Meet our team member, ed jesson

In our second installment of Meet Our Team Members, we are interviewing Ed Jesson. 
 
Q:  Most of our readers probably know that you and Kelly are both partners in the Jesson & Rains firm, but many of them might not know that you are originally from England. 
Ed: If they haven’t heard me talk!  (laughs) 
 
Q:  What do you miss most about England?  And what brought you here to the United States?
Ed: I miss a lot of things--family and the sheer amount of Indian food to name a couple--but I’m certainly very happy over here in the US, too. England and the US are very similar in a lot of ways.  I moved over to attend college as I didn’t really know what I wanted to do at university back home. In England, you have to pick your college major while you’re still in high school, and once you do, you’re kind of locked in. My best friend was from the US and moved back after high school in England and told me about how great US colleges are with the ability to take your time to pick a major.  I thought that was a good fit for me, and here I am!
 
Q: So have you always wanted to be a lawyer?  What did you eventually choose as your major in college? 
Ed: No, I was a sports and entertainment management major at the University of South Carolina and I wanted to work in that industry. It was after working with and getting to know the general counsel at Speedway Motorsports during an internship that my interest in the law was really piqued.
 
Q: What does your family think of your job as a lawyer? 
Ed: My family is very proud of what Kelly and I are building at Jesson & Rains (or at least that’s what they tell me). My dad was a lawyer (solicitor) back home in England. While our practices are completely different, it’s always interesting talking to him about the differences in US v. English practice.
 
Q:  Your focus in practicing law is construction litigation.  What qualities does an effective litigation lawyer have?
Ed: In litigation, I think being able to see both sides of the argument is a very valuable skill. It allows you to try and see where the other side is coming from and hopefully help the parties reach an understanding that everyone can live with.
 
Q: What are your future plans?  Where do you see the firm heading in the next couple of years?
Ed: Our firm is still relatively new.  We’re in our third year, but Kelly and I definitely are excited to continue to grow and foster good relationships with our clients and others in the local legal community.
 
Q:  What is your favorite type of food?
Ed: Indian food, hands down. The town I grew up in had a population of around 10,000 people and had at least 4 Indian restaurants when I was still living there. Indian take out is England's equivalent of Chinese takeout.

Jeffrey, Ed's Pointer

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?
Ed: I’m quite an outdoorsy person.  I train pointing dogs, and I like to hunt and fish. People generally don’t expect that from an Englishman.
 
Q: Do you have any dogs?
Ed: We have two: Jeffrey and Tramp. Jeff is a Pointer. We got him as a rescue when he was 1 and he’s really given me the pointing dog “bug”. We’re getting another pointer this fall, and I’m excited to start training a puppy. Tramp is a border terrier mix and is definitely Kelly’s baby…he doesn’t hunt but he’s fun to have around the house! (laughs)