One Singular Inspiration

I love reading about the good deeds of solo attorneys, both because it reflects well on our profession and inspires me to do better.  Here’s another case of a “lone lawyer” doing good, Park Slope attorney, Theo Davis, who’s the subject of this article, Keeping Faith in Troubled Times.  The piece reports on Davis’ plans to raise funds for the Make-a-Wish Foundation:

[…]in the predawn hours this Saturday [Davis] will be ferried to the eastern tip of Fire Island at the Moriches Inlet, where he will paddle an inflatable dinghy to shore in the first rumor of dawn.

Then, to raise money for a great charity called Make-a-Wish Foundation of Metro New York, Davis will take a 33-mile hike along the surf of Fire Island all the way to the western tip of Democrat Point. Davis has made this same trek for the past four years, raising more than $20,000 in pledges for Make-a-Wish of Metro New York. Most of his sponsors pledge a buck a mile, some $3, some $5. Some people lay out a flat $500[…]

“I first decided to do this because some friends of mine had a baby born prematurely,” Davis said. “The baby survived. Had a short, happy little life. Could grip your finger and smile. And then suddenly died at 6 months old. It was devastating. I thought how unfair it was for a kid to be sick. Any kid. Adults, most of us bring our ailments and problems upon ourselves. Kids don’t deserve to be sick or hurt.”

Davis has a lone law practice in Park Slope, where he specializes in
securities arbitration, real estate and the political asylum aspect of
immigration law. “I’ve done okay for myself,” he said. “But five years
ago, I reached that age where I thought I needed to give something back
to society through charity. So I conceived this walk. I chose Fire
Island because I grew up on Long Island, spent summers in Fire Island,
worked on the ferries. Love the place.”

Just as in his law practice, in his charity work Davis
wanted to hang a personal shingle. He did some research into charities.
“I wanted it to benefit kids,” Davis said. “I learned that with some
charities only half or less of your money actually reaches the needy. I
didn’t want to walk to help buy some CEO a new Benz. What impressed me
about Make-a-Wish was that about 87 cents on the dollar goes to the
sick kids.

Sometimes, in the middle of the struggle to build a practice, it’s easy
to lose forget that someday most of us really will reach a point where
like Davis, we’ll be in a position to give back as well.  Let’s not
forget to do that when we finally arrive.

4 Comments

  1. John Dejean on January 26, 2006 at 1:38 pm

    I am the person your article is about. you have obviously been greatly misinformed. I did not advise Tim Scoggins as you have stated in your article. This is the truth of what really happened, and i hope you will reprint the article after checking my facts.
    I met tim scoggins several years ago and i referred him to attorney andy Konradi who handled a case he had in Rockwall texas. tim has always known that I was not an attorney. tim was contacted by Detective Ned of the Dallas Police Dept. Homicide Unit (214) 671-3671, who informed him that he knew everything that happened on the night in question and he wanted to talk to him . tim asked me to come with him as a friend. I went, and I told the detective I was not an attorney, and that i was there as a friend. The police talked to Tim, and it was Tim that made the decision to tell them everything. Tim is now awaiting the trial of the guy he told on, and he has received a deal from the State in exchange for his testimony. tim’s ffather is a bold faced liar, and tried to use me as a scapegoat when he thought his son was really going down. Please check the facts before you decide to print such a scandolous article concerning me. I hope that you will check with the Detective to find out that what I have said herein is true.



  2. John Dejean on January 26, 2006 at 1:38 pm

    I am the person your article is about. you have obviously been greatly misinformed. I did not advise Tim Scoggins as you have stated in your article. This is the truth of what really happened, and i hope you will reprint the article after checking my facts.
    I met tim scoggins several years ago and i referred him to attorney andy Konradi who handled a case he had in Rockwall texas. tim has always known that I was not an attorney. tim was contacted by Detective Ned of the Dallas Police Dept. Homicide Unit (214) 671-3671, who informed him that he knew everything that happened on the night in question and he wanted to talk to him . tim asked me to come with him as a friend. I went, and I told the detective I was not an attorney, and that i was there as a friend. The police talked to Tim, and it was Tim that made the decision to tell them everything. Tim is now awaiting the trial of the guy he told on, and he has received a deal from the State in exchange for his testimony. tim’s ffather is a bold faced liar, and tried to use me as a scapegoat when he thought his son was really going down. Please check the facts before you decide to print such a scandolous article concerning me. I hope that you will check with the Detective to find out that what I have said herein is true.



  3. Mike Cordes on June 18, 2006 at 9:16 pm

    I am sorry you chose to use the Internet to hurt Mr Konradi. I was a frequent visitor to his home in Dallas from 1973 to 1974, and met him a few times. Fire Island New York is bohemian, and no place for children or single adults.



  4. Mike Cordes on June 18, 2006 at 9:16 pm

    I am sorry you chose to use the Internet to hurt Mr Konradi. I was a frequent visitor to his home in Dallas from 1973 to 1974, and met him a few times. Fire Island New York is bohemian, and no place for children or single adults.



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