Attorney Spotlight: Lasca Arnold Pendley
As a young girl growing up in the San Antonio area, Lasca Arnold Pendley didn’t always understand exactly what her parents discussed every time they sat down for an annual meeting with their estate planning attorney. What she did notice very quickly, however, was how calm and at peace her dad always looked by the end of each session. She loved seeing the look of confidence and relief on his face. And as the years went by, those feelings never wavered.
“I’d always sit quietly in the corner and listen, and it was an annual thing for them. They relied on their attorney to help them make very important decisions in life,” Lasca said. “My dad hardly asked anyone else for guidance in life other than Edgar.”
She added, “I remember thinking, ‘I want to be that person for people.’ I wanted to make people feel good.”
Fast forward to today, and Lasca is an accomplished estate planning and probate attorney who every day tries to live up to the example her parents’ attorney set all those years ago. She graduated from St. Mary’s School of Law in 2015. St. Mary’s is known for training talented attorneys, and Lasca is certainly no exception. She’s been practicing law as a solo attorney for the past seven years and joined Leigh Hilton PLLC in August.
“I love what this firm is doing and has done for so many years,” Lasca said. “It’s a thriving business, and I want everyone to know how excited I am to be on this team and to help continue the relationships they’re building. I’m in the right place.”
While Lasca always envisioned herself as a lawyer, she admits that she initially delayed seeking that path. Her varied background includes an undergraduate degree in construction science. She spent time working at her father’s construction business, sold insurance, and was even a baker for nine years. But something kept telling her to take a leap of faith and get into the legal world. And once she did, she didn’t look back.
“I always wanted to do it, but at the same time, I found every reason not to do it,” she said with a laugh. “I gave God every reason to close that door, and if He did, I’d simply do something else. But the statement kept coming up, ‘you should go to law school.’ And the funny thing was that it was my parents’ old attorney who kept saying it. I told him, ‘I’m going to be the
oldest student there,’ and he assured me, ‘You really won’t be. I promise.’ So I did, and here I am.” When Lasca isn’t working, she’s busy spending time with her husband, Jim, and their dogs, Bette and Gunner.