Friday in Franklin County is taking a different course today! Today I’m talking to long-time businessman and Franklin County resident, John Coonley of Coonley & Coonley Law Firm. I’ve had the privilege of knowing John for several years now and when I thought about why people choose Franklin County, I instantly thought of him!
Franklin County is not what some people call a “booming” community! Yes, I actually read that on a Facebook post recently. My first gut reaction when I read that was to reply back and say “hold up a minute…it depends on how you define booming!” How lucky are we, the residents of Franklin County, to live in a place where we have successful and nationally known industries, a large variety of retail businesses, great school districts, a wide array of recreational opportunities, and great residences to call home? And, thinking about those things are what led me to this discussion with John.
Coonley & Coonley was started in 1934 by James Coonley, John’s father. James chose Franklin County and Hampton as the place to set up his practice as that is where his father lived and raised him and it seemed natural to establish the practice here. As John grew, it also seemed natural to become an attorney as well and return to his hometown of Hampton to practice with his brother and father. Why was it the best decision for John? He says that practicing in a smaller community means you really get to know the people you are helping and you build a relationship with them that lasts longer than the transaction itself. This type of practice is much more satisfying to John than moving through clients as numbers. He said that clients also trust you because they’ve known you or your family for a longer period of time!
As someone who is also raising a family in Franklin County, I can appreciate it a great deal when John says that the best part of raising his two sons in Hampton was the sense of community. In an area like ours it is a much more controlled environment and the people (teachers, pastors, neighbors, etc) who are around your children and helping to raise them know them on a personal level and aid in their development! Everyone in small communities looks out for each other’s kids and there is something invaluable about that!
Living in Franklin County, owning a practice in Hampton, and raising his family here may have been natural to John Coonley, but I believe that the reasons for him choosing to come back to the area to be a professional and establish his family are reasons that anyone living in Franklin County can attest to and would describe to those looking to relocate here! You can’t go wrong in Franklin County!
