Harper Lee in her book, To Kill A Mockingbird, gave the world the quintessential depiction of a lawyer.  Harper Lee gave us Atticus Finch.  Lee’s fictional character became the gold standard to which lawyers are compared.  Atticus Finch was a virtuous man, fighting against all odds to do what was right.  Finch’s intelligence, moral compass, and conviction for the rule of law were beyond reproach.  This is what it means to me to be a lawyer.

Growing up in a family of lawyers, the book and the movie are revered.  In fact, the 1999 Dodge pickup that all three of my kids’ drove as their first car was named Atticus.  My middle daughter’s 2010 Ford Fusion is named Scout.  Harper Lee’s book had a profound effect on three generations of my family.

This brings me up to my podcast’s interviewee this week, Jason Willett.  He is a local attorney here in Ellis County.  He has practiced law for twenty plus years and made a living in the pit fighting for his clients.  Jason has done it with virtue, ethics, and humility.  Jason is probably the best civil lawyer and comes closest to the embodiment of a real Atticus Finch here in Ellis County.  I jumped at the opportunity to interview Jason.

Outside of the practice of law, Jason also has a topic of great interest to me.  Jason is a gear head and has driven some great cars.  For the last year and a half, he has owned a Tesla.  Jason is the only person I know that owns a Tesla.  I picked his brain about the car, its ownership, maintenance, and travel.  After the podcast, Jason took Mary and me for a ride in the car.  Wow, what an automobile!

I hope you enjoy this podcast as much as Mary and I enjoyed doing it.  Jason opened up his heart about the law, its practice, and its effects on a person.  He also went into detail about his Tesla.

When I first started practicing law with my dad, I can’t tell you how many times lawyers on the other side of the case would tell me that my dad was old school and a gentleman lawyer.  If he gave you his word, you could take it to the bank.  These types of lawyers are few and far between today.  I think one of the greatest compliments you can give a lawyer is to call him a gentleman lawyer.  Therefore, I give you Jason Willett, the Gentleman Lawyer, and Tesla Owner.

Vance Hinds

I can’t leave without giving you some quotes from To Kill A Mockingbird:

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view – until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.”

~ Atticus Finch, Chapter 3 of To Kill a Mockingbird

“They’re certainly entitled to think that, and they’re entitled to full respect for their opinions… but before I can live with other folks I’ve got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”

~ Atticus Finch,  Chapter 11 of To Kill a Mockingbird

“Our courts have their faults, as does any human institution, but in this country our courts are the great levellers, and in our courts all men are created equal.”

~ Atticus Finch, Chapter 20 of To Kill a Mockingbird

And my favorite line, after Atticus lost the trial, Reverend Styke says,

“Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin’.”

~Reverend Styke, Chapter 21 of To Kill a Mockingbird

Also, I have not read, Go Set a Watchman.  I have a lifetime of respect for the fictional character, Atticus Finch.  From all, I have read and the comments I have heard, my high opinion of Atticus Finch will forever be tainted if I read it.  I choose not to read it.

• If you look real close, you can see my son Don working on my old pickup in the background.  Great juxtaposition!