Q&A with Senior Associate Attorney Calla Ketchens: Supporting the Vision — One Calendar, One Client, One Community at a Time

At Souder Law Group, every role contributes to a larger mission: empowering Black and Brown communities to lead the way in shaping their environments, their opportunities, and their future. That includes the work no one sees — the coordination, the client calls, the steady hands that keep everything moving.

We sat down with Calla Ketchens, Senior Associate Attorney at SLG, to hear how her role supports clients, communities, and a growing institution grounded in care.

Q: What value statement resonates most with your work at SLG?

Calla: “Together we can build an institution that allows us to work together and invest in each other.” That speaks directly to what I do every day — I’m creating the structure that allows all of us to move forward together. Our clients are juggling high-stakes projects, emotional investments, and complex legal requirements. I help hold space for them so they don’t feel alone in it.

Q: Can you share a success story that reflects that value in action?

Calla: Yes — one that stands out is our work with Allstar Development, a client applying for zoning approval for a cannabis dispensary on Raymond Boulevard. Early in the process, we realized the original proposed location would face major pushback.

Rather than push forward blindly, we took a step back. Our team worked closely with community leaders to identify a better location — one that had more support and long-term viability.

By the time we got to the zoning board, we had full community buy-in — and the application moved through without a single objection.

That’s what investing in each other looks like. We didn’t just help them check a box — we helped them make a better, more sustainable decision for everyone involved.

Q: What kind of impact does your work have on clients?

Calla: I help take the pressure off. Legal processes can feel overwhelming — especially when you’re emotionally and financially invested in a project. People don’t realize how much energy the behind-the-scenes logistics take. 

When someone asks me if they really need an attorney, I say yes — not because I want them to spend money, but because I want them to save stress. We’ve seen again and again that when we show up early in a project, we prevent problems later.

Q: What’s one phrase you say often in client conversations?

Calla: “We got this.” It’s simple, but it matters. A lot of people come to us feeling overwhelmed, unsure of what’s next. That one phrase reminds them that they’re not alone — that they have a team behind them who cares and knows exactly how to get them through it.

Whether we’re moving mountains in a courtroom or managing the fine details of an application timeline, everything we do at Souder Law Group is in service of building something bigger than ourselves — something rooted in clarity, collaboration, and community.

Because the systems we’re building aren’t just for our clients — they’re for all of us.