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ACLU of Indiana
Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 2006
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
I did not know that I wanted to be a lawyer until I started doing it. Law school for me was largely a way to prevent my life from stalling at a time when it was in danger of doing so. There was a time when I viewed finding the legal profession—and my love for it—as a matter of dumb luck. But now I think of it as evidence of the importance of continuing to move forward even when you can’t yet see the path ahead. Which, by the way, is absolutely horrible backpacking advice.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
There is not a doubt in my mind: I would be playing second base for the San Francisco Giants. Past my prime, sure. But there isn’t a franchise in the universe that couldn’t use a scrappy middle infielder with a heart of gold.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
The long-time legal director at the ACLU of Indiana – and the only boss that I have had in my adult life – is Ken Falk. Surely enough ink has already been spilled on his generosity, his grace, and his legal prowess. But, more than anything else, he is guided by two principles: that being lawyers provides us with a unique opportunity to make others’ lives better than they would otherwise be, and that every individual is fully deserving of our respect. He is a constant reminder of the type of lawyer that I will spend my career trying to become.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
I once had a teacher who was fond of instructing her students not to bring their pet porcupine into a balloon store. I am fairly certain it was intended as a metaphor but, even if literal, it holds up.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
They can climb faster than they can run. Although, now that I think about it, that might be bears and not lawyers.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
Moments before a Seventh Circuit argument early in my career, I tried to pour myself a cup of water and accidentally spilled the entire pitcher over counsel table—an incident witnessed only by opposing counsel who, to my knowledge, has remained graciously silent about it all these years. The “lesson learned” has more to do with the operational dynamics of water pitchers than anything else.
Tell us something surprising about you.
I have never owned a smartphone, have a relationship with my dog that would charitably be described as “codependent and not in a healthy way,” and believe strongly that there is untapped potential for the use of cantaloupe in savory cooking. Because there is no “can’t” in “cantaloupe.”
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
Anyone who brings to the table both intellectual curiosity and a strong moral compass can probably find a way to fake the rest.
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