C. Parker Kilgore, 39
Partner, Jones Walker LLP
C. Parker Kilgore still remembers his first oral argument when he was a new associate lawyer. He stepped into the courtroom against a seasoned attorney who had a better case. “The judge beat me up a fair bit, but I remember walking out thinking, ‘If I can make it through this, I can make it through almost anything professionally,’” he recalls. That determination still sticks with Kilgore, now a partner at Jones Walker’s Baton Rouge office. Kilgore takes on a wide variety of cases, though he generally focuses on business, commercial, energy, and oil and gas disputes. He’s currently undergoing the Council for a Better Louisiana’s Louisiana Leadership program and is a graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber Leadership Program. He’s also on the board of directors at Leadership Baton Rouge Alumni.
NAME THREE MAJOR PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
- I was appointed to represent an indigent defendant who was held in jail for over a year without the state being able to move forward on his case due to lack of funding, and we were able to obtain his release.
- I was part of the legal team that assisted a client in during the acquisition and construction of a new 141-mile gasoline and diesel pipeline which crosses Lake Pontchartrain and connects the refineries along the Mississippi with one of the main petroleum pipelines in the southeastern United States.
- I was part of the legal team that was able to obtain a successful result for a client in a construction dispute arising from Hurricane Katrina, where the other party alleged that my client was liable for over $60 million in damages.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY AFFILIATIONS AND INVOLVEMENT.
I am a current member of CABL’s Louisiana Leadership program, as well as a graduate of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s leadership program. I serve on the board of directors for Baton Rouge Leadership Alumni Association.
NAME ONE BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED YOU PROFESSIONALLY.
One of the books that made the big impression on me was John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. I still remember reading it in 10th grade.
WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
Just like half of all kids, I wanted to be a marine biologist.
WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST JOB, HOW OLD WERE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM IT?
I was a lifeguard and swim instructor at the A.C. Lewis YMCA the summer after I turned 16. The best lesson I learned is that I had a job to do, and despite my desire to goof off or play, I was there to provide a service to the YMCA members and to teach everyone how to swim.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST JOB YOU’VE EVER HAD?
In college I was part of a research program that looked at whether the amount of nutrients or the amount of predators dictated the amount of biomass in an ecosystem. One of my jobs was using a 10-foot wide “bug vacuum” to remove all of the insects from certain sections of a field.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH IN BATON ROUGE, AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DISH THERE?
Beausoleil Restaurant and Bar. Favorite dish is either the Fried Oyster Salad or the soft tacos with fried oysters.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
My greatest personal achievement is raising two great kids.
HOW DO YOU GET PUMPED UP BEFORE A BIG MEETING, PRESENTATION OR PITCH?
I get pumped by being prepared and knowing that I am ready to answer any questions that the court may throw at me.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST FULFILLING MOMENT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?
I get fulfillment when my clients get a great result and they are satisfied.
WHAT WAS YOUR PROFESSIONAL “AHA MOMENT?”
As a first-year associate, I remember being sent to the wolves in one of my first oral argument. I was up against a well-respected, seasoned attorney, who also happened to have the better facts on his side. The judge beat me up a fair bit, but I remember walking out thinking “if I can make it through this, I can make it through almost anything professionally.”
WHAT IS YOUR BEST PRODUCTIVITY HACK?
I try my best to start each day with no unread emails in my inbox.
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED THE HARD WAY?
Not to procrastinate. You can never predict what new issue is going to arise, and if you put something off thinking you have time to address it later, you just might not have the time you think.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR JOB WOULD SHOCK CUSTOMERS OR CLIENTS IF THEY KNEW ABOUT IT?
I think a number of my clients are surprised by how slowly the judicial process moves.
HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY DRESS FOR WORK—CASUAL? PROFESSIONAL? BUSINESS CASUAL? OTHER?
I dress professional when I have meetings and court, but on the days where I know that I am just going to be in the office I normally wear slacks and a sports coat.
WHAT PART OF YOUR JOB DO YOU LOVE? WHAT PART DO YOU HATE?
I love being in the courtroom and out of the office. I think that it is pretty universal that most lawyers hate having to keep track of their time.
WHAT IS THE BEST COMPLIMENT YOU’VE EVER GOTTEN FROM A COLLEAGUE OR BOSS?
I think I was most proud when a colleague complimented my professionalism.
MAC OR PC?
PC at work. Mac at home and everywhere else.
ARE YOU ACTIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? IF SO, ON WHICH PLATFORMS ARE YOU MOST ACTIVE?
I’m more of an observer of social media than an active participant. Out of all of the platforms, I am most a fan of Instagram.
HOW MANY TEXTS DO YOU SEND ON AN AVERAGE DAY? HOW MANY EMAILS?
