Helping others is key to Rochester minister's law practice

Daily Record (Rochester, NY), Mar 12, 2002 by Nora Jones

Full-time minister of the Church of Christ -- Southside in Henrietta, D. Bryan Buttram completed his law degree in 1998 and continues to juggle two seemingly diverse careers.

Growing up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Buttram started undergraduate school with an interest in the law, but didn't have the drive or focus to know exactly what he wanted.

"My mother encouraged me to go into the ministry," Buttram explained. "And my dad hoped I'd become a doctor, and if not a doctor, then a lawyer, and the ministry was probably his third priority. But my first two years of college, I didn't really have a direction."

Switching in 1976 from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, to David Lipscomb College in Nashville, Buttram changed his major from speech communication to Bible studies.

With a BA in ministry, Buttram moved to Caribou, Maine shortly after graduation, where he served as youth minister in a rural congregation for two years. In 1980 he and his wife, Leslie, moved to Memphis so he could pursue his graduate degree from Harding University Graduate School of Religion. As part of his graduate studies, Buttram completed a guided research study on urban anthropology -- exploring the 125 urban neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

With his masters studies completed, Buttram went back to Caribou where he took over the congregation from the minister he previously assisted.

"We met some of the most wonderful people that will remain our life-long friends," said Buttram. "It is a beautiful part of the country, and we enjoyed our time there, but by 1987 we were looking for a church closer to an urban area."

That was when Buttram learned of an opening at the Church of Christ in Henrietta, which was founded in 1968. Moving his wife and two children to Rochester, Buttram began an assignment that would be challenging and rewarding.

As the size of the congregation ebbed with population shifts in the community, Buttram was faced with numerous issues, including a cut in pay at the same time his family was growing.

"My wife and I loved Rochester, but knew something had to change. She put her career on hold to raise our children, so I began driving a school bus to supplement my income," said Buttram. "That was actually a positive experience, although kids can be merciless with a substitute bus driver," he joked.

Always seeking more knowledge, Buttram took classes at St. Bernard's in Rochester and continued to evaluate his career.

Uncertain if his ministry was going to fully support his family, Buttram decided to return to his earlier thoughts of a legal career and took the LSAT exam. He then applied to four law schools and was especially pleased to be accepted at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

"I was able to continue my ministry and commute to law school in Buffalo," Buttram said. "Once I was accepted at UB, I explained my plans to the congregation and they were very supportive."

After taking the New York Bar exam in 1998, Buttram began working part time for a Pittsford attorney, Maureen Callinan. Although Callinan has since moved from the area, she mentored Buttram in elder law, medicaid, and pro bono assignments.

"She really took me under her wing and got me grounded in the basics," said Buttram. "There is still lots to learn, but she gave me the tools and confidence to get started in my own practice by April 1999."

Although he initially envisioned a solo practice outside of his home, Buttram soon realized it was too costly and too time- consuming to manage a stand-alone office. Changing his strategy, he moved his law office back into the house where it remains today. He keeps active writing wills, representing buyers in real estate closings, and doing some general practice.

"I'm still trying to narrow down my focus somewhat -- child custody, support, and I recently signed on to be a law guardian," said Buttram. "Once I get to the point where I'm not reinventing the wheel with each new case I take, I hope to increase my caseload. Progress is slow right now, but I am particularly interested in helping people with modest means."

He was recently called in to help prepare a pro bono will for someone at Strong Memorial Hospital. Although a person of modest means has few assets, they care deeply about how individual items will be bequeathed, Buttram explained.

His law school training in not-for-profit law came into play as he counseled a youth organization on their football league. Again, adding up his hours, Buttram figures he charged the youth group about one-third of a typical legal fee.

So how does a minister reconcile his legal practice with his religious career?

"It's interesting wearing two different hats that involve client confidentiality," Buttram explained. "I don't have any problem with it. The values at the core of my religious training are essentially the same as my ethical obligations as an attorney. But it is much simpler if my clients are not from my congregation. It's one thing to tell your minister your personal problems, and another to tell your lawyer your legal problems, but some people don't like sharing that much information with the same individual, regardless of their trust in my confidentiality."