Monday Mentors with Austin Family Lawyer JoAl Cannon Sheridan

JoAl Cannon Sheridan, family lawyer and founder of Sheridan Family Law in Austin, joins us on today's show! JoAl talks about growing up with a lawyer father, the latest in family law, and balancing confidence with humility.

Her firm/practice

• She is originally from Mexia, TX, which is perhaps known best by a joke that went "viral" decades ago:
  • This older couple was driving East on 84 out of Waco, and kept seeing the signs for Mexia. Being that they were old and married and argued about everything, they got into an argument about how to properly pronounce "Mexia."As they pulled into town they decided they needed to settle the debate once an for all. They immediately saw the sign for Dairy Queen and pulled into the parking lot. They walked up to the counter where a bright-eyed young high school girl was manning the register, and they asked, "How do you say the name of this place?"The girl got a confused look and said back very slowly... "DAI-RY QUEEN."
• Joe Cannon is her dad and a well known lawyer who just retired
  • Cowrote the Texas desegregation bill in the 1960s
  • She would go to his office all the time as a kid, and always knew she wanted to be a lawyer
• After years at a couple of other firms, started her own firm
• Niche areas
  • Third-party custody
  • International/jurisdictional
• Drawn to family law because it is a calling and a ministry
  • Dealing with great people at the saddest points in their life
  • Takes a certain personality and calling
• She also has a love for animals and thought about becoming a veterinarian (but didn't have the stomach for it!)
• Family law update
  • The pandemic
    • People who are forced into house arrest for 15 months either brings you closer or pushes people apart
    • Has caused family law practice to be very busy
    • Supreme Court did the right thing by ordering parents to honor custody arrangements and not use COVID as an excuse to ignore them
  • New rule as of 1/1/21 - Mandatory disclosures due 30 days after an answer is due
    • Lawyers believe they are the better judges of their lawsuits
    • Not every case needs full blown discovery
    • Rule 11 agreements to defer that are very common
  • Two new Supreme Court decisions
    • In re CJC (2020)
      • Lots of ways to have standing as a non-parent, but two main ones (you had actual care/possession in the past six months OR you are family and the child's health is at issue)
      • Overturned In re: VLK (2000) which said there was no parental presumption in a modification (so this was a best interest of the child test)
      • So now there is a parental presumption
    • In re H?? (2019)
      • For the six month rule, how do you define care/possession?
      • Excludes daycare workers, etc.
      • If you were making day-to-day decisions for the child, feeding them, taking them to the doctor
      • This is a standing question; doesn't mean they will get custody, but gives them their day in court
  • Practicing during COVID (as of 6/30/21)
    • Challenging and just not the same versus being in the same room with people
    • Various courts are opening up at different paces depending on your county
      • Travis County on 9/1
      • Rural counties have already opened up
    • Live bench conferences / administrative hearings / uncontested dockets etc. will likely continue by virtual/video stream depending on the judge/jurisdiction

Advice to lawyers in practice

• Respect your elders
  • Don't get overly aggressive trying to prove yourself; give deference to a more experienced attorney
  • Civility is important
• Understand the big picture and the lay of the land
• Show good judgment and maturity
  • Admit that you don't 100% understand what you are doing
  • Share what you are thinking and ask another attorney what they think
• Don't get into the mud with your clients
  • This can be very difficult
  • Recognize it doesn't help you be a better lawyer/advocate for your client when you do this
• Find a good mentor
  • takes the time to show you the ropes
• Be realistic with your clients, and don't let them dictate how you work the case
  • Your reputation with judges is on the line, and if you aren't reasonable with requests or haven't made a reasonable effort to settle the case, it will impact your ability to help clients when you do have to be in the courtroom

Advice to lawyers on the lateral market

• Firms may need different roles/experiences at different times, so know what they are looking for
• Communicate to employers why you want to do what you do
• Integrity matters
• Dress appropriately for all interviews
• Bring your A game
• Confident plus humble
  • fine line between promoting yourself (which you have to do in an interview) and not being arrogant
• Be eager to do well and make a difference
• Chemistry/fit with the firm
• Know your audience and do your research, but don't go overboard with personal research
• Why do you want to work here?

Final Thoughts

• Give service back to the profession
  • Bar work
  • Pro Bono
  • It is important and makes your work more fulfilling
  • Another way to pursue work/life balance

Rapid Fire Questions

1. Name one trait/characteristic you most want to see in an associate: loyalty
2. What habit has been key to your success: To-do lists
3. Favorite app/productivity tool: Clio
4. What would be listed first on the interest line of your resume: scuba diving
5. Favorite legal movie: To Kill A Mockingbird (podcast)/ Legally Blonde (podcast)

Thanks again to JoAl Cannon Sheridan for joining us on today's show!