Part 2
"To me, a lawyer is basically the person that knows the rules of the country. We're all throwing the dice, playing the game, moving our pieces around the board, but if there is a problem the lawyer is the only person who has read the inside of the top of the box."
---Jerry Seinfeld
In 1982 Wayne Kuhn moved his growing law practice across the street, hanging out his shingle at 916 Pearl Street where he did primarily real estate, business transactions, and succession work. His wife Sarah and her father Walter Kennedy remodeled the office, transforming it into the perfect law office.
It wasn't until 1995 that they relocated to the large, attractive office at the corner of Main and Pearl. While Gary Newman did the construction, Ms. Sarah was responsible for the design of the building and the interior.
There, Mr. Wayne practiced law until his retirement on January 1 of this year. An Assistant District Attorney, Wayne became well known for his government work, serving as the Washington Parish School Board attorney for thirty-eight years - a role tied to politics and a rare tenure indeed. He also served as the Washington Parish Government attorney for seventeen years and was the attorney for the Washington Parish Clerk of Court for twenty-two years. An incredible run.
An expert in dealing with political tension, Wayne was the man for the job, handling and resolving stressful situations. He reflected, "It was enjoyable but challenging." And humble to a fault, he refused the credit, always acknowledging the role of others in his own success.
With the addition of able attorney Matt Garver -- my bridge partner Pat Berthelot's son-in-law -- who took over the office six years ago in 2019, the firm became Kuhn Garver with Mr. Wayne of counsel, consulting as needed since his retirement at the beginning of the year. Matt is married to Dr. Ashley Berthelot, the beautiful daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Libeau Berthelot.
Interestingly, except for his education era and a military stint, Wayne Kuhn was never more than four or five blocks away from the Washington Parish Courthouse --- either residing or practicing law in close proximity. He confirmed, "Except for education and Army, I have been within a few blocks of the courthouse my entire life." Suitably so, for a distinguished Southern lawyer who flourished in his hometown of Franklinton.
I have the distinct impression that the well-known local attorney left no stone unturned during his lengthy legal career.
And from our conversation, that would include cow pats --- something central, and unsavory, to one of Wayne's early cases in his career. As I understood it, his client was a dairy farmer whose cows crossed over a local road, leaving cow pats in their wake. Lawyer John Gallaspy represented a police juryman whose land was just past the stereotypical concrete-block dairy barn situated near the road to give the milk trucks easy access. With the police juryman forced to drive through the cow manure enroute to his property, litigation ensued in what was then a dairy-rich parish. The courtroom was naturally chockablock with dairy farmers.
Mr. Wayne took the opportunity during this mesmerizing, malodorous account to pay tribute to his fellow jurist John Gallaspy, "I had the highest respect for John, the last of the country gentleman lawyers. He's very humble, too."
Mr. Wayne went on to quote his famous former law professor George Pugh who once said that he pitied the lawyer who goes up against John Gallaspy. True to form, Mr. John had photographs, which his client had taken through a wet windshield, of the cow manure. It is true what they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Mr. Wayne admitted, "The pictures even smelled bad."
Yet Judge Clayton James ruled in favor of the dairyman, and the Court of Appeals upheld the verdict. Refusing to toot his own horn, Mr. Wayne chalked the ruling up to economics. The people of this parish were dependent on the dairies. Regardless, it was Wayne's win.
But he routinely gives the credit to others. Mr. Wayne paid tribute to his long-time employees including but not limited to Kitty Gilbert Simmons, Wanda Boquet, Donna Morgan Varnado, Terry Morgan, and Richelle Luper. The latter two ladies, Terry and Richelle, worked with Mr. Wayne for twenty-five years and fifteen years, respectively. Another lady, outside of his office, that he recognized was Evelyn Knight, who was of great assistance to him, in the Civil Department. As he said, "You learn a lot from the ladies at the courthouse."
Those were the days when we all went to the courthouse and examined the land records. Once upon a time, I was in that number. But I didn't have the exhilarating experience that both Wayne and John Gallaspy did --- both were locked up at night in the Washington Parish Courthouse. While both had the presence of mind to check the courthouse kitchen for sustenance, only Mr. John wrote his last will and testament while he was confined. No surprise, there. Mr. Wayne, who was accidentally locked in the basement on a Friday night, called Evelyn Knight who reliably as always came to the courthouse, unlocking the door so he could go home for the weekend.
I can say with certitude that his lovely family was waiting - his wife Sarah who worked as a school psychologist in Washington and Tangipahoa Parishes and their young children Chris, Laura, and Lisa.
Today, Chris, who is the eldest, works as an Epic analyst for the Baton Rouge Clinic. Laura Neil, following in the footsteps of her mother, works as a school psychologist, and fluent in Spanish, she works with students for whom English is a second language. She and husband Brad Neil have children Charli and Brooks. Lisa James, with a doctorate in applied mathematics, is a Professor and Assistant Dean at Southeastern Louisiana University. She and husband Clay James have children Marlee and Mila. These are the four grandchildren, ranging in age from five to ten, on whom Wayne and Sarah Kuhn dote.
•Stay tuned for next week's column as we accompany Wayne Kuhn to the Washington Parish Fair.
