Intern Spotlight: Jackson Latty

At The Champion Firm, we’re not only dedicated to practicing the best personal injury law available in the Metro Atlanta area, but also to passing that knowledge on to the next generation of personal injury lawyers. This summer, we’re pleased to have Jackson Latty working with us at our Marietta office.

If you’re a law student or young legal professional and would like to be considered for a future internship position, please reach out to our team!

Meet Jackson

Jackson is currently a rising third-year law student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He attended undergrad at the University of Georgia, where he earned his B.B.A. in Risk Management and Insurance. His goal is to become a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer:

“I have wanted to become a plaintiff’s personal injury lawyer since the day that I applied to law school,” Jackson said. “I am now two years into law school and that desire has stayed the same.”

“During the first semester of last year, I watched as many of my friends and classmates were applying to and being accepted by insurance defense firms and transactional corporate firms. Knowing for sure that wasn’t something I was interested in, I held out hoping that the right opportunity would arise.”

“I was very fortunate to be put in touch with Darl in the spring by a mutual friend who sang very high praises of him. Darl was nice enough to take time out of his busy schedule (in fact, the day after a trial in Cherokee County) to talk to me about his story and general career advice. About a month later, Darl reached out to see if I wanted to come work for him this summer, which I was thrilled to accept.”

What’s It Like Interning With The Champion Firm?

In his role at the firm this summer, Jackson primarily works with lead attorney Darl Champion to conduct legal research and also assists with updating a legal treatise chapter focused on federal preemption in motor vehicle wrecks.

We asked Jackson what has surprised him most during his time with our team this summer, as well as what he’s learned while working here. Here’s what he said:

“One thing that has been great to learn about and see firsthand this summer is how to organically grow a law firm. I think Darl and the rest of the firm do a great job of putting The Champion Firm’s name out into the personal injury space through things like writing articles for journals, starting a podcast, remaining active on social media, and jumping at opportunities to talk to other lawyers like leading continuing legal education (CLE) modules.”

“I think one thing that I am constantly reminded of is that law students take a lot for granted,” he said. “In law school, we spend a lot of time discussing and learning about appellate court decisions that happened decades ago. What gets lost in that is the dozens of little victories that must occur before a case can ever go to trial. Further, there is generally always a “right” answer in the academic world—there is very little you can’t look up in a book. In practice, it has become clear that not every issue that may arise has that.”

When we asked Jackson what his favorite part of interning with The Champion Firm has been, he said he enjoys his interactions with the firm’s team most:

“I have enjoyed the people here the most. Every Monday morning the firm has breakfast together and every Wednesday afternoon the firm has lunch together. I think that it is the little things like that that have developed a great culture here, which makes going into work very enjoyable.”

Onward and Upward

So, what’s next for Jackson after The Champion Firm?

“I have one more year of law school, and I will be gearing up to take the Bar exam in approximately 12 months,” he told us. “After graduation, I hope to keep pursuing personal injury law in the Atlanta area.”

As far as future intern hopefuls go, Jackson advises:

“Jump at opportunities to talk to established lawyers in the area that you want to practice in. It is ultimately what landed me at The Champion Firm.”

From everyone here at The Champion Firm, thank you, Jackson, for all you have contributed to our team this summer! We can’t wait to see what you do next!