Since I graduated from the University of Michigan law School in 1972, I have provided legal advice to clients while working in three law firms, two oil companies and one bank in Washington, D.C., Houston, Los Angeles and Franklin, TN.
In 1993, I decided to quit the big city rat race and moved with my wife, Barbara, and our dogs, Duke and Sheba, from Los Angeles to Franklin, where I spent four years chasing the neon rainbow as a songwriter.
After very, very limited success as a songwriter, I realized that I would need a real job in order to buy food and pay the mortgage. I took the Tennessee Bar exam in 1997 and have represented clients in Williamson County ever since.
Today, I’m still extremely happily married to Barbara and have a shelter dog named Hank, in honor of Hank Williams.
I love living in this area and appreciate the beauty and dynamic spirit in Middle Tennessee.
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University of Notre Dame, B.A., English
University of Michigan School of Law, J.D.
Past President, Williamson County Bar Association
Founding Director, Happy Tales Humane, Franklin, TN
How I Do Business
Contracts
I’ll admit it, I really like to write, review and revise contracts – the more complicated the better. Perhaps it’s because I majored in English in college, or perhaps because contracts are involved in almost every aspect of business, estate planning and non-legal matters.
A better word for “contract” is “agreement.” From an LLC operating agreement to a lease agreement to a trust agreement to a music co-publishing agreement, the goal of the parties is to cooperate to reach a win-win outcome.
Fair and Reasonable
My goal in negotiating an agreement has always been to try to be fair and reasonable, instead of taking an extreme position and then spending time and money to negotiate down to fair and reasonable. If the other guy is not willing to agree to be fair and reasonable, my client will have to think twice about doing the deal.
A First Meeting
In estate planning, my goal is to find out what the client wants to do, and then suggest ways to accomplish that. In a typical first meeting to discuss a will or a trust or a combination, I ask questions to help the clients consider issues they might not have thought of and might be critical to their plans.
Ownership of Property
One important consideration in real estate ownership and estate planning is how property ownership should be titled. Title to real estate will determine who has the right to lease, sell or develop the land. In estate planning, assets such as residences and investment accounts can be held by owners with rights of survivorship, and bypass the need for probate entirely.
Testimonials
“Paul, I just wanted you to know how much I, and my company, Polymer Technology & Services, LLC have enjoyed working with you over the past 15+ years. I find you to be very responsive, efficient, and most importantly to a small business like PTS, you offer practical solutions to a wide variety of issues and questions.”
Tom Hooper, President
Polymer Technology & Services, LLC
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“As a real estate developer and broker, I have worked with Paul Nowak for more than15 years. I have been most impressed with Paul’s ability to represent and protect his clients, and at the same time make the legal transactions come to a successful conclusion. One of the outstanding traits of Paul is that he has always completed work assignments in a very timely manner. I cannot say this about other attorneys I have engaged.”
Fred M. Stevenhagen
Developer, Broker and Owner
United States Equities Corporation
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“Thank you for all of your hard work over the years. Working with you has been a joy and we look forward to continuing to do so. It is hard to find an attorney like you who works with small businesses without running up a high bill. You have proven to be a useful advocate for our business and give helpful insight whenever it’s needed. In addition to being an excellent attorney, you are a respectful, easy person to talk to. With your hard work, friendly personality and extensive knowledge, you set the bar high for attorneys everywhere.”
Cherylann Stephens
Owner/Director
Amax Talent Agency, LLC
