Attaway honored for 50 years practicing as a Texas attorney

Posted 8/22/19

A local attorney was honored for his 50 year milestone of practicing law in Texas at last week’s Quitman City Council meeting.

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Attaway honored for 50 years practicing as a Texas attorney

Posted

By ZAK WELLERMAN

news@woodcountymonitor.com

A local attorney was honored for his 50 year milestone of practicing law in Texas at last week’s Quitman City Council meeting.

Mayor Randy Dunn and the council declared Aug. 15 James A. Attaway, Jr. Day in recognition of Jim Attaway’s years of service.

He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division and was also deployed to Okinawa, Japan with the 503rd Infantry Regiment.

Attaway became a practicing attorney in April 1969. He attended Arlington State University (now UT Arlington) and Baylor Law School. Attaway and his family moved to Quitman in 1981.

Attaway expressed gratitude to his friends, family, paralegals and fellow church members.

“I’m impressed folks. If you look back over this time of half a century and you appreciate certain folks that got you from that point to this point,” he said.

He also recognized the time he spent away from his wife, Sally, and family as a lawyer.

“I also remember at times like this: family. Being a trial lawyer takes a lot of time and a lot of time away from home,” he said. “My Sally is an amazing woman. Can you imagine being married to a lawyer for 50 years?”

He served as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) officer in the Texas National Guard and was appointed as a military judge.

Attaway served on the Mesquite City Council for multiple terms and served one term as an alderman in Quitman.

“In my work, I dealt with government at all levels, local, state and national. Here in the city council chambers, we’re the city government of this city and what you do is very important here. It impacts citizens in this city more so than state or federal regulations,” Attaway said. “It has a direct impact.”

He was a three-term president of the Wood County Bar Association.