The very thought of the long days, grueling nights and lost weekends that can make up an attorney’s work load is enough to steer some college students away from law school. But not Michelle Fleenor.
The nose-to-the grindstone nature of the legal profession is part of what attracted Fleenor to it.
“I had a romantic vision of studying liberal arts and then getting a job abroad, but when I started to really think about what I want to do, I realized I want the pressure of hard work on me,” she says. “I’ve always been like that. Pressure motivates me. It brings out the part of my personality that wants to excel and show others what I can do.”
The daughter of a Hamilton County chancellor and a private practice attorney, Fleenor says her parents also played a role in making the law an attractive choice for her.
“I’ve always admired what my parents do,” she says of her mother, Chancellor Pamela Fleenor, and father, Phil Fleenor. “It’s a difficult profession but it can also be very rewarding.”
Fleenor had a front row seat to the law growing up and says the things she admires about the legal profession are things she first admired in her parents.
“My mom always been determined and independent and hard working, not just at work but in her everyday life, and she instilled those qualities in me. When I become involved in something, there’s an expectation that I’ll work hard.”
This was true of Fleenor’s work in the classroom at Girls Preparatory School, where she performed well academically, and of her time on tennis courts, where she did well athletically. In addition to becoming an All-American and competing for the individual national championship, Fleenor went on to play tennis at Washington and Lee University in Lexington City, Virginia.
She says she’s now focused on applying the same ethic to her work at Grant, Konvalinka & Harrison in Chattanooga, where she’s a first-year associate.
“I treat being here seriously and am expecting myself to work my tail off.”
While Fleenor’s mother taught her the value of hard work, she says her father demonstrated the importance of having an unassuming nature.
“My dad taught me to not think of myself above others,” she notes. “You don’t know what your client’s background is, so you want to always be on a level playing field with them and treat them like you would want to be treated. He’s always done that with his clients.”
Fleenor says she observed these attributes naturally as her parents lived and worked but they initially did not inspire her to become an attorney. Instead, she studied Spanish and took classes focused on the environment – which she says did not thrill her mother and father.
“They wanted me to major in business accounting,” she laughs, “but that didn’t work out.”
When Fleenor set her sights on law school during her junior year, her parents had differing reactions.
“Mom was excited. She was super gung-ho,” Fleenor recalls. “Dad was hesitant. He was worried about the work life balance and if it would put too much pressure on me.”
Fleenor attended the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. As she demonstrated that she could handle the load, she learned that the practice of law could be more collaborative than growing up with litigators for parents had suggested it could be.
“Cumberland does a great job of establishing camaraderie between students,” Fleenor explains. “Law school naturally breeds competition, but they try to help you understand that, yes, this is a hard-working profession and, yes, it’s naturally competitive, but at the end of the day, you’re all going to be lawyers and you’re all going to need to rely on each other, so let’s make this a collaborative workspace.”
As Fleenor thinks back on her time at Cumberland, she recalls working with her fellow students to draft mock opening statements, briefs and cross examinations. The experience made her more comfortable with approaching the established attorneys at Grant Konvalinka with questions.
“As a first-year associate, I’m relying on a lot of the attorneys here for help. And they have made me feel comfortable with walking into their offices and asking questions.”
Fleenor worked as a runner and then in clerkship positions at Grant Konvalinka while she attended college and law school, so she not only knew where the proverbial water cooler was, she was a familiar face in the office.
Now that Fleenor has joined the firm as a practicing attorney, she’s focusing on general civil litigation, with an eye on tailoring it for employment and business law.
So far, she says she likes what she’s doing. “I enjoy interacting with the other attorneys and figuring out the minute details of a case. It takes a lot of research and focus, which I find to be invigorating.”
Although Fleenor is finished with school, her education in the law continues. For example, she’s learning attorneys are able to break free of the shackles of work and enjoy the fruits of their labors.
To this end, Fleenor still plays tennis and can often be found exploring the trails of Raccoon Mountain. As a North Shore resident, she also enjoys the walkable lifestyle the community provides, although she confesses she crosses the Walnut Street Bridge on foot to reach her office on Chestnut Street only when the weather is comfortable.
As Fleenor looks at the road ahead, she’s looking forward to becoming an active part of the local legal community, which she says will include joining the Chattanooga Bar Association and interacting with her fellow attorneys of the organization’s Young Lawyers Division.
She’s also looking forward to identifying and pursuing volunteer opportunities.
But as a lawyer who embraces the long days, grueling nights and lost weekends that can make up an attorney’s work load, the greatest measure of her thoughts is focused on the future of her career and where the practice of law can take her.
“Lawyers can do all kinds of things – even be civil servants and CEOs,” she muses. “Having different avenues available to me is interesting, but for now, I’m excited about being in private practice because of all the things I can do and learn.”