About Connor

Hmm, what to say here. Bios are a tricky subject for me because I hate talking about myself but love to be self-deprecating. Perhaps those are related… When someone asks me where I am from I say something different probably every time because the answer kind of is “no where.” After being born in Pittsburgh, PA, I have had the pleasure (I meant this earnestly) of living in PA, MI, TN, GA, OH (very briefly), and back to MI, where I am now. Traverse City, MI specifically, a small resort town in NW Michigan [points to spot on hand, as a good Michigander]. No kids or wife; just a cat, Jaqen, and formerly a dog Slippers, whose obituary appears in this blog. I am a lawyer but not the kind they make fun movies or shows about. Largely, I defend people, doctors (who are admittedly people), and companies in civil suits where they are sued for personal injury. This includes medical malpractice, car crashes, construction accidents, and recently, prison healthcare; that sort of thing.

My biological father came out as a transgender woman in 2011. I mention that here 1. because Renee has been and remains very important to me and 2. It is one of a handful of defining events in my life. Like any life event, it has its pros and cons, but its important flavor/context (to the extent anything in this bio is important) for knowing who is otherwise a pretty normal 30 year old conservative, Christian guy living in a small town in the Midwest.

This blog has become a snapshot of my interests: family, movies, nature, sarcasm, and (as shown by the number of posts over four years of active use) laziness. It’s something I am trying to get better about sharing with others, but mostly its something I like doing when a topic comes to mind. I hope to do some writing that takes some research and is less off the cuff.

Straight Resume

Chattanooga Christian High School

Grove City College, BA History 2015 cum laude (Highlights included being a freshman RA, playing club rugby, member of AEX housing group, and attending college for two years (her first, my last) with my sister Erin)

University of Georgia School of Law, JD 2018 (Highlights included working for NCR corporation and a rural county Public Defender office, the birth of the Bulldogs football dynasty, and getting the drunkest I’ve ever been on Election Night 2016).

Clerk to Judge Brian Pickell, Genesee County MI Circuit Court Judge, 2018-2020.

Attorney at Hackney Odlum & Dardas (formerly Hackney Grover) from 2020 to present.

Other work experience includes working for my congressman in DC, my US Senator in Chattanooga, TN, and washing boats in middle and high school.

Grab bag info

Favorite book(s) I read in the last year: Wolfe Hall by Mantel and Say Nothing by Keefe (audio)

Favorite period of history: Medieval Europe (Civil War, close second).

Favorite hike: Delicate Arch; Arches National Park, Utah.

Favorite sports memory: Todd Frazier winning the 2015 Home Run Derby

Favorite content presentation style: Lists.

Cringy-est Law School Memory: Calling (Ms.) Dean Usha Rodrigues “sir,” in response to a cold call in 1L Contracts.

Best Athens, GA bar: Magnolia’s

Unusual collection: Minor league baseball hats