Thompson Burton Blog

When did you know you wanted to be an attorney? I thought I wanted to be a school teacher. Then, my smart mom, who was a fabulous, dedicated school teacher, said, “Honey, why don’t you go to law school?” So I did.  My mom was discouraged about the pay for teachers for the hard work that they do. In law school, I gravitated toward family law. I have a huge love for children and a desire to protect them. Being a divorce attorney, I do a lot of direct and indirect child advocacy.  I guide my clients to think about how their actions and statements in the midst of their divorce can help or hurt their kids. I have loved my career. In my type of work, much of what I do is counseling people going through very difficult situations. I like being able to help them navigate through the tough […]

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Fortunately for Thompson Burton, the end of 2016 was hectic. Many of our attorneys were working on year-end deals and cases with our clients. Now that I’ve had a little time to reflect, I wanted to share a few thoughts about the firm and why I’m grateful for where the firm is at this time. Client Trust Client trust is the lifeblood of any law firm. Every day, we help our clients make important – and sometimes difficult — decisions that affect their companies’ bottom lines. Clients have to trust that Thompson Burton attorneys have their interests at heart. Likewise, they have to trust us with sensitive information so that we can make the best possible recommendations. Finally, they have to trust that we will provide the right legal advice given the situation and not just what the client wants to hear. Service to Our Community Kevin Thompson recently wrote […]

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From the beginning, Founding Partner Walt Burton and I believed hiring well-rounded people and giving them the freedom to pursue their passions would help build a great firm. It’s vital for work-life balance. So far, I like our track record. Kevin Grimes is an outstanding MLM attorney. Outside of work, he has fostered 24 teenage boys over the last 13 years. At work, Phillip Young Jr. tackles some of the most complex bankruptcy litigation cases. In his personal time, he takes great pride his community involvement and is known to say, “My life outside of work is busier than my life in the office.” John Hollins Jr. is a published author who wrote Surviving Divorce: A Lawyer’s Common Sense Guide To What You Should Know Before, During, And After A Divorce. Those are just several examples of Thompson Burton attorneys making an impact. I put together a list of the […]

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When did you know you wanted to be an attorney? I had my first inclination when I was in 8th grade. One of my teachers had to fill some time at the end of the semester and decided to hold a mock trial. She assigned me the role of defense attorney, and I earned an A+ for my work. The teacher pulled me aside afterwards and said I should consider being an attorney. I dismissed it at the time. I had no lawyers in my family and knew nothing about the practice of law.  I became curious about the practice of law during college, so I interned for a judge in my hometown of Montgomery, Ala., one summer. I took it on the chin financially because it was a free internship, but I quickly learned that this was a career path I wanted to pursue. How did you choose bankruptcy […]

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When I think about what it takes to build a great firm, two things immediately come to mind. The first is hiring great people. The second is doing everything possible to ensure our attorneys and staff can do the most high-quality work possible for our clients. The latter is why “efficiency” is one of Thompson Burton’s seven core values. Having started our careers in “Big Law,” we saw many opportunities to be more efficient in how we deliver legal services. Some traditional processes worked well, but others made no sense given newly available technology and business practices. Success happens when our attorneys and staff are producing the highest quality work and serving our clients at the highest level – not carrying on needless traditions.  Below are three examples of how Thompson Burton practices efficiency every day to serve our clients better. Results-Oriented Work Environment (ROWE) Work no longer happens in […]

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