© 2016 The Texas Lawbook.
By Mary Emma Ackels Karam
My Dad, Lawrence Edward Ackels Sr. was the founding attorney of Ackels & Ackels, L.L.P. He was married to Isabel Zoghby Ackels for 52 years, and of their 10 children, seven of us are lawyers.
(June 14) – As a Dallas pioneer in alternative dispute resolution, Dad assisted thousands of parties in resolving their legal disputes on amicable terms in more than 1,000 mediations. In the 1950s he was a judge for the City of Carrollton and was known by many in the legal profession and the community as “Judge Ackels” or simply, “the Judge.” He served on the Dallas City Council in the early 1970s. He loved public service and founded the Mentor Program at the Dallas Bar Association where senior attorneys still guide the next generation of lawyers. He had a lot of practice mentoring. Today, four of his sons, one of his daughters and four of his grandsons practice at the family law firm, Ackels & Ackels. I am a partner in the Dallas office of Jackson Walker, and one of my sisters practices with The Addison Law Firm in Dallas
As the 10 of us were growing up, Dad drove us to high schools that were 45 minutes from our home. After school we would ride the city bus to his office downtown where he would train us to help out as file clerks, paralegals, receptionists, secretaries or witnesses to a will. In the summers, he took us to trials to assist him in court. Our father taught us many things, but especially how to serve others as he did.
For Dad, life was all about human relationships, and he was genuinely interested in people from all walks of life. From the mail-room clerk to the Supreme Court justice, from the janitor to the chairman and CEO – he was a friend to all. He knew everyone’s names and their children’s names. He knew their businesses, their personal struggles. That is why he had such a lasting impact on people of all ages. To some he was like a second father, to others he was a wise counselor, a mentor, a big brother, a hero.
Upon his death at age 83, The Dallas Morning News wrote: “Lawyer Lawrence E. Ackels Sr. always took an interest in the lives of others. On his trips to Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, he took time to talk to the woman who took his ticket and to the waiter who served him lunch. When he went to work, he’d greet the security guards by their first names.” Dad never considered himself superior to anybody. He was known for his unfailing sense of fairness and justice. His best friend, Joe Haggar Jr., was quoted as saying: “He was always the Judge…In my opinion, a judge is very fair, even-headed, knows what the rules are, knows how to apply them and is fair to both sides. That’s why ‘Judge’ stuck with him.”
For him, the practice of law was really all about service: helping others because you care about them, reaching out into the community, forming lifetime bonds, giving back without always getting something in return, doing pro bono work for those who can’t afford it. He built lasting, personal relationships with those he served.
When Dad was dying, hundreds of people came to see him. They filled the kitchen and den, stood in the halls, even out on the lawn. They were looking for one more piece of advice, a word of encouragement. He turned no one away and visited with each one of them. Sometimes several people arrived at the same time, but they each wanted to see him alone.
A young politician brought a resolution from the Dallas City Council recognizing Dad’s many accomplishments. He would ask the city to fly the flags at half-mast. Dad reached out and took the young man’s hand and said to him: “And what can I do for you, son?” The young man looked at me. I left them alone knowing he would surely take way more than he brought to give. When you were in Dad’s presence, it was always about you. While Lawrence had six natural sons, countless men felt he treated them just like a son. That is why people sought him out for his good advice that we called “pearls of wisdom.” He made people feel valued. He changed their lives. We often heard: “Your Dad was one of those people who made you feel like the most important person on earth when you were with him.”
We asked him when he was dying if there was anyone he needed to see. He said, “No, all my life I told people how I felt about them at the time I was with them. There was nothing left unsaid.” Dad did that daily. Chip Babcock, a partner at Jackson Walker, said of our Dad: “He always made me feel better about myself in his presence.”
He was our strength and consolation. Our fortress against the storm. Our advocate for justice. Our patriarch and mentor. We leaned on him for his wisdom and courage, his knowledge and experience, his love and devotion. Those qualities guide us still.
Mary Emma Ackels Karam is a partner at Jackson Walker, LLP in Dallas. The writer’s brother, Larry Ackels Jr., of Ackels & Ackels LLP contributed to this article.
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