Susan Elliott Rich“If you can’t put anything fun in the article, don’t write it because no one will know it’s me,” says Chattanooga attorney Susan Elliott Rich. “And you need to improve your subject matter, you definitely need more entertaining subject matter.”
We’re sitting side-by-side, perched on padded chairs in a dimly lit conference room at Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz’s downtown Chattanooga office. Rich, a 59-year-old shareholder, is wearing an emerald-green suit and a passel of diamonds: rings, bracelets, pendant. A sparkly barrette shines in her black curls. Her jewels – and one-liners – flash in the muted light like sun rippling over a muddy pond.
CHATTER: “Why did you go to law school?”
RICH: “I was an artist, but I had to make a living, and I knew I couldn’t afford my jewelry habit.”
CHATTER: “How do you feel about your recent awards?”