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only the attorney and the client. But Lawyer Chappell preferred
cli ents who brought in the whole family, as many generations
as available, for initial consultations. Chappell would invite
the whole bunch into his office, and then excuse any unruly
young sters. (Chappell and W.C. Fields had the same inimical
opin ion of kids. Chappell kept a poster tacked to the back of
his office door that read, “Live long enough to be a problem to
your children.”)
After patiently advising the family on all aspects of the
case and answering everyone’s questions, he would announce
the fee with full confidence that all family resources would be
pooled to satisfy his request. Then, after collection of the fee, he
would explain to everyone the meaning of the attorney-client
re la tionship that had now been established. Chappell could
no longer ethically discuss any aspects of the client’s case with
in quisitive aunts, cousins, grandmothers, or anyone else. So,
he didn’t.
Call It Even and They’ll Come Back
Chappell tried to collect his attorney fees up front, but most of
his clients were semi-indigent, blue-collar working people. They
lived paycheck to paycheck and usually paid their bills in weekly
installments. The balance of Chappell’s clients—bootleggers,
pros ti tutes, small-time drug dealers, and con artists—depended
on the same market of small wage-earners for their illicit income.
So attorney fees were arranged pursuant to weekly installment
plans over a period of time expected to equal the likely number
of weeks the criminal case would require to be resolved.
Chappell was a master at postponing the resolution of
crim i nal cases so each client had plenty of time to pay his fees
in full, but sometimes an uncooperative judge or prosecutor
would get in the way. Nothing chapped Chappell more than
a “stupid judge” pushing him to resolve a case before he had
col lected his fee in full, but sometimes it happened.
When a case was resolved without the client having had
time to pay the entire fee, Chappell would “call it even” and forgive
any outstanding debt. He believed this gesture would keep
the client and the client’s family loyal to Lawyer Chappell. He
was right, and Chappell’s clients always remained loyal.
Chappell represented several members of a low-income
fam ily over many years. The family paid pretty well, but many
times their fees were forgiven. Then, in the late ’90s, a tragic
ac ci dent claimed the lives of several members of this family.
Of course, the survivors came to Chappell’s office for help, and
they were referred to a good plaintiff’s lawyer. The result was a
multimillion-dollar jury verdict, the second-largest verdict in
a car-train accident in Texas history.
Saturday Morning Comin’ Down
Until the late 1960s, the Lubbock County Courthouse was
open for business each Saturday until noon. Judges, lawyers,
and litigants showed up for routine uncontested matters such
as prove-up divorces and misdemeanor guilty pleas. Most law
offices opened on Saturday mornings to accommodate this
practice. When it was decided to close the courthouse on Satur
days, most Lubbock law offices decided to close shop as well.
Not Chappell. Saturdays were special, and his office was always
open on Saturday mornings. Secretaries weren’t required to
show up, but associates and law clerks were expected to hit the
of fice bright and early.
Lawyer Chappell would appear by midmorning, usually
at tired in an aging Mexican guayabera shirt. He would share a
breakfast burrito with those gathered, and then hold court in
his special way, entertaining anyone who would listen to his
eclec tic stories and memories. Clients would file in to make
their weekly payments and take a dose of Chappell’s legal advice.
Law yer buddies would come and go, and an occasional politico
might drop by to shoot the breeze.
But Saturday mornings weren’t just for fun. Especially in
the days before cell phones, Saturday was an opportunity to
take advantage of the business created by Friday night arrests.
On many occasions, the phone calls that came in on Saturday
morn ings resulted in Chappell being hired on lucrative criminal
cases.
It is not likely Chappell ever charged a client an hourly fee,
but that never kept him from working on evenings, Saturdays,
Sundays, and holidays to do whatever was necessary to represent
his clients effectively.
Lawyer Chappell’s Tiger Fund
Lawyer Chappell had a unique alternative to the modern trust
account. It was called the “Tiger Fund.” (This report is written
in the strictest confidence, with the hope it will not be reported
to anyone in authority. Besides, the statute of limitations has
run on this story, and Lawyer Chappell is long gone.)
Until the 1980s, when Lubbock’s Municipal Court gained
court-of-record status, litigation in Municipal Court often involved
a plea-bargain system known as “tradeoffs.” A serious
Mu nic i pal Court violation—like speeding really fast—by one
of Chappell’s clients (John), might require a harsh fine. But
Chap pell could use client John’s serious violation to mitigate
another client’s (Judy) less serious violation (like speeding really
fast but being Chappell’s neighbor’s daughter). In fact, John’s
trans gression might be so egregious as to forgive a few dozen
of Chappell’s neighbors’ daughters’ and sons’ really fast speed-
July/August 2008 VOICE FOR THE DEFENSE 31