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DeFur Voran LLP
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2015
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
Being a lawyer was something I’d considered since high school, but the significant cost, time commitment, and difficulty of law school was scary, and for years, I was very reluctant to pull the trigger. Shortly after the financial crisis of 2008, though, admission numbers were down significantly and law schools had become quite generous with grant and scholarship money, which made the prospect of leaving my job and pursuing a law degree a little more realistic.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
If I hadn’t pursued a legal career, I’d likely be a high school music teacher, or perhaps doing something in the world of finance.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
Pat Hetrick and Judith Wegner, two of my former law school professors. They both had very similar teaching styles, which helped me learn how to become a good lawyer (identify issues, talk to clients, think outside the box, etc.). They were truly invaluable educators; especially in an environment full of lifelong academics who, at times, seemed more interested in showing students how smart they were than actually teaching them.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it.” I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but people really do appreciate getting what they expect when they’re told to expect it.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
The best lawyers I know are those who are not only smart and capable, but also compassionate and understanding. Intellect and ability are obviously important, but being able to understand how our clients feel and why they feel the way they do really helps us do our job better. Ultimately, the best lawyers are those who treat each client the way they’d want to be treated if they were in their client’s shoes.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
Despite all the bad (albeit sometimes funny) lawyer jokes and occasionally negative PR, the vast majority of lawyers are not terrible people. In fact, I believe most lawyers do their jobs with the best of intentions and will go out of their way to avoid causing problems.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
For anyone who uses a wireless keyboard, always make sure it’s charged, or that the batteries are still good. I’ve learned the hard way that, when my wireless keyboard is running low on power, it starts to drop letters, which can result in a word becoming drastically different than what I intended. I learned this lesson after having to explain to an opposing lawyer that, while my email did say that my client “was willing to accept their offer,” it was supposed to say that my client was, in fact, unwilling to accept their offer. (Granted, doing a better job of proofreading probably would have helped, too, but I stand by my excuse that it was my keyboard’s fault.)
Tell us something surprising about you.
As an undergrad, I studied percussion performance at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and would love to buy a marimba so I could continue playing at home. Unfortunately, my wife seems to think $25,000 is too much money to spend on a hobby, so it’s unlikely to ever happen.
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