Kent Halkett ’81 Finds Mentoring a Rewarding Retirement Job Much of Kent Halkett’s 40-plus year career has been well-documented in legal publications. A staunch advocate for mental health in the legal profession, Halkett has used his story as a fast-rising BigLaw partner whose career was altered by recurring bouts with clinical depression to push for more mental health support, resources, and education for law students and attorneys. After wrapping up another phase in his compelling and impactful career, a new chapter in the story of Kent Halkett needs to be written. From 2018 until earlier this year, the former trial lawyer worked with VLS students at the Shade Tree Clinic, where Vanderbilt Medical School students provide free care to uninsured patients. Under a Medical Legal Partnership established in 2011, teams of law students provide legal needs assessments and referral services to clinic patients, offering thorough, high-quality help to Nashville’s disadvantaged individuals while developing a generation of excellent and socially minded practitioners.
2017, the semi-retired attorney inquired with the Career Services team about opportunities in the area. They connected Halkett to Spring Miller, then Associate Dean for Public Interest and a board member of the Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services. Miller needed attorney volunteers, and Halkett was seeking a chance to practice his craft on a part-time basis. He joined TALS as a Senior Help Line attorney, offering legal advice to seniors over the phone on issues ranging from medical care to housing and insurance. Miller and Emily Sachs ’20 recruited him to Shade Tree a year later.
interviews with non-English speaking clients, volunteers employ a Language Line and on-site interpreters. Halkett believes that Shade Tree offers a unique opportunity for law students to develop critical professional skills. “The clinic helps students realize the power of a ‘can do’ attitude,” he said. “The real practice of law isn’t clear-cut. It’s often messy. Interacting with real people with real problems isn’t linear. It’s fun to see students realize that and learn how to get the full picture.” It is estimated that the Shade Tree legal team helped over 300 clients from 2018 to
The clinic helps students realize the power of a ‘can do’ attitude. Kent Halkett
In the early years of the Shade Tree MLP, interactions between law student volunteers and clients were limited. Without the presence of a licensed attorney, volunteers could do little more than distribute a questionnaire and refer clients to available legal services and related materials. Halkett’s arrival in 2018 immediately elevated those interactions; he could provide legal advice, guide detailed interviews, and facilitate a more impactful learning experience for law students. “It was a great idea for everyone involved,” Halkett said. “Even the med students could see the positive benefits provided by attorneys.” Halkett’s journey to Shade Tree is a testament to the strength of the VLS community. After moving back to Nashville in 26
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Halkett’s impact on the clinic goes beyond client interviews. He worked with Sachs to organize training sessions that helped students prepare for the range of issues they might uncover, from landlord/tenant disputes to child custody, divorce, medical bills and more. Halkett and his wife Kim hosted annual Sunday brunches at their home where students and professors such as Susan Kay ’79 could rub elbows outside the classroom. Now in its second decade, the Shade Tree MLP is a fixture among the experiential learning opportunities at VLS, rising above challenges both existential and specific to the work. When COVID eliminated in-person consultations, Shade Tree switched to the phones for almost two years. To conduct
2023. Roughly 50 law students worked in the clinic during Halkett’s tenure. When he reflects on his time with the clinic, the interactions with students stand out. " I got to see them develop new skills quickly, and I got to know them as individuals. In the downtime, I shared war stories, and they talked about their projects, arguments for moot court, job interviews and so on,” he said. He remains in touch with graduates he mentored, who keep him apprised of developments in their careers and lives. “Seeing them develop as young professionals and people has been the most rewarding part of the journey for me,” he said.