When he finished in 1983, he immediately
joined his dad’s firm. He continued to
follow in his dad’s footsteps, trying serious
injury and insurance bad faith cases. And
his success rate was similar: he settled one
case on the eve of trial for a (confidential)
amount that John says was the biggest settlement
in the firm and in the state for years
and years. John says Tom is one of the best
lawyers in the state because he can do everything
– Tom knows how to relate to people
and builds a special relationship with the
jurors. John concedes that it is tough to be
objective about your own son, “but he is
a top-drawer lawyer, honorable, decent and
well respected by others in the firm, the
community, and the state.”
Tom says the only reason he was any good
at trial work was because he was able to try
cases with his dad for ten years, trying at least
six or seven cases as a team. “Dad was a great
mentor,” he says, and that experience was
invaluable. What did you learn from John?
“Honesty, integrity, hard work, and most
importantly that you can’t listen yourself
into trouble. So keep your mouth shut,
especially when the judge is going your way.”
John was also active in the political arena. As
a staunch Democrat, he was a delegate to the
national conventions in 1956 and 1960 and
was a candidate for Nevada Lieutenant Governor
in 1956. He was also a great friend of
former Nevada Senator and Majority Leader
of the U.S. Senate Harry Reid, who came to
the Drendel’s law firm office for a birthday
luncheon for John’s 90th birthday.
Tom recalls that when he was a young lawyer,
John would ask him every few years what
his next five-year plan would be, as he knew
there was far more to life than the stress
and hard work of a successful trial lawyer.
Tom took his advice seriously and his primary
passions have been fishing, skiing and
whitewater adventures all over the west and
the world. He has fished not only the rivers
in the west, but also destinations in Alaska,
Russia, Bolivia, Brazil, the Bahamas, Florida,
The Cook Islands and Africa. He has also
spent over thirty years skiing and heli-skiing
in Alaska, Canada and everywhere else in
the western United States.
The father-son pair are now both retired.
Tom claims it’s nice to have a travel calendar
instead of a trial calendar. They do go
into the office every three to four months to
meet with colleagues, including partner and
Fellow Bill Jeanney (’08). And despite being
retired, and just one year short of 100 years
of age, John has continued to donate time
to his profession, serving as an ombudsmen
for the elderly residents of a long-term care
facility in Arizona.
John believes that if he hadn’t become a
lawyer, he might have gone into medicine.
Tom said he might have become a musician,
playing acoustic guitar. But he muses that he
might also have chosen a career as a fly fishing,
river or heli-skiing guide. Any of those
choices would have been satisfying, though
perhaps not financially successful. In hindsight,
he says he made the right choice and
was able to fulfill his goal to be a trial lawyer
and also balance that career with the outdoor
pursuits he enjoys today. While we are
certain that both of them would have been
successful in any career they might have
chosen, we are glad that they both chose the
law, and that they are both part of the American
College of Trial Lawyers.
Carey E. Matovich
Billings, MT
FALL 2022 JOURNAL 48