Some people want to be a lawyer from a young age. Others fall into the profession. Attorney Jeffrey Billings belongs to the latter group, but there are no outward signs of bruising or other injuries. In fact, he appears to have landed nicely.
Billings more or less fell into his primary area of work–defending long-term care companies–too. He started practicing law in the late 1980’s at Caldwell, Haggie, and Helton, where he served as a litigator. When the firm, through various mergers, became Baker Donelson, Billings and another attorney, James McKoon, left and started their own practice. They worked together until 2003, when Billings went in-house at Life Care Centers of America. Things came full circle last year when Billings parted ways with Life Care and joined Ramer & Hedrick. He’d worked with one of its partners, Kyle Hedrick, at Caldwell, Haggie and Helton.
“I’ve been at it a long time,” says the 52-year-old Billings. “Twenty six years.”
Billings says the roots of his practice reach down to his early days as a lawyer: “While at Baker Donelson, I helped various hospitals with regulatory and contract issues,” he says. “I did a lot of that at Life Care, too. Now I’m doing it on my own.”
In addition to defending nursing homes and similar facilities, Billings handles wills, powers of attorneys, and estate planning for the elderly. He also does some general business litigation for people he knows or who are referred to him.
Billings likes being on his own again–this time at a small firm. He says the environment allows him to interact one-on-one with his clients, which he prefers to working for a faceless corporation. “My clients are not IBM. I’m directly involved with the nurses, or the executive director, at the facility I’m defending, or with a couple that needs help. I get to meet my clients and help them solve their issues.
“An elderly couple can come in, express their concerns, and I can tell them what they need to do. I can talk with their family, set up their documents, and explain what’s going to happen. I can be hands on with the people I’m serving. It’s a rewarding way of practicing law.”
Billings, an Athens, Tenn., native, wasn’t aiming for law school when he earned his bachelor’s degree in finance at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Rather, upon graduating, he went to work for Provident (now Unum) as an underwriter. But his childhood mentor, a lawyer named Don Reid, nudged him toward the law.
“He was a good man. He wanted me to go to law school. He’d gone to the University of Memphis, and pushed me in that direction,” Billings says.
After Memphis, Billings returned to Chattanooga to begin his career.
He’s been busy ever since, and not just with work. He and his wife, Pam, have three kids, own a home on Signal Mountain, and are active members of the Greater Chattanooga community.
Billings enjoys talking about his children. “My daughter, Emily Joe, is 20. She has Down syndrome,” he says, turning his computer monitor to display a picture of the young lady. “She’s a doll; an absolute dream.”
Billings looks proud as he talks about his daughter’s accomplishments. “She’s exceeded everyone’s expectations. She can do anything she wants. She graduated from high school last year, she has a group of friends, and she’s compete in the Special Olympics. She has her limitations as a result of having Down syndrome, but buddy, she’s funny, she has a great attitude, and she’s a good person.”
Billings jokes that his daughter is “retired at 20,” then says she’ll be entering a training program at Orange Grove.
His other children include Jimmy, a senior at Signal Mountain High School, and Knox, an eighth grader. He’s proud of them as well, and is looking forward to his oldest son beginning his engineering education at Tennessee Technological University in the fall.
Billings and his wife were so affected by the experience of having a special needs child, they decided to become a Big Brother and a Big Sister to a special needs child soon after Emily was born. “My wife and I saw how difficult that can be, especially if you’re a single parent. So we were matched with a little girl with cerebral palsy,” he says.
In time, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Chattanooga asked Billings to join the board, as it wanted a lawyer on hand to help with legal issues. He’s been with them ever since. “It’s a great organization,” he says. “It does a lot of good for kids.”
Golf is a big part of Billings’ life, too. To relax, he attends his sons’ high school and middle school golf matches and plays a round with friends on Saturday mornings. “We’re a walking group,” he says. “We carry our clubs. We have a great time.”
In addition to spending time with family and friends, Billings and his wife attend St. Augustine Catholic Church on Signal Mountain. “From the beginning, they were very receptive to Emily,” he says. “I love that about that church.”
Billings might not have set out to be a lawyer, but he likes what he does and is a good fit for the profession. Also, he might have been “at it a long time,” but he’s nowhere near done. Instead, his clients can look forward to his hands-on service for many years to come.