Zach Morris is looking sharp. He’s wearing a crisp white shirt, impeccably pressed grey slacks, a yellow tie, and a charcoal grey jacket with light grey pinstripes.
He stands in direct contrast to others at Emerson Russell Maintenance Company (ERMC), where casual attire is common. To alleviate confusion, he says, “I was dressed casually, too, until about five minutes ago.”
Instead of going directly to his office, he says hello to a few of his coworkers, including attorney Estes Cocke, attorney Stephanie Hall, and a legal assistant. He then enters his enclave at ERMC, a reasonably sized space devoid of personal touches like family photographs, and containing only one bit of décor: a miniature bike one of his two sisters purchased for him in Bali, India.
As Morris sits at his desk, he’s surrounded by legal files, academic degrees, and little else. Even if he were dressed like everyone else, there would be no mistaking what – or perhaps who – he is: an attorney.
“I was naturally inclined to become a lawyer,” he says, leaning forward at his desk and locking his fingers together. “One of my sisters is a lawyer, and two of my uncles are lawyers. It was always my choice, but because I was around those people, I found the law interesting.”
Morris hasn’t always been a lawyer, though. Before becoming an attorney at ERMC, a facility management company with employees across the country, he was a leasing agent for CBL Properties, where his uncle, John Foy, was chief financial officer. A Sioux Falls, S.D., native, Morris took the job with CBL after graduating from the University of South Dakota with a degree in political science and criminal justice. “I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do with my life,” he says of his college days.
Several years of weekly cross-country trips to renew leases gave Morris the clarity he needed in order to make a decision. He doesn’t mince words when talking about what motivated his decision to attend law school: “I was sick and tired of traveling,” he says.
Morris had a job with ERMC even before he knew the results of his bar exam. The owner of the company, Emerson Russell, knew Morris through ERMC’s work with CBL, and in 2009 brought him on as part of his in-house legal team. Morris is glad he wound up working for Russell rather than a large law firm. “Law school doesn’t teach you how to practice law, it teaches you how to pass the bar,” he says. “I didn’t want to go to a large firm after law school because they put you on the hourly treadmill and work you to death, and I didn’t want to be on that treadmill while I was learning.”
Morris credits Cocke with teaching him how to practice law. “He threw me into the deep end and let me figure out how to swim, but he was also there to keep me from drowning,” he says. “He helped me to learn right rather than fast.”
As a member of ERMC’s legal team, Morris handles litigation against the company, some of which involves defending lawsuits filed against the companies for which ERMC works, such as CBL. “We do their maintenance, janitorial, and security work,” he says. “It’s ERMC’s duty to provide a safe environment, and when a patron is injured, it can give rise to legal action in which the company is involved.”
ERMC does business in 42 states, so Morris, who’s licensed to practice law only in Tennessee, also spends a lot of time overseeing the attorneys the company hires to handle cases elsewhere. “Estes and I keep a close rein on what those attorneys are doing,” he says. “One of us looks at every interrogatory to make sure it’s what we want. ERMC and CBL have complex corporate structures, and we understand the companies and the relationship between them.”
Morris also handles unemployment hearings for ERMC, so there’s a lot on his plate. Most days begin at 7:30 a.m. and end around 7 p.m., although Morris does answer work-related email at home. Since Morris is single, there’s no one there to make an issue about his long days except his Miniature Dachshund, Izzy, who rarely registers a complaint.
Morris rarely registers a complaint, too, largely because he likes his work. “I enjoy the variety. When I worked for CBL, I was doing the same thing every week,” he says, knocking a fist on his desk to punctuate the last four words. “But each case with ERMC involves a unique scenario, unique facts, and unique legal issues. It also presents different strengths and weaknesses to both us and the plaintiffs. My work here gives me an opportunity to think.”
As an example, Morris mentions a recent case in which CBL was required by federal law to install a specific safety feature. Several legal questions arose when the safety feature caused an injury. “If we’re required by law to install something, how can we be held liable?” he says. “Stuff like that makes my job interesting.”
Although busy, Morris makes room in his schedule to judge the local high school mock trials and to do pro bono work. He says the nature of trial work and his packed schedule limit his ability to do as much volunteer work as he’d like, though.
At first impression, Morris comes across as a dyed in the wool lawyer – an attorney who’s committed his life to the law and his work. But that’s not entirely true. For example, he and few people from the office enjoy going to a local gun range to relax. “It can get competitive,” he says, smiling. “We bet dinner. And if I win dinner, then my opponent will challenge me to see who pays for drinks. I can usually win one of the two.”
If pressed for details, Morris will also open up about his days in late ‘90s working as a night club deejay. “I didn’t do it for the money; I did it because I enjoyed it,” he says.
Morris says the same thing about his job today. Whether he’s wearing casual clothes or dressed to the nines, he’s comfortable doing what he does, and is looking forward to a lifetime of practice. Whether his office will someday feature a few more personal touches, however, remains to be seen.