Monday Mentors with Dallas Probate Litigator Jessica Dunne

Jessica Dunne, Senior Associate at Farrow-Gillespie Heath Witter in Dallas, joins us on today's show. Jessica talks about the growing demand for elder law attorneys, how to use social media for business development, and highlighting accomplishments on your resume.

Her firm/practice:

• Full-service, mid-size, woman-owned
• She mostly handles probate, guardianship, and fiduciary litigation and administrations; also adoptions
• Growing elderly population so the needs for these services are skyrocketing
  • Most of the lawyers practicing in this area are older and are aging out, so there is a great opportunity for younger lawyers
  • Exciting to be in a high-demand practice
• It can be hard to break into initially since many of the firms that handle these matters are small/solo, and/or they aren't in a position to train new lawyers
  • She took a general litigation position right out of law school, but wound up lateraling to work with a former probate judge who she had developed a relationship with once he left the bench and needed an associate
  • Easier to go from general litigation to probate as opposed to the reverse

COVID Update (8/20)

• Still working mostly from home, though she can go into the office if needed
• She can do most of what she does from home, and then hearings have all been by Zoom and phone, which has worked well
  • clients like not having to get to the courthouse, especially with a more elderly population
  • please mute yourself when you aren't talking
  • Keep courtroom decorum / look presentable
  • Find a quiet place
• She is hoping/expecting both of these to continue post-COVID
• Networking is challenging/different now
  • Best avenue for business development is social media

Advice for lawyers in practice

• She learned early how to look at a case in a forward looking matter; anticipate needs and don't wait to be asked
  • Ex. find the medical expert for testator capacity if that's at issue
  • Ex. if you are asked to draft a motion, draft the order that you would ask the judge to sign granting the motion
  • Ex. put together everything you need for a prove up hearing, not just one or a few components
• Put together the timeline of important facts and documents at the very beginning
  • add Bates numbers to related exhibits that pertain/prove those
  • can potentially be the outline of your opening statement; the theme can come from it
  • helps keep you organized
  • makes your discovery more effective
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
  • respond to emails/calls of your bosses/colleagues/clients
• Business Development
  • Build relationships
    • in the community
    • with other lawyers; they can be your best referral source
      • make sure other lawyers know what you do
  • Social Media
    • Ex. she diagrammed a complicated heirship tree on her daughter's playroom wall and posted it on Facebook with a clever caption and a #getawill hashtag. This originated four estate planning clients for her firm (and she doesn't even do the wills/estate planning)

Advice for lawyers in job seeking

• no spelling/grammar errors
  • even in thank you notes (which you can send by email)
• show on your resume what you actually did
  • did you draft/argue/win motions?
  • do you draft/object/respond to discovery?
  • do you prep depo outlines or do you take the depos? If so, fact or expert?
  • what did you do at trial?
  • what role in an appeal?
• Highlight results
  • even for things that settle or get worked out, you can say "negotiated favorable result..."

Rapid Fire Questions

• Name one trait/characteristic you most want to see in an Associate: self-starter / takes initiative / doesn't need to be told
• What habit has been key to your success: making to-do lists or action item lists for litigation cases
• Favorite app/productivity tool: Action-Item Lists - put everything you might do in a litigation case onto a master list so you can keep pushing the ball forward; also helps you hit billing requirements
• Favorite social distancing activity: Enjoying the pool a their new house (purchased to accommodate their growing family!)
• Favorite legal movie: Legally Blonde

Thanks again to Jessica Dunne for joining us on today's show!