It wasn’t his intention at first, but Alan Pickert, a partner at the Terrell Hogan law firm, is something of a local TV personality.
His talk show, “Raising the Bar,” airs periodically at 6 a.m. Saturdays and/or noon Sundays on WJXX TV-25, Jacksonville’s ABC Network affiliate.
“It’s what they call a ‘filler’ show. They put it on when they need some programming in those slots, so I have no idea when it will run,” Pickert said.
The path to local celebrity began when Pickert was invited to appear on “Business Leaders in Jacksonville.” The program’s producer, Buzz Media Group’s Daily News Network, read a story about Pickert’s law practice and thought he might be an interesting guest.
That show went over so well that he was then asked to be a guest on “The Horse’s Mouth with Tom McManus,” a talk show hosted by the former Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker.
“I think Tom may have done some bartending while he was at Boston College, so people sit around a bar, drink a beer and talk about a lot of things – not just the law but also sports and other topics,” Pickert said.
After he appeared on several episodes, the producers realized that the discussions of the law were popular with viewers. The format changed to focusing exclusively on Pickert interviewing attorneys in a more informal setting and “Raising the Bar” debuted in January.
Pickert records a new show each week at a studio in San Marco while he maintains his full-time asbestos and medical malpractice personal injury practice at Terrell Hogan.
A past president of the Jacksonville Bar Association, Pickert said he enjoys interviewing his colleagues who have established their practices. He also likes featuring lawyers who are just starting out or are building their practices as well as attorneys who are making a positive impact in the community.
“I like chatting with interesting people who have interesting stories. It’s rewarding for me to be able to share their stories,” Pickert said.
Visit tinyurl.com/5e9zu8db to view some past episodes.