MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — A beloved lawyer responsible for training generations after him is retiring after a nearly 33-year career.
Tony Purcell is one of the defense attorneys responsible for making the Mecklenburg County Courthouse go round.
On Friday, he reflected on his career as it came to an end, saying his philosophy was to always put the client first.
“It’s really important that we not just look at a case; we look at a person,” said Purcell. “Our court system oftentimes turns clients into cases and files and case numbers. And they’re not; they’re people.”
A retirement party was thrown in his honor by many of the lawyers he had once trained, one of whom was Judge Donald Cureton.
“I’ve been on the bench almost 15 years, and I never forget those things that he taught me very early on in my practice,” said Cureton.
In all, Purcell has helped train more than 175 lawyers. Those lawyers have then gone on to represent more than 350,000 clients.
“We will let the rest of the world judge our clients, judges, prosecutors, and even juries; we don’t. And Tony taught us that, and I would invite people to be that open-minded,” said Public Defender Kevin Tully.
State Senator Mujtaba Mohammed, who was also mentored by Purcell, presented him with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. It is considered one of the highest honors in the state.
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