For most attorneys, arguing is in the blood. In the case of Jana Hicks Taylor, becoming an attorney was something her friends predicted.
"People told me that because I was never one to keep my opinions to myself," she said. "I wasn't a debater, not in the formal sense. I've always been argumentative, the problem solver. I guess I'm a natural debater."
Hicks Taylor was born in Odessa, Texas, and grew up in Hobbs, New Mexico, then left small-town life to attend Texas Tech University. She got her bachelors of arts, graduating cum laude in 1995, and law degrees from Tech, then, like so many Red Raiders, headed to Dallas to begin her law career.
"I heard, 'Dallas versus small-town lawyers, watch out for Dallas attorneys.' I haven't found that to be the case," Hicks Taylor said. "I don't care if we're disagreeing or we're having a dog-fight over discovery, as long as they do it in a professional manner. There's no need to be ugly about it, and most of the time if you treat people with respect they will treat you with respect."
She also discovered that law school hadn't provided all tools she needed to be a lawyer.
"I think the best thing that prepared me for being a lawyer was growing up with two brothers, because you kind of have to fight for everything you get," Hicks Taylor joked. "I think the only thing law school does is prepare you to deal with other lawyers."
What really prepared her, she found, was doing the work.
"Most of the people in the middle of their (law school) class end up at small to medium firms, and they start out litigating," Hicks Taylor explained. "They answer discovery and go to depositions. When you start at a bigger firm, they sit you in a library. I don't want to sit in a room doing research day in and day out.
"At small firms, you get your feet wet," she added. "Until you do the work, you'll never be as good at it as you want to be. You also handle different kinds of cases, so it's great training."
Diversity of work and direct experience are invaluable teachers, and, Hicks Taylor said, are qualities to look for in a litigation attorney. Hicks Taylor's experience is that the quality of work from small firms is frequently equal to or superior to that of larger firms.
"Maybe that's because, at small firms, you spend more time hands on."
That wealth of knowledge is also the perfect preparation for the ultimate task of an attorney: trial. With ten years of diverse, hands-on experience, Hicks Taylor is a veteran trial attorney with more trial experience than most big-firm attorneys with the same years of practice.
"My two favorite things to do are to go to trial or do negotiations," she said. "That's the reason I got into this, because I like the personal relationships you develop. It's no different from public speaking in any other forum, because it's about connecting with your audience."
She also volunteers with the American Cancer Society and a group called the Turner Twelve, who mentor kids from an Oak Cliff housing development, Turner Court. The goal is to help the kids toward a college education
"The kids frequently don't have the means or the education or the advantages to direct them where they need to go," said Hicks Taylor , who has been involved for six years and recently saw her first group make it through their first year of college.
"We have a great group, and they're all across the spectrum. We've got kids who want to be athletes, actors, doctors, veterinarians, teachers. They're so lively and fun."
