by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
John Mills works in a three-lawyer, two-dog firm.
The attorney started his appeals-only boutique firm, Mills and Carlin, with partners Tracy Carlin and Rebecca Creed, in 2003. He often wears jeans and brings his dog, Woody, to work because appellate cases rarely require face-to-face meetings.
“I rarely have to put on a suit,” he said. ”We don’t really have clients come in.”
Mills said appellate work requires writing and thinking more than any other skills. He can take cases from virtually any location because he doesn’t need to meet clients so much as examine their already-tried cases.
Mills also makes his own schedule, which allows him the freedom to spend time with family and often crosses the street near his Riverside firm to have lunch with his daughters, Dryden, 8, and Sophie, 6, at their elementary school.
He met his wife, Mignon, while attending Florida State University where she was “a jet-setting flight attendant who lived across the street.” U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Gerald Tjoflat, who Mills clerked for, has a joke for Mignon’s name (which actually means “cute” in French).
“Judge Tjoflat calls her ‘Filet’ and thinks he’s come up with something original every time,” said Mills.
Between his female partners, daughters and wife, Mills spends most of his time with women. He said the situation doesn’t bother him at all.
“My mother was a feminist,” said Mills. “I was raised to really respect women.”
When it comes to his daughters’ future careers, Mills said he encourages them to pursue any interests they love, such as art. He said he loves to argue, but he doesn’t think his profession would work for everyone.
“Unless that (law) is where your passion is, I wouldn’t recommend it,” said Mills. “I want them to find something they love.”