Off To Law School

On Monday, August 1, 2016, Chad Kimbrough started law school. Chad, the son of Kim Kimbrough and a familiar face to Kimbrough Law clients, plans to earn his degree then return to the firm in the near future to practice elder law alongside his father. How does a part-time job during a young adult’s gap year turn into a calling? Chad Kimbrough explains.

It all started when Chad began working at the firm as a VA case manager, one of just three employees at Kimbrough Law at the time. He did intake calls with veterans and their spouses, gathered information to prepare their claims, set up appointments, and walked them through the VA application from beginning to end.

Working at the firm was never intended to be permanent. After finishing college, Chad had planned to take a year off, work at Kimbrough Law on an interim basis, and then go to graduate school to pursue an MBA. Chad had toyed with the idea of going to law school but his father had talked him out of it. “Everything changed once I was exposed to the work Dad was doing at the firm,” said Chad. “Until then, I had no idea what he was doing and how much of an impact it had on peoples’ lives.”

Chad started participating in client meetings with Kim, watching closely how his father interacted with each family. He was amazed at how so many people, consumed with worry at the beginning of their initial consultations, could be so relaxed after just one hour with Kim. It was incredibly powerful and Chad found himself wanting to be a part of it. One day, as Kim and Chad were walking out of a client meeting, Chad knew without a doubt that he wanted a career as an attorney—an elder law attorney. “I turned to Dad and said ‘I don’t care what you say, I’m going to law school,’” Chad remembers. Though Kim put up some initial resistance, about a week later, he came around.

Now, Chad is a first-year law student at the University of Georgia School of Law. “The initial year of law school is more than a full-time job so I won’t be working at the firm this year,” Chad said. “But I’m planning to work part-time at Kimbrough Law during my second and third year of law school.” After graduating and passing the Georgia bar exam, Chad could be a practicing attorney at Kimbrough Law by fall 2019.

For Chad, the pursuit of a law degree and the desire to return to work in the firm his father built is a matter of honor. “I’m so passionate about this work we do at Kimbrough Law,” said Chad. “I want to honor my father’s legacy by continuing the work he started. I see it as a great privilege.”