© 2017 The Texas Lawbook.
Mine is a family of lawyers—with ten current members of the Texas bar. Edwin O. LeGrand signed the Texas Declaration of Independence. My grandfather, Leslie LeGrand, was a member of the Texas Bar and District Attorney of Palestine before he heard the calling and became a Methodist minister. My dad, Leslie LeGrand Jr., followed in his dad’s footsteps. And we all followed in the footsteps of Leslie LeGrand, Leslie LeGrand Jr., and my uncle, the late-Bob Roch.
I guess I was pretty slow to learn the family profession, as I have vivid childhood memories of proudly believing my dad was a “warrior.” It came as quite a surprise to me when my older sister, who is now an employment lawyer in Dallas, enlightened me that dad only fought battles in the courtroom. That, of course, clarified for me why he wore a business suit rather than camouflage. But his profession didn’t seem nearly as cool after that. The neatest thing about him being a lawyer was when he came home from long business trips. Dad would hide treats in the pockets of his suit for us to find. The exercise inevitably led to a fight over who found the best treat, and mom would be sent to intervene. But the memory is vivid and special to me nonetheless.
I didn’t realize until much later in life what my dad did for us and, more importantly, what he gave up for us. He worked tirelessly to climb the corporate ladder with an oil and gas company in Houston that no longer exists. He loved what he did. He represented that company in complex regulatory and litigation matters. I remember him talking about business trips to Costa Rica and Hawaii for multi-year projects. Even today, he lights up when asked about his international cases, and he still can recite detailed sections of the nuanced regulatory codes at issue in them.
When I was in middle school, my dad made the conscious decision to trade international travel and private jets for Friday night football games and drill team competitions. He opened a solo practice in Humble, Texas. He took whatever walked in the door—anything from probate court to federal court. I didn’t think twice about what he gave up. I was just happy to have my dad home.
I guess I also was pretty slow to realize the family profession was the right one for me. I decided to attend law school and join the ranks of my family after pursuing other passions and starting my own family. My dad counselled me against it at the time, as I had been teaching with Teach for America for several years and had young children. He knew that, like him, I would gravitate toward a big firm lifestyle, and he was afraid of me losing time with my children.
But what he didn’t fully appreciate is that I had a father and mentor who demonstrated to me how important it is to be there for your family. During my post-law school clerkships with then-Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit, Carolyn Dineen King, and now-Chief Judge of the Northern District of Texas, Barbara M.G. Lynn, I saw my kids grow as I did, being mentored themselves by two extraordinary women. And even as a partner at global law firm, Sidley Austin, there is no shortage of mommy-time. The kids get their fill of client-related sporting events, business travel, and mommy visits, as I bring my little one in tow whenever I can, and I visit my college kids often, probably more than they like. As we say at Sidley Dallas, we love to work with clients who, like us, enjoy getting “double scrabble points”—client events with kids.
My dad still works in Humble, Texas, and I still see him as the most knowledgeable attorney I’ve met. Over the last year, he has been fighting a more difficult battle—a medical battle to keep his sight. As always, dad is a trooper. He goes in to work every day while most of us are still asleep, whether he is in pain or not. Mom gives him play-by-plays of his favorites—The Rockets, Texans, Longhorns, Tarheels, Hornfrogs, and the Golden Bears. And as the patriarch of our lawyer family, he continues to remind us daily what it means to be a Texas “warrior.”
Michelle Hartmann is a partner and a commercial litigator in Sidley Austin’s Dallas office.
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