Page 6 - FDCCFlyer_Summer2025

Officer Reports
of leaving a secure position with a
firm where I worked for 30 years
to start my own firm with an old
friend. If she hadn’t given me that
encouragement to essentially risk
a substantial part of our livelihood,
I wouldn’t have been able to take
on the responsibilities related to
this new opportunity of trusted
leadership.
truly meaningful life burns with
the passionate flame of self-giving.
We stand now in tumultuous,
“kaleidoscopic” times, as Colum
McCann so aptly described at our
Winter Meeting in Charleston.
While many leaders clutch
and hoard power and while
social media overflows with
random attacks and anonymous
conventional wisdom, absolutely
not. Yet it became the most
profound decision I could have
made.
For 54 consecutive Fridays, we
served approximately 1,870 victims
professionally prepared meals. Each
plate delivered this message: you
are not forgotten. Each gathering
affirmed the recipients’ dignity
At the Summer Meeting this year, I will accept the gavel from our current President,
Heidi Goebel, and will then “get” to stand before you as President because so many
of you afforded me positions of responsibility, which allowed me to continue to learn
through those experiences.
I am grateful to so many past
Presidents and leaders who
entrusted me with the opportunity
to shine and serve. Mike Neil, “The
General,” appointed me to serve
as Vice Chair of Transportation
and of Construction. Andy
Downs entrusted me with a day
of programming on autonomous
cars in Banff. Vickie Roberts
appointed me Chair of the FDCC/
IADC Law Firm Management
Conference and Chair of the
Nominations Committee. Don
Myles appointed me Co-Chair of
the I-3 Conference. Mike Glascott
appointed me Program Chair for
the Winter Meeting in 2021. Bob
Christie appointed me Chair of the
Winter Meeting in Palm Desert. I
have so many others to thank and
acknowledge—too many to list here
but each and every one counted in
my thoughts and have been integral
to what has led me to this place.
Generosity
When we pour ourselves
into worthy causes, we aren’t
diminished—we are ignited. A
disparagement, a transformative
alternative exists: generous giving
that can catapult you from the
shackles of fear into the expansive
realm of faith and limitless
possibilities.
Let me share what happened when
I embraced this paradigm. In 2019,
I left the security of a large law
firm, launching my own practice
with nothing but my paralegal, my
wife’s unwavering support, an old
friend, and loyal clients. Then came
COVID, shattering our world just
ten months later. As if this weren’t
challenge enough, a devastating
tornado tore through Chattanooga
in April 2020, leaving countless
families homeless.
Something deep within me
awakened. In May 2020, I launched
a campaign to feed both those
rendered homeless and victims
of domestic violence sheltered
at The Partnership. Was starting
a charitable initiative during a
pandemic, with a fledgling firm
and loans looming, “practical”? By
through shared meals they couldn’t
otherwise afford. And something
miraculous happened to me in
the process—I discovered the
extraordinary power of choosing
faith over fear and uncertainty. I
emerged from this experience not
depleted, but stronger. Not poorer,
but immeasurably richer in spirit.
Not exhausted, but filled with
satisfaction.
Have faith. Give. Live well.
Closing
My Presidential year will only be
successful with your help. The
FDCC can only thrive with your
help. Please seize the opportunity
to GET to offer your talents to the
benefit of our FDCC family; and
join me as we work together in
continuing to serve and build this
exceptional organization for the
future.
Marc Harwell is President-Elect of the
FDCC and a Founder/Partner with Harwell
& Hurst, PLLC in Chattanooga, TN.
2 Summer 2025 | Federation Flyer www.thefederation.org