Today we’d like to introduce you to Harry Laughlin.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in Memphis on 1526 Massey Rd in a 100-year-old farmhouse on 4 acres. My life was partly rural, being between Memphis and Germantown, and trap shooting was allowed. I could walk out our back gate and be at a pond within sight. I could fish or hunt. At around 13 years of age, my Dad gave me a Tarzan book, written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan little resembled the movies. After reading 24 Tarzan books, I still aspire to be the noble savage that he was. My Dad was a very successful lawyer, formerly a Probate Judge. He wrote questions for the Tennessee Bar Exam. My Grandfather, a Fourth Circuit Judge for 37 years, died when I was 4. He was a Fourth Circuit Judge for 37 years. With my Dad’s success came privileges, like Memphis University School, and success was a must, not a should. This applied to sports as well, and I was a member of the first unbeaten, untied senior football team at MUS. I was a member of its all-state defense. My Dad was also on the University of Tennessee Board of Directors. Naturally, I attended UT, and I got to go fishing with Dr. Andy Holt, President of UT. At that time, the war in Vietnam cast a pall over everything. However, I did well in school and entered law school. It was a struggle, but eventually the “Laughlin determination” prevailed. My brother, Felix, 8 years older, finished law school, and with his encouragement, I obtained a job as an attorney in the IRS National Office in DC in the elite Interpretative Division, where we answered novel and controversial issues of National importance. 5 years later, I returned to Memphis to have my first child. Since then, 40+ years have flown by as a tax and estate attorney. Financial need drove me to work for small business clients. their drive and desire for knowledge inspired me. I became more of a teacher than their lawyer. Along the way, I acquired some skill with Excel programming and created a software program Prep_to_Plan, which allows me to teach clients how to minimize their tax liability. Estate planning with trusts gave me the same satisfaction. My daughter discovered Tony Robbins and “forced” me to attend one of Robbins’ events. Today I have over 200 hours in his events. He is probably the greatest influence and teacher of the skills, determination, and drive that make me up. At 75 years, you can still see a little of the Tarzan in me. Friends still wonder how I stay in shape.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When pursuing excellence, by definition I am challenged. The attorneys in the IRS in DC were the best of the best. I attended the MLT program at Georgetown University, and I remember one lawyer who had a nervous breakdown trying to answer the question she was assigned. My parents were very supportive. I suppose I had an unusual ambition as well. My Dad taught me to appreciate others. The Tony Robbins Date with Destiny tested all of us and some of the testing revealed that I am a “connector” I have turned down some positions because they did not offer me the chance to work with clients.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Early in life I learned that I am a jack of all trades, except I am a master of some. I am left/right brained, ambidextrous and I like all of my mother’s children am artistic. Wood carving has been a passion for many years and I have wone awards. My carvings are in demand by WKNO, and other charities. For many years, I carved miniature carvings, inspired by Japanese “netsuke.” These days, I prefer hand carved canes and walking sticks.
At age 60, I took up piano, my first and only musical instrument. With 15 years of learning, I confess I have a great passion for piano. I play all styles and practice almost every day.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
It seems that society is becoming more contentious. In one of my jobs, as General Counsel for a software company, I negotiated multimillion contracts. with our customers which were the largest banks like the Federal Reserve, Wells Fargo, Citi and IBM. My negotiating style is modeled after Stephen Covey’s win-win contracts. I believe that my skills in that area will become even more important, to bring people together.
Pricing:
- I price my work primarily based on roughly $350.
- I may charge more if my task adds more value as the resuld of sophisticate provisions that took a long time to perfect.
- My skills work in some cases to work swiftly and enhance the value of my work, such as my tax software which can often save $1000 of tax savings very quickly
Contact Info:
- Website: 901bizlaw.com and wislaughlin.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wis.laughlin/
