced? What type of setting would be best to limit potential spread of the disease? What came out of those discussions was a new event: the Bench-Bar celebration. A cocktail reception, light on speeches and heavy on casual congregation among the attorneys and judges. It became an event to celebrate the entire judiciary, rather than only our Supreme Court. While I am sure some may still prefer a traditional sit-down dinner, I think we can safely say, based upon comments we received, that the new event was an unqualified success. I hope you had the opportunity to attend last month and, if you did, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

The theme running through all these stories is the importance of flexibility, in life and in practice. A perfect opportunity rarely presents itself fully formed. It must be created, over time, through trial and error. We, as attorneys, must take calculated risks, accept less than ideal circumstances, and adapt as necessary to carve out the right and successful path. Our Bar Association continues to do this, for which I am grateful. I am also grateful for those leaders within our community who are never satisfied with the status quo and who are willing to be flexible to succeed.

D I C T AEDITORS’ NOTE:

DICTA is a monthly publication of the Knoxville Bar Association. DICTA is offered to all members of the Knoxville Bar Association as one of the many benefits of membership. This issue represents one of our “ super circulation issues ” and is sent not only to all members of the Knoxville Bar Association but to all lawyers licensed to practice law in Knox County and all of its contiguous counties, Blount, Loudon, Anderson, Union, and Sevier. DICTA is an important publication to the Knoxville Bar Association and it provides news regarding members and events of the Knoxville Bar Association as well as information on upcoming CLE seminars. It also provides news and notices from the Knoxville Bar Association president, the Barristers, and the Knoxville Bar Association ' s nineteen different committees and eleven different sections. If you are interested in becoming a member of the Knoxville Bar Association, please contact KBA Executive Director Marsha Watson at 505 Main Avenue, Suite 50, P.O. Box 2027, Knoxville, Tennessee 37901-2027, (865) 522-6522 or access our award-winning website at www.knoxbar.org.

SUPER CIRCULATION ISSUE