This “Lawyer Up” podcast interview is with attorney Brad Botes founding partner of the law firm of Bond & Botes, PC with offices all over Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Currently, he is the remaining founding member of the firm (Mark Bond retired in 2006). Brad has extensive responsibilities. Not only does he practice law, he also oversees the firm’s operations at many locations in three states.
Ron met Brad in Chicago before moving to Alabama.
“Brad and I have been great friends for a long time. We are both from Chicago. In fact, that is how I got to know him. Brad is a really great guy with an unbelievable capacity for work… legal work… charitable work… wearing a Fitbit (a device that tracks activity) he is pretty consistently at 25,000 steps daily, which is astounding.”
Brad moved to Alabama in 1979 as did Ron. Ron reflects on growing up in Chicago in the suburb La Grange and speaks about his fond memories. Brad graduated from Lions Township High School in La Grange in 1978. Brad and Ron reminisce about playing high school sports and memories of the Cubs team playing afternoon games at Wrigley Field because there were no lights at the baseball field.
Brad talks about his first trip to Alabama. He drove down from Chicago with a friend because he knew a pretty girl that lived in Jasper, Alabama. His hair was very long and in an afro style. He wore jeans, a t-shirt, and boots. He was really out of place in Jasper, because most of the young men in Jasper at that time had short hair and wore button-down shirts with khaki pants. They had little respect for Brad’s hippie, rock and roll style.
The girls they met in Jasper talked Brad and his friend into staying and going to school at the University of North Alabama. Brad never dreamt he was going to be in Alabama for more than a college semester. He met his wife Kay at that school. Brad cut his hair and cleaned up his look. He went on to be the university’s student president for two years as a junior and a senior. They reminisce about the high price of telephone calls, collect calls, and trying to get to use a Watt’s line that was a free call someone else paid for. They talk about how much technology changed since that time.
During these years, Brad’s interests changed and he got into law school. After graduating law school Brad passed the bar and then got an internship at a Federal Court as a court clerk. Brad gives some tips for today’s law students.
Brad met the other founder of Bond and Botes, Mark Bond, because Brad rented a room from Mark’s mother. They decided to form a law firm and started out very modestly. Now, the Bond and Botes law firm has offices in many states.
Some of the legal issues discussed include Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. They talk about the immediate relief of stopping foreclosures, wage garnishment, or a car from being repossessed. After filing the legal documents with the court for a bankruptcy, the harassing phone calls stop and the threatening letters stop. Stress goes down, marriages can be saved, and families can stay together. No one wants to file bankruptcy, but the relief is immediate upon filing bankruptcy.
Brad and Ron enjoy helping people get a fresh start.