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You have to admire someone who can quote Heraclitus and Davy Crockett in the same set of answers. If Kitty Johnson can do that, then maybe she can teach herself anything in three hours like she believes she can. Read on to learn more about Kitty, how a friend moving away led to her career in the industry, and why she is your go-to if you need podcast recommendations.
Name: Kathryn Johnson (Please call me Kitty)
Job Title: Managing Partner
Company: Camp & Johnson PLLC
Length of time at current company: 13 years
Length of time in industry: 13 years
How did you get your start in the industry?
How does anybody get started in this industry? For me it was something along the lines of Mississippi is a small place. Here goes: My now law partner used to date the co-worker of the dad of my best friend in law school. He’d called my friend about a job first, but she wanted to move back to Kentucky where she went to college. Because she wasn’t staying in Mississippi, I was introduced with a solid personal reference and next thing ya know I’m running around to all the small claims courts in Mississippi setting up payment plans on legal collections and turning down $10 money orders on judgment accounts.
What is your career highlight so far?
Oh, so many. Winning that first summary judgment motion against the hometown attorney who thought he could bully me because I was young and he golfs with the judge. Getting my first client all by myself. Adding my name to the firm. Perhaps the most notable, though, is the compliance work I’ve done with Connect International for the past few years. It’s a great company with great people and I’m very thankful for the experience it’s granted me, the doors that it’s opened, and the relationships it’s fostered.
When or how are you most productive?
From dawn to noon I’m a beast. Coffee will extend that a bit, followed by my daily dose of DC. IYKYK.
Which industry professional do you admire most?
Way too many to name. If you’re a professional who does things right, I admire you. If you toss and turn at night worrying about whether you’re doing it right and then you get up in the morning and do it again, I admire you. If you started with less than you have now and you have what you have now because you just busted it every step of the way, please know that I admire you. This being said — special shoutout to Ken Rubin of Connect International, Bob Camp of Camp & Johnson PLLC, and John Bedard of Bedard Law Group.
What is one thing you do better than everyone else?
Roll with the punches. I love the quote “Nothing is constant but change” (generally attributed to Greek philosopher Heraclitus, though I’m glad to take partial credit for its dissemination). Not because I love change, but because it is inevitable. If we’re more aware during the good times that it may not always be so good, the hope is that we’re more likely to appreciate the present, and work to preserve it. The reverse is true as well — if times are tough, hang in there. It’ll get better.
What do you like most about this industry?
The people and relationships. Hands down. It cannot be overstated.
What is one thing you wish you could change about this industry?
The pendulum swing brought on by the partisanship. While change is inevitable (see above), the change in this industry gives me whiplash. Regulating what we do is not inherently evil any more than doing it is. It would be amazing to see reasonable regulations that still allow us to do our jobs.
If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?
I got my Bachelors in Secondary English Education, so it’s fair to assume I’d be a teacher, or maybe college professor. Alternatively, I think I’d love writing commercial jingles.
Describe a typical work day.
More days than not begin with a 5-mile run around my neighborhood where, if I’m lucky, there’s just that hint of purple in the sunrise. While I’m running I listen to a podcast (I have a list if you need suggestions) or audiobook and plan my day/life/solve all the world’s problems. I get home in time to make sure my husband didn’t accidentally pick out my kid’s clothes for the day and see them off to school. Head to the office and answer 800 questions and emails while I drink my coffee. No day after that is the same. Sometimes I have court. Sometimes I have meetings. Sometimes I yell at old man attorneys (but only if they’ve yelled at me first). Most important is that I’m looking around and thinking of what my team and I can do better tomorrow than we did today.
What is your guilty pleasure?
Mahjong and KPop Demon Hunters.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
My mother is full of quotes and clever quips that she’s shared with me since I was little. I think both our favorite is Davy Crockett’s “Be sure you’re right, then go ahead.” The thought helps me focus when the anxiety kicks in.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished “Co-Intelligence” by Ethan Mollick, and would like to thank Tim Collins for the recommendation. Before that I’d finally gotten around to finishing “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in an effort to stay forever well-rounded.
What is one fact you’d like everyone in the industry to know about you?
I have a habit of thinking I can teach myself anything if I’ve got an extra three hours. Sometimes I can and sometimes I can’t. But I’m always gonna try.
Who else would you like to see answer these questions?
Juan Carlos Montealegre
