Editorial |
Chancellors Claudia Bonnyman & Carol McCoy
David Young Parker 1941 – 2021
Lessons from A Solo Practitioner: A Tribute to David Young Parker In the summer of 1965, David Young Parker, a second year Vanderbilt University Law School (VUL) student, held a clerkship with Chattanooga lawyer, Leonard Tanner. Early one morning, David arrived at the law office and set out to sharpen all the pencils needed for the day. When Tanner came in, he took one look at what David was doing and asked, “Son, do you know what it cost me to support my family?” David thought he was going to be a tax lawyer and had worked on Tanner’s tax estimates, so he answered “Yes, sir.” Tanner said, “I have a rule that until I make my first $100 each day, I don’t do anything like what you are doing.” Lesson learned: Focus on what is important, not what you think looks good. David learned many lessons during his clerkship with Tanner, a tough disciplinarian. Early one morning, David was writing a brief while sitting at Tanner’s desk. When Tanner came in and saw David behind his desk, he asked “What are you doing behind my desk?” David responded, “Taking care of you, like I’m supposed to do.” Tanner replied, “And what do you think a client would think if they saw you sitting at my desk?” Though David did not think a client would think anything about it, he was to learn otherwise—that is, how you present yourself to your
clients makes a big difference. Lesson learned: Do not give up when at first you do not succeed, whether it is school, tests, or litigation. Each spring in the 1960’s, the VUL Dean, John Wade, prepared a booklet with a photo of every law school graduate with a small bio for each student. Dean Wade circulated the booklet to all the law firms in Tennessee, asserting that every VUL graduate was highly qualified. As a result, Hall, Haynes, Lusk, and Foster in Chattanooga invited David for an interview and hired him as an associate on August 1, 1966. One partner of the firm represented the Jim Walters Corporation. He handled all the client’s title searches for $25 per search and assigned David to run from county to county each day to do the title searches—a tedious, lengthy process involving large, heavy warranty deed, trust deed, tax, and lien books. Regardless of the time involved, sometimes driving into northern Georgia or Alabama, David had to perform the searches even though the clerks would tell him that the titles were good (and they were). He paid his own travel expenses while the searches consumed his time for little financial return. At that (continued on page 24)
APR/MAY 2021 | NASHVILLE BAR JOURNAL
23
