Attorney Paul Kenney was a storyteller in the Irish tradition, and there was never any shortage of stories or sayings. Among his favorite mantras were: “sit light in the saddle”; “don’t let the bastards get you down”; “a full cup of justice”; and my personal favorite, his view, as a plaintiffs’ lawyer of the defense approach to joint and several liability and indemnity, “if you have to eat a shit sandwich, find a way to share it.” Each one of his mantras came with an origin story. And one of his favorites was about, of all things, harvesting melons.
For years, Paul would say that our firm “harvests distant melons.” I had no idea what he meant. About four years ago, I finally asked. He explained that a “near-melon” is one you can pick right off the vine on your back porch. It’s easy. Immediate. A melon in your kitchen within moments.
A “distant melon” on the other hand, is one you have to work for. You step off the porch, walk down the stairs, head into the garden, and search for it. It takes time, judgment, and skill.
Paul instilled in his mentees, myself included, the idea that we did not become lawyers just to harvest near -melons. Near-melons are fine. They’re always going to get picked, but they don’t sharpen your harvesting skills.
“Any kumquat can pick a near-melon.
Harvesting a top-flight distant-melon takes craft.
It's how you make your bones.”
Don’t misunderstand me. We love near-melons, and we take them when they present themselves. But Paul’s mission—in fact, the mission of our law firm—has always been bigger than that: to help deserving people find justice, regardless of background, complexity, or cost. To fight for a full cup of justice.
These stories and sayings are small ways to commemorate the legacy of Attorney Paul Kenney and the lesson he left us: Go into the garden, do the hard work, and harvest the distant melons.
Keep the Faith.
#personalinjury #storytelling #objectlesson #nearmelons #distantmelons #quicksettlement #deservingpeople #justice