Editorial
Front Page - Friday, October 29, 2010
Third-generation lawyer passes tradition on to son
David Laprad
Fletcher Atchley Jr. is a third-generation general practice lawyer. For the last 12 years, he’s focused on conservatorship and probate administration work.
- David Laprad
Fletcher Atchley Jr. has every reason to be proud of his accomplishments as a lawyer. He’s maintained a dependable general practice since graduating from law school in 1973. He’s done a considerable amount of pro bono work as well, both on his own and through an inner city legal clinic. And he’s a Chattanooga Bar Foundation Fellow, an honor the Chattanooga Bar Association does not bestow casually.
Yet in conversation, he comes across as mildly self-deprecating, as though he feels he’s undeserving of anything nice someone would say about him.
“Anyone who knew my dad could assure you I’m junior,” he says, referring to the exemplary career of his father. He chuckles as he says this, but there’s an edge to his laughter, as though he’s agreeing with a silent majority that he’s fallen short as an attorney.
It could be that Atchley is merely being humble in the shadow of history, for when he speaks of the way things used to be, he does so with a sense of awe.
“I’ve been fortunate to have come from a rich heritage in the practice of law because back in those days, the law was more of a profession and less of a service. Lawyers related to each other in a different way. You didn’t have to practice as defensively as you do now,” he says.
For Atchley, “back in those days” was the ’70s, when he practiced with his father for five years. “It was a wonderful experience. We had different personalities, but it was a good way to get started,” he says.
Atchley was born and raised in Chattanooga, graduated from City High School and obtained a bachelors degree in political science at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He says he then applied to law school because he didn’t have any other options.
“I got there by process of elimination. I’m terribly non-mechanical, and I couldn’t find anything else do to, so I attended law school at Vandy. That might not have been the best way to get there, but I ended up where I was supposed to be. I guess the law is in my blood. It’s a family tradition, as Hank Williams Jr. would say,” he says.
“It’s probably fortunate I went through when I did because I hear it’s become a lot harder to get into law school. I’m not sure I could cut the mustard today,” Atchley adds.
Atchley found himself on his own when his father died of a massive heart attack in 1978. Once he had a few years as a solo practitioner under his belt, he joined forces with another father and son team, Dick and Rick Jahn. In 1984, he decided he wanted to work in a smaller environment and teamed up with brothers Bill and Richard Dieen. While the latter passed away about two years ago, the former is still practicing part-time.
Although Atchley will readily minimize his own achievements, he lavishes praise on others, especially his long-time partners in law.
“It’s been a wonderful association. I’ve been blessed.” With respect to Bill, he adds, “I could not have asked for a finer association or for the privilege of serving alongside a more generous man. He knows a lot about the law.”
Atchley knows a thing or two about the law, too, as he inherited from his father the kind of practice that serves whatever needs walk through the door. In time, it became too difficult to learn about and keep up with the many areas of the law in which he was working, so he started concentrating on conservatorship and probate administration work. This makes Atchley a member of “a small local fraternity,” as he calls it.
“Conservatorship has been a good fit for me. I have a basic understanding of family dynamics and of the dying process through which we all go,” he says.
Atchley has also taken on an-
other role his father once carried out: that of mentor to his son.
“My oldest of three sons, Trevor, has started practicing with us. It’s been enjoyable. You never stop learning the law, but for those first few years, you’re really green. It’s good to have someone to walk through that with you and help you out,” he says.
Atchley says the hardest part of working with his son is allowing him to take care of something on his own. This is different from how his dad handled his inexperience.
“When I was new, I’d arrive in the morning, and my dad would hand me a file and say, ‘Go up to General Sessions Court and meet these people. You’re trying their case.’ That’s how you learn. You have to get in there, make your mistakes and think on your feet. I’m doing my best to allow my son to do that in as many areas of the law as possible,” he says.
Although he has a hard time letting go, Atchley believes his son is a capable attorney. In fact, the only thing Atchley suggests he’s done well is bringing up his sons, who were born in 1980, 1982 and 1984.
“The one thing I did right was spend time with my family. During the ’80s, fathers became co-parents with mothers, so a lot of what I did when I wasn’t working was my part of the parenting. I didn’t work many weekends, but I did spend a lot of time at the ball field, and I’m glad I did,” he says.
While Atchley might not admit it, he’s done more than one thing right. Even as a citizen, he’s given back to his community through nearly 25 years of service to the Civitan Club and a lifetime of dedication to First Christian Church on McCallie, where he’s served as president of the congregation.
The 62-year-old Atchley says he’s a long way from retiring, and may never fully stop working.
“My wife, Jennifer, has al-ready told me she doesn’t want me sitting around the house reading books, and I don’t have any hobbies, so what other options do I have? Maybe I’ll work part-time and not take on anything big.”
Whether it was blood, fate or sheer lack of options that led Atchley to the practice of law, he’s pleased he wound up on that path, as he’s generally enjoyed his work.
“Whatever you do, you don’t always like doing it. But I have considered the practice of law to be a form of ministry because you deal with people who are hurting. It’s gratifying to see a good result when you help someone. It’s been a good profession for me. I wouldn’t do anything different.”
The Hamilton County Herald congratulates Atchley and his wife on the birth of
their third grandchild – and their first granddaughter – earlier this month.
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