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“Listening, really listening to what clients are saying is essential because the reality with family law, and criminal law to
some extent, is that it’s about 5,000 shades of gray. An attorney must listen exceedingly well so that he or she can tell the client what that client really needs to hear in a way that is understandable and realistic,” says Leigh Cutter, attorney with Calfas Law Group, PLLC.
“A lot of times clients just need someone to hear them out. Listening to them, acknowledging what they’re feeling and then explaining what’s going to happen next, what you can do to help and what you cannot change is the way I practice law. I tell them to focus on the things they can change and control and leave the worrying to me” she says.
Cutter has handled family law and criminal cases in more than 50 counties in Texas. She is licensed to practice federal law in the Western and Eastern Districts of Texas.
SEEING THE FIRST SIGN OF BECOMING A GOOD LAWYER
According to a counselor during her nal year of law school, her chances of having a successful career in law were less than stellar. e counselor said that no one would hire her because her grades were not good enough, that she was not at the top of her class, and that the fact that she worked her way through law school were signi cant impediments to future success.
at knowledge has been a key element in the success that did follow. Cutter made calls and worked her network and found employment with one of the premier law rms in Texas. She says, “Probably my biggest asset is my access to experienced mentors. I am a people person and I’ve developed strong relationships with people I can call on. If I don’t know something, I can nd the right person to educate me so that I can make a sound presentation in court.”
Although she always wanted to be an attorney, “I didn’t choose my practice areas; they chose me.” Her expectations were to work in securities fraud, international business or some related eld. To further those goals and to make expenses during law school, Cutter worked as a stock broker at Merrill Lynch while attending law school at night. ose nancial experiences have paid dividends in both white-collar crime and complex nancial divorce litigation.
“LOW MAN ON THE TOTEM POLE” COMES OUT ON TOP IN A BIG CASE
Although a junior member of the rm and a self-described low man on the totem pole, Cutter has shown her merit in a number of high-pro le cases. One of the most notable was the Frances Hall Murder case.
She says she sat in her car two weeks before taking the bar exam thinking, “ ere’s no way I will ever learn everything on this test.” Right before sitting for the bar she received some important and inspirational advice from an attorney who said, “ e rst sign of being a good lawyer is realizing that you’ll never know everything. You’ll never learn everything. You just have to know how to nd it.”
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Frances Hall, a 53-year-old Texas wife, mother and grandmother, was charged with the murder of her husband. ey had been married since they were 18 years old and had been dating since they were sixteen. “ is was a clear case of someone who has lived a decent, exemplary life, but was more or less painted or portrayed as a criminal because of the actions of others,” Cutter says.
Hall and her husband were owners of a multimillion-dollar business. He had an a air with a young woman who made Mrs. Hall aware of the a air. e two women entered into a heated texting war. e charged atmosphere exploded in October 2013 as Hall
Shades of Gray
BY DAN BALDWIN
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