A periodic Q & A session with a Lewis Thomason (LT) lawyer
Lewis Thomason: When did you decide to become a lawyer?
Ashley Morgan: My senior year of college, when my mother begged me to do anything but theater or radio (I was a broadcast journalism major who was Lady Macbeth in a college production). I decided to become a tax lawyer because Income Tax was the first class I took in law school that “clicked.” No one is more surprised about that than me.
Lewis Thomason: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Ashley Morgan: Winning my first Private Letter Ruling request for a very needy client. She was extremely ill, failed to rollover an IRA in time and lost $60,000 in taxes to the IRS. It was my first letter ruling request, and I fought tooth and nail. After several rounds with the IRS, I think my casual mention of the PR nightmare that would be associated with stripping a sick woman of her livelihood for failure to meet a deadline that occurred while she was close to death had something to do with it. (theater came in handy!).
Lewis Thomason: What’s the best advice you ever receives?
Ashley Morgan: “A good deal is a state of mind” – James F. Hodges, my amazing father whom I lost in 2005, used to tell me this a lot. I used to think that it was only relevant to sales. I have come around to thinking of it as a way of life.
Lewis Thomason: What is the first thing you do after work?
Ashley Morgan: Talk to my Brittany Spaniel, Tucker, tell him he’s a good boy, and ask him repeatedly if he missed his Mama today.
Lewis Thomason: What is one thing you couldn’t live without?
Ashley Morgan: Broadway. Although I am fully aware that I would not be able to survive if some apocalyptic occurrence took the world back to the 19th century. I am comfortable with my affection for and reliance on creature comforts. If the end of the world occurs, I am going out like Marilyn Monroe.
Lewis Thomason: If you had time for a new hobby or to learn a new skill, what would you choose and why?
Ashley Morgan: I would learn to make furniture by hand. My stepfather is a master craftsman and makes the most incredible things. I would love to be able to apprentice under him one day and learn to do what he does. Making something with your hands is so different from what I do on a daily basis. I think it would give my right bran some needed exercise.
Lewis Thomason: Describe your most memorable moment in a deposition or trial.
Ashley Morgan: Eric Butler and I had a witness in a Tax Court trial once who was ….interesting? I won’t waste newsletter space with the whole story, but his expense reimbursement request included a Chiropractic Adjustment” and 3 Dominoes pizzas ordered well after midnight the night before he was scheduled to testify.
Lewis Thomason: If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?
Ashley Morgan: Broadway. Next question?
Lewis Thomason: What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
Ashley Morgan: A fundamental lack of hand-eye coordination (and a broken nose during beach volley ball) led me to the conclusion that all “ball” sports were not meant for my participation. I love to watch football, and to play Settlers of Catan.
Lewis Thomason: How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Ashley Morgan: Maybe 40? I do not discriminate when it comes to shoes of all shapes, colors and heel heights.
Ashley Morgan is an associate in Lewis Thomason’s Memphis office. She is originally from Greensboro, North Carolina and has lived in Tennessee since 2010. Ms. Morgan primarily practices in federal and state taxation; corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies; estate planning and probate law; and mergers and acquisitions.