Sixty miles from Chicago, in the southwest corner of Michigan, a boy grew up in a small town called Three Oaks. Or, as he puts it, “two oaks and a stump.” It was one of those communities defined by its fields and orchards, and in which everyone knew everyone.
The boy wanted to become a lawyer, though why is unclear. His parents were educators, and the town had only one attorney, who did “everything.” But somewhere among the adventures and trials of youth, the desire to pursue the legal profession sprung up in him. He pursued his inclination, and today, he’s Bob Sauser, attorney at law.
Nestled in an accessible nook at 300 Forest Avenue on the North Shore, Sauser looks relaxed. Maybe it’s the hour – it’s early in the morning, and his staff has yet to arrive – or maybe that’s who he is. As a trial lawyer, he could be forgiven for looking tense, but there’s not a trace of anxiety on his face.
“I like trying cases,” he says, leaning back in his chair. “I like being in a position where I have to think on my feet and respond to what happens in a way that benefits my clients.”
He pauses, then adds, “And in a way that doesn’t make the judge mad.”
Sauser calls himself a “generalist,” meaning like the attorney from Three Oaks, he handles a variety of matters. He stays within the boundaries of civil litigation, however, passing up transactional and criminal work to litigate business, divorce, personal injury, workers compensation, and estate matters, among others.
Being a generalist leaves Sauser’s door open to the kinds of claims with which a seasoned attorney could fill an amusing book. “You should hear some of the crazy phone calls I get from people wanting to sue over this, that, or the other thing,” he says, shaking his head. It does not, however, mean Sauser will jump on the trial bandwagon with every client who wants to haul someone to court.
Rather, he recommends exhausting every avenue of resolution before putting a single juror in the box.
“I make every effort to tell prospective clients how expensive litigation is, and that it should not be their first resort,” he says. “We live in a society in which everything that happens to someone is someone else’s fault, and when something goes wrong, the first thing people do is call a lawyer. But there are many ways for people to get to where they want to be that might not involve filing a lawsuit.”
Sauser says most of his potential clients take his advice. If he then becomes their attorney, they have a skilled, passionate advocate on their side.
“I want my clients to be happy, but sometimes, there’s no way either side will walk away pleased,” he says. “Sometimes, the best result is when both sides walk away mutually dissatisfied, which means you met in the middle. You gave a little more than you wanted to give, and you took a little less than you wanted to take.”
While law clients naturally desire black and white results, Sauser thinks like a lawyer, and therefore recognizes the resolution of a matter might involve a shade of grey.
He learned this at the University of Michigan, where he studied philosophy as an undergraduate. He says it was the best major he could have chosen.
“High school and college are mostly about coming up with the right answer. But philosophy is about dealing with questions that don’t have good answers, or questions that have multiple answers, and you have to figure out which one you think is the most right and support it. So the study of philosophy is similar to the first year of law school, which is an exercise in reorienting your thinking.”
When the time for law school arrived, Sauser applied to Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich., and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Both accepted him. He chose UT because he wanted to experience some of the world outside of Michigan. He calls UT “a great law school,” even though he didn’t enjoy his three years of study.
“There was a lot of book learning, but almost no instruction in the practicalities of practicing law. As a lawyer, you represent the interests of other people in serious matters. Law schools in general don’t do a good job of preparing you for that,” he says.
Sauser graduated, passed the bar, and was licensed in 1978. He wanted to be a legal aid lawyer, so he was pleased when he secured a job with what has since become Legal Aid of East Tennessee. Five years later, he was ready for a change, so he took a position with Luther Anderson, where he worked until 1996. Baker Donelson was next, and took him to 2009, when he left to start his own firm. “I’d worked at legal aid, which is similar to a small firm, I’d worked at a medium-sized firm, and I’d worked at a mega-firm, but I’d never had my own firm, so I decided to go solo.”
Going solo comes with a great deal of responsibility, but when Sauser says, “I need about ten more hours in the day to do everything I’d like to do,” he’s not talking about wanting more time for work. Rather, he’s referring to the many things he does that have nothing to do with work.
“I have a lot of outside interests,” he says. “I don’t like to spend 70 hours a week at the office. I’ve never been that person, and I’m never going to be that person.”
Sauser’s “outside interests” are varied, and include hobbies, family time, and community service.
He sings in several choruses, including the Chattanooga Bach Choir, the UTC Master Chorale, and more. He also sings solos, when people will have him, and he isn’t afraid to tackle a challenging aria.
Sauser also builds furniture and does woodworking in a shop in his basement. He calls himself and his wife, Anne, “do-it-yourselfers,” and says they have done most of the rehab work on their North Shore home.
He’s also an active member of First Christian Church, where he’ll soon be an elder. “I’ve never been an elder, but I guess I’m old enough now,” he says, laughing.
Sauser’s community service extends to his work as a volunteer and crew leader with Habitat for Humanity, which builds homes for people in need. He helps two Saturdays a month.
Sauser has one son, 28-year-old Jake. Sauser joined Facebook simply so he could keep track of his son’s activities in Washington, D.C., where he does market research and analysis for a consulting firm. “That’s what everyone does in Washington, D.C. – they consult,” he says.
Pegging Sauser wouldn’t be as easy as that. He grew up wanting to be a lawyer, but he’s become much more. At the center of it all resides his desire to help people, and his pure love of life. He doesn’t just tell his clients to be open to every possibility, he lives it as well.