Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer McCall.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My parents were refugees from the Vietnam War, and our family landed in Toccoa because my grandfather was a professor at the college there. I was born two years after my parents came to the United States. We were one of only two Asian families in Toccoa at the time, and many children asked if I was black or white and didn’t understand there were other options.
When I was fifteen, my dad was suffering from a lot of health issues related to his diabetes. My mom had an affair, and my dad was devastated. He was depressed and he was desperate. He took a gun to confront the boyfriend and was tackled by the boyfriend’s wife. The gun went off through her face. Then my dad and the boyfriend struggled over a knife that the boyfriend had grabbed, and my dad stabbed the boyfriend.
I went from being a perfect student to skipping school often. I got pregnant at fifteen.
So imagine me as a pregnant teenager translating for my mother as she interviewed lawyers hoping someone would give us some hope. We went from one dismissive lawyer to the next until we found Dan Summer. I wrote Dan a letter stating that regardless of the outcome of the case, he had given us hope and we would be forever grateful for that. Dan kept that letter, and he told me I should go to law school.
The judge that sentenced my dad to a very merciful sentence is the judge I asked to swear me in. She said that normally she tells new lawyers the incredible impact lawyers can have on a person’s life, but she knew that I already knew.
My road to law school was not direct. With the support of my parents, I finished high school and college. It also helped that my baby was a perfect child. I worked in banking until the economy crashed in 2008, and I was laid off while pregnant with my third child. I told my husband Josh that I wish he had known me in high school when I was smart and ambitious. I had dreamed of becoming a lawyer. The next day, he bought me an LSAT study guide and told me to just take the test and that he would support me. We would find a way.
He was a full-time teacher, and he delivered pizzas and worked retail over the holidays. I asked if he would be embarrassed if a student saw him, and he said, “There’s no shame in supporting my wife’s dreams.”
He also encouraged me to open my own firm. He believed in me and knew I would be successful before I believed in myself. I often joke that I had a permanent stomachache for a month, but I took the leap in 2016, and I’m so glad I did. Because of the success of my firm, I was able to return the favor and support him through law school, except I didn’t have to deliver pizzas or work retail. He just graduated law school in December 2021.
At my ribbon-cutting for my new office, I told the story of when I had lunch with a friend who laughed at me when I said I don’t like taking risks. She said I sure take a lot of risks for someone who doesn’t like taking risks. But I realize, standing where I am today, that none of those leaps felt like risks because of the incredible support network I had. I knew I couldn’t fail because of the many people who have loved and supported me along the way.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has not been smooth at all. I got pregnant at fifteen. I helped navigate my dad’s felony criminal case between the ages of fifteen and seventeen. I went through a contentious divorce at 21. I was laid off while pregnant with my third child when the economy crashed in 2008.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a solo practitioner practicing family law in Hall County, Georgia and the surrounding counties. I went through a contentious divorce when I was just 21. In fact, when I went to law school, I said I would do anything but family law, but now that’s all I do because I realize that my personal experience helps me to help others. I truly understand their pain.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I care very deeply. I care about my clients, their children, and the legal system.
Pricing:
- $100 consult
- Retainer-based
- Flat fee pricing for uncontested cases
Contact Info:
- Email: jennifer@mccallatlaw.com
- Website: http://www.mccallatlaw.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mccallatlaw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifermccallattorney/
- Other: https://www.avvo.com/attorneys/30501-ga-jennifer-mccall-4556154.html
Image Credits
Stephanie Crump Photography took the two professional pictures.
