Robert Callahan joins us on today's episode. Robert is the founding partner of Callahan & King in Waco, TX, and he talks about starting and building a law firm, race in the criminal justice system, and how lawyers can be racial justice advocates.

His firm/practice

Central Texas firm that does mostly criminal defense with a mix of family and trusts/estates/planning as well.
Four attorneys
Started in private practice in 2011 after several years of working in the McLennan County District Attorney's Office
Wasn't sure switching from the prosecution to the D side and also running a business
Had an offer to join a DA office down near the Texas border
But after praying through it, felt that he and his family were supposed to stay in Waco and help raise the level of justice
First office was a 10x14 windowless room; tough for an extrovert!
Partnered with Chris King in 2013 who was a former intern of Robert's

COVID Update (as of 1/28/21)

Feels like things are on the rebound from a business standpoint
March 2020 brought the entire justice system to a halt; jails were only taking those who were charged with the most serious offenses
Things rebounded in the summer months alongside the help of the PPP loans
Excited to retain some of the great things that we've learned moving forward
As time passes, cases don't get better, though it tends to work in favor of the defense in a criminal context.
Local DA/judges have been good about getting non-violent offenders out of jail
For the more serious offenders in jail, the delays in the process can be hard...but at the same time you don't want to go through a trial in a courtroom and come out with a not guilty verdict plus a lethal case of COVID.

Race

Right now, COVID is impacting minorities in the justice system at a higher rate
When he started in private practice in 2011, he was one of three black attorneys in the county (one since passed away)
In 2021 there are six
With so few, he feels responsible to use his voice/platform for these issues
Michael Morton Act / Prosecutorial ethics
When everyone in the system works in their silos and doesn't consider others in the system or the system overall, it can lead to grave injustices
Prosecutors have tremendous discretion to decide whether to take case, how to charge. They wear the white hats in the courtroom, get to speak first/last, and it's critical they use that power with integrity
Concerned that the conversation that began after the death of George Floyd will fade away
The system didn't bring justice in that and other cases; it had to be crowdsourced
Pressure on different elected officials, bringing awareness, protesting, etc.
News cycle moves on
We haven't had a jury since George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and since the difficult 2020 election. There are strong feelings about race, and those things will have be be probed when we pick juries, and there isn't practically enough time to do that well.
(Jamar Tisby, The Color of Compromise): It was never the majority that got the Civil Rights movement, it was a vocal minority. It's that remnant today that is the source of where change is going to come from.
Biggest change that needs to happen now in the criminal justice system is police reform / police brutality. This is the closest fire. Stop killing black people in the course of detentions.
8 Can't Wait
These can happen at the local/state level
Lawyers can
give their time/talent/legal services
use relationships with elected officials to advocate for change and bring awareness
read The New Jim Crow, Just Mercy
Law firms/the legal industry
Don't use the old metrics of grades/test scores to determine the potential of candidates
Just three years ago, he learned that he had a learning/reading disorder in the course of learning the same about his daughter, and that led to poor performance on law school exams. In advocacy courses he did great and performed well in mock trial.
You will miss good candidates by not looking deeper than just academics
Anybody with enough time/prep can learn the practice of law, but he can't teach you integrity or how to be a good person.
He has never asked a candidate about their grades, their exam scores, etc. Only care about the person's character.

Rapid Fire Questions

Name one trait characteristic you most want to see in an associate: character
What habit has been key to your success: hiring people that have the characteristics that he lacks
Favorite app/productivity tool: Facebook and Google Sheets
Favorite social distancing activity: Hanging out with friends on front yard, fire pit, drinking wine
Favorite legal movie: My Cousin Vinny (though he has given 100s to Hamilton and Primal Fear on Movie Verdicts!)

Thanks again to Robert Callahan for joining us on today's show. You can find him on Facebook: @rcallahanwaco, Instagram: @rcallahan_waco, Twitter: @rcallahanwaco, or email him: callahankinglaw@gmail.com.