When Just a Little is More Than Enough
Thomas Little, a family law attorney in Flower Mound, has one of those last names that begs to appear in a “cutesy” headline. So, mission accomplished!
There’s nothing small about Little unless you want to consider Vann, his ten-year-old son who looks suspiciously like a clone of his dad. Not only does Little confirm the clone theory, he even refers to Vann as a “mini-me.” They share not only a physical appearance but also sports (Little coaches), a love of travel, and a sincere spirit of adventure. Sadly, they also share the loss of wife/mother, Kelsi, who fell victim to cancer when Vann was only two. For Vann, the loss of his mom is simply a fact of life since he was so young.
Little’s focus as a teenager was football. He found his way to Texas A&M, where he played football as a 12th Man on kickoffs while pulling together a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. By then, the thought of becoming an attorney fluttered through Little’s brain. But that’s all it was — a tiny flutter. He had a healthy appetite for experiencing whatever life offered, but that special vista with his “I know what I’m going to do for the rest of my life” niche hadn’t opened yet.
With a degree in hand, he enlisted in the Army Infantry and later attended Officer Candidate School to become an Armor Officer (a tank commander). He was stationed in Germany and deployed to Kosovo. That was back when he and three good buddies used one of their leaves to travel to Spain where, with no prior planning, they ran with the bulls at Pamplona.
The compadres used other three and four-day breaks to travel all over Europe searching for adventure.
After the Army, Little thought a bit more about the legal arena but, even so, he decided to study for an MBA in business, again at Texas A&M. He became a licensed project management professional, spending six years traveling the world as a consultant. That’s how a young, adventurous man from Texas happened to work in Saudi Arabia.
It was in those six years that Little discovered the fluttering thought about becoming an attorney had blossomed into a full-blown passion. He threw the brakes on everything else, pulled out his GI Bill and, enrolled at St. Mary’s University of School of Law. He married Kelsi and had Vann during law school. When Kelsi passed away, Thomas moved with his son to Lantana, where his mother, Chris Little, sister, Meredith Lowery, and brother-in-law and longtime best friend Gene Lowery were residents, with Vann’s cousins, Emma and Ellie Lowery.
Little passed the bar and began practicing at Hayes, Berry, White & Vanzant, LLP, in Denton in 2015. He hung out on his private practice shingle in 2019.
Now, what does Thomas Little bring to the table as a private practice, family law attorney?
One client used all the niceties to describe Little but added, “He can also be a shark!” He no doubt learned shark tactics in his Saudi Arabia dealings and in his other business consulting across the globe. The scuba diving, running with bulls, and celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, all taught Little to use his spirit of adventure to think outside the typical box.
As a family law attorney, Little deals with a long list of sensitive issues. Divorce. Child custody. Property division. Spousal support. Mediation. Wills. Powers of Attorney. Even adoption. All these are vital, family-related, life-changing situations. Little and paralegal, Sharron Dowdle, are acutely aware of the landmines.
“It’s critical that we use a strong moral compass that includes respect and integrity if we intend to earn the best outcome for our clients,” says Little. “That’s why everything we do must be client-focused. Almost everything we deal with is sensitive and delicate, sometimes unpleasant and emotionally charged. That’s why we’re so persistent about making every effort to take the high road.”
Respect, integrity, and client-focused attention are three of Little Family Law’s most important building blocks. You can be sure of that and, also: When the client speaks, Little listens.
