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Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Vanderbilt Law School, 2000
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
I have an academic bent, but I wanted a job that would allow me to help people solve practical problems. The law has proved the perfect fit.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
I would be a history professor.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Some of the best advice I received as a young lawyer was to read “around” an issue. In other words, don’t just read the law that is immediately on point but learn how that law fits into the larger category of law to which it belongs. Following that advice has made me a more well-rounded advocate.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
Many things, but two words basically sum it up: honesty and diligence.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
I wish the general public better understood the importance of advocating for unpopular people and causes. John Adams famously represented British soldiers accused of murdering colonists in the Boston Massacre—hardly a popular cause at the time. But he did it anyway because he believed in the rule of law over the rule of passion and prejudice. Today’s lawyers are the inheritors of this great tradition, which plays out every day in courtrooms across the country.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
I learned early on that most mistakes can be fixed so long as you quickly and forthrightly own up to them.
Tell us something surprising about you.
People are often surprised to learn that I love hunting and fishing. I think it’s the Brooks Brothers suit and bow tie that throws people off.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
My family. They remind me daily (and correctly so) that as important as my career may be, it is not nearly as important as faith, family, and friends.
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