LEGAL EAGLES
Jack Eggleston — On Vision
A Second-Generation Attorney Talks About Tradition , Change , Family Business and Why Nobody Writes Novels About Oil and Gas Attorneys
Jack Eggleston wanted to be an attorney for the same reason most people choose a career path , someone he greatly admired was a lawyer and made it look like something great people do . In his case , “ someone ,” happened to be his father , Jim Eggleston .
“ Growing up , watching my dad be a really great attorney and the things that it allowed him to do , for our family to do , definitely influenced me ,” said the younger Eggleston . “ The nature of the practice , getting to deal with difficult situations influenced me and of course people . Being flexible with the clients and cases I take on , that drew me to it . There ’ s a lot more freedom than other professions might have . I ’ ve always been interested in the real estate world , the deals and transactions , so that was certainly what drew me to being a lawyer .”
The elder Eggleston had no idea about his son ’ s aspirations .
“ I took the LSAT and entrance exam and started submitting my applications before I ever told him ,” Eggleston said . “ We always joke that he always encouraged us not to go to law school , to make our own way , maybe do something less stressful . But yes , he tried to dissuade us but once I told him that I had done my research , and that I had taken the test and decided that was the way I wanted to go , he sort of switched gears , was very supportive and got behind me .” Eggleston passed the bar exam a decade ago . “ I was in law school in south Texas in Houston from 2005 to 2008 , passed the bar exam in the summer of 2008 [ and ] started working for the firm right away . So this month , I hit the 10-year mark . I never actually thought it would happen , but 10 years has gone by so fast .” Eggleston is a dad . “ I have two little ones ,” he said , with a big smile . “ Charlie , my daughter is four and Jett , my little boy is two .” Will he encourage them to be lawyers or not ? “ My daughter seems to be wired that way , she is very analytical , very particular , very detailed-oriented ,” Eggleston said . “ I could see her going that route eventually , him probably not , because he is a wild man , a tornado .” Perfect for criminal defense ? With a big laugh , he said , “ I think it ’ s one of those , I will see how they grow up and see what their interests are , and just like my dad , if it ’ s something that they want to do , I would be thrilled to support them in that . But I cannot see myself influencing them one way or the other .”
Eggleston practices business and real estate law , and likes cases that involve negotiations . Like his father , he loves making deals .
“ What I enjoy the most ?” Eggleston said . “ I like putting deals together . I like taking their objective and figuring out how to get there putting certain pieces together . The real estate side is definitely in line with the process and putting the puzzle pieces together .”
Eggleston was instrumental in putting his firm ’ s building plans together , something that turned out well . He ’ s bound to get a kick out of completing a project that ended so well .
“ The excitement of this certainly hasn ’ t worn off ,” he said . “ I come to the building , and yes , I am proud of what me , my dad , and our partners were able to accomplish . Probably the thing I ’ m most proud of is hearing from people in the community who are taking pride in it also , and are excited about what everyone thinks it will do for downtown . It started as a movement to revitalize the square , downtown .”
“ So it ’ s great to have a really nice office , doesn ’ t hurt to be a focal point but the most exciting thing is what other people take away from it , jump-starting the process .”
Eggleston would like to see certain things a decade from now when looking out his office window .
“ I know it is taboo to say in Weatherford , but people say we should be like Granbury , or Southlake ... I do think some elements could be shared . Unique downtown areas like pedestrian access areas , things for families to do , and some place safe to come out to on the weekends ,” Eggleston said . “ I ’ d like to see the square in 10 years be a representation of a place where all different types of people from the community can come and enjoy what ’ s here ; let it be the center point they get back to . There are a lot of good people doing good things to help this progress . I feel like it ’ s a priority of the city officials and private individuals who are doing great things here , like Tom Moncrief and his wife Therese . We need to keep falling in line with that and be a part of it .” What ’ s next ? “ We ’ re looking at a lot of things ,” Eggleston said . “ Downtown living . There ’ s a big need for multi-family down here . A natural fit is always food and entertainment . Even though the area near the highway has been growing , this is still the focal point of Weatherford . It ’ s the heart of the city . We ’ ve got to have visibility .” What is standing in the way ? “ I think it just takes time to get things done ,” Eggleston said . “ We ’ re not starting with a blank slate . There are a lot of elements that are in place , that have been for a number of years . Updating takes time . Projects like that just take a lot of time and determination . Maybe in the past folks looked at easier alternative to do projects else-
SEPTEMBER 2018 PARKER COUNTY TODAY
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