I probably sent out less than 50 texts a day, but more than 50 emails.
HOW LOW WILL YOU ALLOW YOUR REMAINING PHONE OR COMPUTER BATTERY LIFE GET (IN %) BEFORE YOU HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK?
Once the iPhone hits red, I start to get nervous.
HOW MANY UNREAD MESSAGES ARE IN YOUR INBOX RIGHT NOW?
Three.
WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE APP AT THE MOMENT?
Uber has been life changing in Baton Rouge.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE PAST DECADE?
The ease at which you can access information and be connected to your office from anywhere.
WHAT TECHNOLOGY DO YOU WISH WAS NEVER INVENTED?
Pokemon Go and other games people play on their phones while they are driving!
WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP ON WORKDAY MORNINGS?
6:30 a.m.
BREAKFAST AT HOME? BREAKFAST ON THE GO? BREAKFAST AT YOUR DESK? NO BREAKFAST AT ALL?
Either no breakfast or some sort of energy bar on the go.
THE SAYING GOES: “BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.” SPECIFICALLY, WHAT ARE YOU “BEING” TO MAKE BATON ROUGE BETTER?
I am involved in a number of ways working to try to change the systemic lack of funding for indigent defense in Baton Rouge and Louisiana.
WHEN DID YOU REALIZE YOU WERE “GROWN UP?”
When we purchased our house.
WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU HAVE EVER TAKEN?
Honeymoon to Zihuatanejo.
FAVORITE GIFT YOU WERE GIVEN AS A CHILD?
Set of encyclopedias.
WHICH TALENT OR SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE AND WHY?
For a superpower, I wish I could fly. It would be the greatest productivity hack ever. You would never have to sit in traffic.
WHAT’S A NICKNAME YOUR FRIENDS OR FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE FOR YOU?
Luckily, I have been pretty good at avoiding nicknames.
WHAT ARE YOU SUPERSTITIOUS ABOUT?
I try not to jinx myself, but if I do say something that is jinx worthy, I knock on wood.
WHO FASCINATES YOU?
As an avid cyclist, I am fascinated by Lance Armstrong and the decisions he made, the consequences, and the public perception of him. I think it is a very interesting case study of celebrity and life in our new social media age.
FAVORITE DRINK?
An Old Fashioned.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BAND OR SONG?
I love the Old Crow Medicine Show version of Wagon Wheel, as does my 5-year-old, who can immediately identify whether or not it is the “real” version of wagon wheel or the Darius Rucker version.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
The Graduate.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE?
Paul Rudd.
WHAT SCARED YOU AS A CHILD, AND WHAT SCARES YOU NOW?
What scares me now is the total lack of cooperation and compromise in politics.
IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR 18-YEAR-OLD SELF?
I would tell 18-year-old Parker to take more literature classes and composition classes in college because writing is such an important part of what I do.
PETS?
One yellow lab named Sadie. She was actually a Christmas present for my wife before we got engaged. She wanted a yellow lab but didn’t really specify more than that, which let me pick a puppy whose grandparents were both field trial champions. I got my hunting buddy, and my wife got her running buddy.
HAVE YOU HAD ANY MEMORABLE CELEBRITY ENCOUNTERS? WHAT HAPPENED?
I had a great conversation with Morgan Freeman about golf when he was filming a movie in New Orleans and he was on his way to play.
TELL US ABOUT A MOMENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE.
One moment that has significant impact on my life is choosing to attend Hendrix College. My experiences and teachers at Hendrix have greatly shaped me as a person.
WHAT’S THE NEXT BIG PERSONAL OR CAREER CHALLENGE YOU PLAN TO TAKE ON?
I am planning to ride the length of the Natchez Trace Parkway, which is 441 miles from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, on a bicycle.
WHAT CONCERNS YOU MOST ABOUT THE FUTURE?
What appears to be the loss of all civility in politics.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE MOST HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE?
I get hope about the future every time I watch my young children and their friends play or I get to eavesdrop on their conversations with their friends.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ADVICE FOR FUTURE FORTY UNDER 40 HONOREES?
The great part of Baton Rouge is how easy this town is for one person to make a difference, so everyone should fight for what they are passionate about.
DO YOU PLAN TO BE IN THE CAPITAL REGION FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? WHY OR WHY NOT?
Yes. This is home and I am excited to see how Baton Rouge continues to grow and evolve.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST HOPE FOR BATON ROUGE?
I hope Baton Rouge can learn from the troubling year that it has had and prospers both socially and economically using recent events as a catalyst for change.
DO YOU HAVE A BUCKET LIST? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 THINGS ON IT?
I do not have a bucket list, but there are some things that I have always wanted to do and given the opportunity I would jump at the chance, such as paying golf at Pine Valley or Augusta National, or hiking the Appalachian Trail.
