Meet Harrison Pratt, an accomplished attorney with a wealth of experience in the legal industry at Boyd & Jenerette, P.A. Harrison focuses his practice primarily in personal injury litigation at our Savannah, GA office, and brings a wealth of experience to our team.

In this attorney spotlight article, we will take a closer look at Harrison’s background, experience, and approach to his work, and explore what sets him apart from other attorneys in his field.

Can you tell us about your background and how you made the decision to go to law school?

• I am a native of Savannah, Georgia. My father was an attorney in Savannah so I have had ties to the legal community since I was a little boy. I did not decide to become a lawyer until I was a sophomore in college. I originally wanted to be a dentist, but after seeing a lot of injustice in our criminal justice system, I decided I wanted to become an FBI Special Agent. One of the preparatory routes to joining the FBI was to have a Juris Doctor degree. I figured if I did not get into the FBI, I could always be a lawyer. Once in law school, I decided I wanted to practice law more than pursuing a career with the FBI.

What is your role as an attorney at Boyd & Jenerette?

• At Boyd & Jenerette, I mainly handle personal injury cases for first party and third party claims. A majority of my work deals with defending insureds and insurance companies for claims arising from car accidents as well as dog bite cases.

What is your day-to-day job like, and what kinds of long-term projects are on your plate?

• Currently, I handle approximately 30 active cases. Most are car accident defense cases. On any given day, my work consists of ensuring that all of my cases are progressing towards a resolution. This broad task gives me a variety of different micro tasks to do in my daily work. Most of my time is spent reviewing documents, whether it be medical records, court pleadings, demand letters, police reports or general investigative documents like discovery responses, to determine liability and financial exposure for the client. The key is to always stay focused on the overall goal--whether it be to settle the case quickly or to defend the case on a legal or factual theory.Some of my long-term goals are to broaden the number of clients for whom I do work as well as the types of cases I handle. I also hope to expand the cases I handle to South Carolina where I am also licensed.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

• The most challenging aspect of my job is juggling priorities in cases. There are times when multiple cases require immediate attention and responses. I believe I have a good system for prioritizing tasks when this kind of occasion arises; however, prioritization is always challenging.

What do you enjoy most about practicing law at Boyd & Jenerette?

• I enjoy the consistent influx of cases here at Boyd & Jenerette. On top of having a great team with a wealth of knowledge helping me become a better lawyer, I also receive consistent work to implement the knowledge I am learning and developing. The workload allows me to give my cases the attention they need, while also allowing me new challenges and factual scenarios to grow my knowledge and skills in practicing as a litigator.

When did you begin practicing law?

• I began practicing law in 2016. I worked in the Tulsa County Public Defender’s Office with a limited license to practice law. It was there where I was introduced to arguing cases before a court. I mainly handled bond reduction motions and preliminary hearings to assist indigent clients by facilitating their release from jail while they awaited final disposition of their charges. I was able to try my first case while working at this job.

What do you do for fun?

• I enjoy playing board games, basketball, and ping pong. I am open to playing almost any board game, but I love Monopoly, Catan, and Viticulture. I have played basketball since I was 12 years old, but I do not have as many opportunities to play, since most of my friends that I played with have grown up or moved away. I play ping pong any opportunity I get. I used to play on the Valdosta State University ping pong team from my sophomore year to senior year.

When did you decide you wanted to be a lawyer?

• I decided I wanted to become a lawyer in my first year at law school. Some would say that is kind of late, but I did not know I wanted to practice law until I spent time with my professors and saw how much impact attorneys really had on everyday life.

What is an item on your bucket list?

• I would like to build my own house one day.  Both of my grandfathers and dad built multiple houses in their lives, and I would like to continue that tradition.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

• From the ages of seven to thirteen, I wanted to be an airline pilot. Flying a plane for a living sounded very fun and I knew I would be able to get paid while traveling.

Do you have any hidden talents, hobbies, or a fun fact?

• As far as hidden talents go, I am pretty decent at sleight of hand as well as magic card tricks. For fun, I play board games and video games. I enjoy any kind of competition. My main hobby these days is grape growing and wine making. I have been making wine since 2017. One day I hope to sell my wine in retail stores.

What are you most proud of, professionally and/or personally?

• Professionally, I am most proud of my work on one of my indigent client’s cases in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She was arrested for child neglect after her landlord evicted her and her two children out of their trailer in the middle of winter. Her children and she set up a tent outside of the trailer because they had nowhere else to go. The landlord called the police on them for trespassing and the police arrested her for child neglect because she did not have running water in the tent. The prosecutor handling her case refused to dismiss the charges or let her plead to a lesser charge. It took several months to get her out of jail on a personal recognizance bond, but after several hearings, the court authorized her release. Her charges were dismissed shortly thereafter, and she was able to reunite with her children.Personally, I am very proud of the vineyard that my wife and I have built. It is the largest vineyard in Orangeburg, South Carolina. I believe it will be a great legacy to leave to my family. The greatest part of building the vineyard was that we built it with just our friends and family. They were gracious enough to donate their time and labor to helping us build a dream. We are currently expanding our vineyard, which heightens the pride I have in my family and vineyard.

Who has been your biggest mentor?

• My Stepfather has probably been my biggest mentor. I believe he exemplifies a man that I would like to grow into and emulate. He is kind, patient, and confident in his decision-making. He has been in my life since I was seven years old. I originally did not like him when I first met him, but he was patient with me, and I grew to love and respect him. He is always there for me when I need him, offering guidance and advice to handle whatever issues I have in my life.

If you could tell a younger version of yourself something knowing what you know now, what would it be?

• I would probably advise my younger self to go to law school in Georgia. No one shared the wisdom with me to go to law school in the state that you want to practice, and I believe that delayed my ability to practice law in Georgia and enable my family to return to Georgia to live. I enjoyed the experiences I had moving around, but I believe I could have had just as meaningful experiences in Georgia. I also would have told my college self to buy Bitcoin instead of speakers for my car.

What are your goals for the next year?

• I would like to try a case in Georgia. I have tried cases in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas. Despite being back in my home state, I have not tried a case in Georgia yet.

About Harrison Pratt

Harrison Pratt is an Associate Attorney in Boyd & Jenerette’s Savannah, Georgia office. He practices auto liability defense, insurance defense and general litigation.

Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a Public Defender in Tulsa, OK, a Prosecutor in Columbia, SC and most recently as in-house counsel for Allstate in their Houston, TX office. Harrison has extensive experience in handling cases from their inception to settlement or trial in multiple states. Through his experience, Harrison has obtained multiple favorable results at the trial level for his clients.   

Mr. Pratt grew up in Savannah, GA, and received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with a minor in Religious Studies from Valdosta State University. While in college, Mr. Pratt interned with the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office. 

Mr. Pratt attended the University of Tulsa College of Law where he graduated in 2017. While in law school he served as the President of his school’s ACLU chapter. During his 3L year, Mr. Pratt obtained his limited license, allowing him to represent dozens of clients in the courtroom.  

Outside of work Mr. Pratt enjoys wine making, board games, basketball and golf.