We were lucky to catch up with Ken Thaxton recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ken, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

My law firm specializes in underserved communities, particularly people who have experienced possible violations of federal employment law, such as those relating to disability and race discrimination. One client of ours in particular had taken his case to more than FIVE other attorneys before finding us, none of which would agree to help him. After working diligently on his case now for more than a year, not only have we succeeded at obtaining a significant settlement offer, we are also giving him the option of taking his case to trial. Because Federal Employment law and litigation is (i) very complex; (ii) filled with difficult and dangerous short deadlines; (iii) anything but certain when it comes to possible outcomes; and (iv) often quite antagonistic, there are few attorneys who are willing to take these cases on a contingency (where the client pays only if they win the case). Our goal is to make sure that people who have been the victim of Federal Employment Law violations or discrimination are able to find competent legal representation who will fight for them and their day in court, as we have been able to provide for the above-referenced client.

Ken, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My entry into the legal field started with a financial catastrophe: the havoc reaped upon my family’s businesses by the 2008 financial crisis. I could see the writing on the wall: that our businesses would ultimately fail, or at the very least not be able to support me, and so I chose to apply to and attend law school. Having been the liaison between our businesses and our various lawyers for different issues over the years, I felt that I had the temperament to help others with legal woes.

Now, I help (i) injured workers; (ii) victims of negligence; (iii) victims of Federal Employment Law violations like sexual orientation and race discrimination; (iv) uninsured business owners; and (v) certain class action plaintiffs, like over 200 individuals whose apartment building was burned down recently.

What sets our firm apart from others is that we are not looking for the easy, slam dunk win. We’re looking for the client WHO DESERVES to win, and then we figure out how to win for THEM.

What people should know about us is that we’re going to (i) tell them the truth – as we can best see it – about their case, and if we all choose to work together, we’re going to (ii) fight like Hell for them.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

You work for one client at a time. You don’t “multi-task,” you “single-client,” because you can only do one thing at a time. Maybe you work on ten cases in a day, but it’s done one at a time, putting your all into EACH. When you put your all into EACH case, and you obtain an unexpectedly good result for EACH case, then the clients want to send you more business, and they do.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I helped people that others refused to help. I helped others that people said weren’t financially viable to help. I helped people who others said couldn’t be helped. Now, those people that didn’t help my former clients, call me to help them with theirs.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.deanthaxton.com

Image Credits
Ken Thaxton, Mirza Muftic