Raising The Bar: The Douglas Family

raising the bar

By Hayli Zuccola Holly Frazier Photography

Vernon Douglas’ father knew his son was destined to become a lawyer long before he did. Always nding an explanation for things or trying to talk his parents into something earned the young Vernon the nickname “Lawyer Mouth.” Little did he know, he was already headed down a path to an over 40-year career as a lawyer, county judge and circuit court judge—a lengthy, compelling profession that inspired his two sons to follow suit.

After studying journalism and political science during his undergrad years at the University of Florida, Vernon attended Stetson College of Law after which he was immediately hired back in his hometown of Lake City where he practiced general law, which covers a wide scope of cases including real estate, business and divorce. With three years of experience under his belt, he then moved across the street to the state attorney’s o ce in the courthouse to work as a prosecutor for the next two years. In 1976, Vernon was elected as the county court judge—a position he held until 1989 when he became a judge for the Third Circuit Court in Florida until he retired in 2012—passing the gavel to his eldest son, Wes. His retirement didn’t last long, as he quickly partnered with his youngest son, Patrick, who formed the personal injury law rm, Douglas & Douglas.

“I like to have that saying, one son red me and took my job and one hired me,” Vernon said.

While Vernon viewed the law to be a ful lling calling, it was never something he pushed or encouraged his kids to pursue, but instead was a choice both of his sons gravitated toward on their own terms.

“I remember going to court when I was little because I wanted to or he [Vernon] would tell me about a trial, and I would go and sit in the jury box or something…I was just always in awe of being in a courtroom,” Patrick Douglas recalled. “I just thought it was a place like none other. It was a reverent place, it was an important place, a place where everybody’s heard, but at that age, I just thought ‘wow, there’s something special about being here, something hallowed.’”

Vernon and his father, Elmer

Wes’ investiture ceremony being sworn in by his father Vernon. From left: Vernon, Wes, sister Jennifer, wife Hailey, Patrick and mother Joy

“I like to have that saying, one son red me and took my job and one hired me.”

—Vernon Douglas

Vernon and Jennifer playing violin during the Olustee Festival. Wes, Attorney Tommy Demas and Patrick

Vernon in his o ce as county judge.

Siblings, Jennifer, Wes and Patrick Vernon and his father, Elmer. Despite that early interest, Patrick did everything he could to forge his own course, not realizing until much later that practicing law was always what he was meant to do.

“That was where my heart was the whole time I was just trying to push against it to see, ‘well, that’s just what I was exposed to, it’s not what I’m meant to do necessarily.’ I was trying to push back and do something else, but my heart was always in it,” he said.

After getting his undergrad in business managment from BYU in Utah, volunteering in Argentina, obtaining his Juris Doctorate from Florida State University and then moving down south to practice law for a construction rm in Fort Lauderdale, Patrick reconsidered another early decision he made by choosing to come back home.

“Although I always had a strong pull to become a lawyer, I tried to resist it – my father and brother were lawyers, I was going to try another career path; but ultimately, it’s where my heart was. The same with returning to work in Lake City; although I worked in both Tallahassee and South Florida, working in my hometown of Lake City felt like it was in my blood and I needed to be there.”

“The locals here who have deep roots in the community – and I’m a very sentimental kind of guy, as they would just say—there’s something about the town; they would just say ‘you belong here’ and I felt that pull,” he said. “That’s ultimately why I wanted to practice in my hometown. There’s one thing getting a paycheck in another place where people don’t know you, there’s something else about feeling a part of the town, part of that kind of heart of the place.”

After returning to North Florida, Patrick formed Douglas & Carter and Vernon quickly joined the team post retirement. When co-founder Sara Carter left to become a county judge, the rm was renamed Douglas & Douglas and has continued its focus on personal injury cases, but also expanded to handling local government cases in Lake City, Jacksonville, Live Oak and throughout the third judicial circuit, under Meagan Logan’s leadership.

A newspaper clipping showing the Douglas family looking over the old home of Vernon Douglas’s great-grandfather on the Olustee Battle eld. (L-R): Jennifer Douglas, Douglas, Clarence Kirkland, Wesley Douglas and Myrtle Douglas Little eld. (Photo by Anne Knight) Vernon with his daughter Jennifer who is a respected professional in her own right and to whom Vernon credits for setting the bar high for her younger brothers.

While Patrick was originally adamant about breaking away from the Douglas legacy, his older brother, Wes, took the opposite approach.

“At his 10th birthday party, they said ‘Wes, what are you gonna do when you grow up?’ and he said ‘I want to be a circus judge like my daddy,’ and they said ‘Why’s that,’ and he said ‘Well, they don’t work hard and they make a lot of money,’” Vernon recalled with a laugh.

“When I was a kid, I would go with dad to rst appearances often and I would come and just sit in there,” Wes said.

In addition to following in similar footsteps—even as far as becoming a Circuit judge—Wes always knew he wanted to practice the profession where his roots were planted.

“I always wanted to come back home; I always liked being close to my family,” he said.

Though Vernon’s daughter, Jennifer, took and passed the LSAT exam and scored high enough to attend any law school she wanted, she opted to earn her master’s in psychology to become a licensed clinical social worker—leaving the formation of the Douglas lawyer legacy to her younger brothers.

Though law has been at the forefront of their work in the community, the Douglas men have always taken any opportunity to strengthen their hometown ties.

Apart from his previous work with the Rotary Club of Lake City, which previously recognized him as Rotary Citizen of the Year, and through the Boy Scouts, which earned him the Silver Beaver Award, Vernon Douglas also founded and produced 20 North Florida Charity Air Shows and was president of the International Council of Air Shows. These shows, which welcomed the renowned Thunderbirds on eight separate occasions, raised several million dollars for CARC-Advocates for Citizens with Disabilities throughout its twodecade run.

Vernon was also instrumental in establishing the Lake City-Columbia County Historical Museum and, through his various connections, arranged for Johnny Cash, a fellow Civil War bu , to perform during the museum’s grand opening in 1982. Pat Summerall, a Lake City native and famed television sportscaster, was also in attendance to emcee the unforgettable event. Cash returned in 1984 for a second fundraising event for the museum whoes mission is to preserve local history as well as o er guided tours, geological research, exhibits and the organization of historical reenactments.

“I remember going to court when I was little because I wanted to or he would tell me about a trial, and I would go and sit in the jury box or something…I was just always in awe of being in a courtroom.”

—Patrick Douglas

Whether it’s through their work in the eld of law or their diverse community involvement, the Douglas men have built their careers and personal character based on serving their hometown community whether it’s in the courtroom; at the o ce; through the local Rotary Club, which Wes is a present member of; serving as a Boy Scout master or in any other avenue they pursue.

“I think what matters to people is even if they’ve moved here, is that people that are committed to hometown values, committed to family values, Lake City’s still a community—in my opinion—of family values, and like Patrick said, people like to come in the o ce and look in your eye and they say, ‘okay, that guy’s got values, I share his values, he’s got community values, he’s been involved in this community, the courthouse matters to him, family matters to him and I matter to him. People matter,’ and that’s what they get in a small town,” Vernon said. ■