Rise to the Challenge
State Bar of Texas President Randall O. Sorrels on getting out of your comfort zone.
Interview by Patricia Busa McConnico
For the past 20 years, Randall O. Sorrels has been waking up at 4:45 in the morning to get to his 5:30 a.m. outdoor workout at Memorial Park in Houston. Led by a former U.S. Navy SEAL, the high-intensity program is based on the SEAL regimen. For Sorrels, it is another exercise in overcoming unexpected mental and physical challenges.
Sorrels
first learned how to successfully adapt to different situations as a kid
growing up in a military family that moved around quite a bit. Instead
of leaning on the comfort of a consistent group of friends, he developed
skills that enabled him to talk to complete strangers with ease. Those
communication and problem-solving abilities landed him in a managerial
position at a retail athletic store at 17, where he quickly learned that
if you want others to give their best, you better be willing to do the
same thing. He also learned that much like himself, most people want to
be challenged to improve and become better.
That early leadership position served him well when he began college at
Houston Baptist University, where he double-majored in speech
communications and political science and played NCAA Division I soccer.
A competitive person by nature, Sorrels realized that as an athlete and
a student, he would have to work harder than most of his teammates and
classmates to excel. And he did, earning the distinction of being an
NCAA Academic All-America Division I Men’s Soccer player. “Being a
college athlete is much harder than most people can imagine—a full-time
job that regularly requires overtime hours if you are going to be
competitive,” Sorrels said. “Going to college is a full-time job that
requires focus and attention. I also continued to work part time at the
athletic store during this time. I was taught the skills of
compartmentalizing and precise focus when I needed to concentrate.”
Today, the soccer field at HBU is named after him.
Above from top: The office of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels,
Agosto & Aziz in downtown Houston was flooded with 12 feet of
water during Hurricane Harvey. Members of the firm photographed in their
renovated office in March 2019.
His experience at
HBU proved a great learning environment that carried over to his time at
South Texas College of Law Houston, where he served on the law review
and participated in the national mock trial program. “I did well at
South Texas because I loved what I was doing and learning,” Sorrels
said. “I had classmates and professors in law school who constantly
challenged me to improve. And I love challenges.”
Sorrels began his legal career as an associate of Fulbright &
Jaworski in Houston doing mostly defense work. But while practicing
there, he realized that there were plaintiff’s lawyers who could help
level the playing field. In 1990, Sorrels moved to Abraham Watkins,
where he has been the firm’s managing partner for the past two decades.
On June 14, Sorrels will be sworn in as president of the State Bar of
Texas at the bar’s annual meeting in Austin. Sorrels recently talked
with the Texas Bar Journal about his career, giving back, and
plans as president of the State Bar.
Above from left: The Sorrels family—Alex, Stephanie, Randy, Darby,
Garrett, and Ashley and Logan Burke—on vacation on the Hawaiian island
of Kauai. The newest addition to the family, Houston Alexander Sorrels,
at six
months.
Tell us about the path that led
you to a career in law.
I can’t tell you when, but at some
point I came to realize there were few professions where one could
dramatically alter the lives of others for the better on a daily basis.
Law is one of those professions. Once I started college, I focused much
of my efforts on becoming a lawyer.
What lesson or experience has most impacted the way you
practice?
Early in my career, I made a mistake in a case. I
believed I could fix it, but it would be at a cost of great headache and
heartache. I was very worried. The more seasoned lawyer on the other
side of the case told me he had made a serious mistake early in his
career and his opponent let the matter be fixed at minimal cost. As he
allowed me to right the wrong, he told me to remember this throughout my
career. I still try to show understanding, grace, and forgiveness when
my opponents are in a similar situation. This will happen to all of
us.
During Hurricane Harvey, your firm’s office was
flooded with 12 feet of water. How did you recover and what advice would
you give others in a similar situation?
We all face
adversities and setbacks in our lives. The way we deal with those
unwanted events is what is really important. For me, the Hurricane
Harvey flood serves as a microcosm of our lives. Facing that disaster at
that time, we drained the water, dried out what remained, and built an
even better office. And a lot of friends and colleagues helped. My
advice for others who have been hit by a personal or professional blow
is to take a similar approach. First, know there are others who are
willing to help. Second, don’t wallow in self-pity, despair, or regret
too long—even if you played a role in causing your personal disaster.
You can and must make a recovery. Pick yourself up or have someone give
you a hand up. Clean out the old and start preparing for the new—for the
better. Have confidence in your solid foundation. You made it through
law school, so you know you have the grit to overcome and achieve. Start
rebuilding quickly and be ready to take on other obstacles. I can almost
guarantee there will be other setbacks but know you are well-equipped to
overcome and move to the next level. Moving forward with a positive
attitude through all adversity makes a huge difference in your
outcome.
Your campaign focused on a “member-centric”
theme. What areas will you focus on this year as State Bar
president?
While I have several projects to improve member
benefits, let me talk about five. First, we will continue to focus on
developing a workable statewide courthouse access badge that puts
courthouse safety at the forefront, while easing the burden on qualified
lawyers. Second, I hope to connect lawyers looking for contract legal
work with lawyers who need contract help. This free program is in the
works and will hopefully be available this year. Third, I have asked one
committee to look at a uniform parental leave continuance rule that will
apply to new parents and parents-to-be who are adopting or giving birth.
They have a recommendation ready to go. Fourth, we still need help in
the e-filing arena. Our goal should be complete e-filing consistency in
all 254 counties, but I routinely hear complaints all around the state
(and all around my own office). I have learned it is a complicated
problem that requires a complicated solution. There is a committee
working on this, but e-filing consistency cannot come soon enough for
those of us who use the system. Fifth, I wanted to increase the staffing
at the State Bar Ethics Helpline. The staff at the State Bar has put
this in place and our lawyers should see more prompt responses.
Abraham Watkins is one of the oldest plaintiff’s firms
in Texas. What significant changes have you made to the firm as its
managing partner?
The most obvious outward change is the makeup of the firm. When I
joined the firm, it consisted of all white males. Today, we have seven
male and seven female attorneys, each with their own unique background.
With this diversity effort, we have achieved record profits the past
couple of years. Diversity is good for all types of reasons.
What recommendations do you have for law students and young
lawyers?
Work hard, be persistent, and don’t get
discouraged. In law school, I made mostly A’s, scoring the top grade in
several classes. But in Torts I, I made a D. I was stunned and in
disbelief for a few days. But I quickly realized I needed to move on to
something productive—something that would advance my future. I set my
mind to graduate in the top five of my class, increased my studying
effort, and achieved that goal. Today, I practice tort law, make CLE
presentations on tort topics, and have written several articles in the
tort field. Don’t get discouraged by a setback. Many underestimate their
own resiliency. Believe in yourself and eliminate self-doubt and
insecurity from your mind. We are equipped to prevail in life. Set your
mind to it and get it done.
What have you found to
be most rewarding about being a lawyer?
I went to law
school to help people, and my practice allows me to do this every day.
As a plaintiff’s lawyer, I help those who believe they have been
wrongfully treated or wrongfully injured, and I also help families who
have lost loved ones under tragic circumstances. I consider it an honor
when a client entrusts her or his case to me. There is one other thing
that has made a difference. The success from law practice has also
allowed me to establish the Randall O. Sorrels Legal Clinics at South
Texas College of Law Houston. These clinics help people who have legal
needs but often cannot afford a lawyer to meet those needs. The clinics
will hopefully help people long after I am not around.TBJ
