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When he’s not working at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP in Indianapolis, attorney Vivek Hadley is taking his talents to jazz clubs around the city as a pianist.
Hadley, a litigation partner with the firm, said jazz music can be a lot like arguments in a courtroom, where you prep for what’s to come, but once on “stage,” it’s a bit improvisational.
“You might not have memorized your closing argument word-for-word, but if you prep a lot beforehand and you really know what’s going on in the case, you then, kind of make it up on the spot with that background information, so that’s kind of the same process as jazz is, learn as much as you can before your ‘performance’ and then, once you’re performing, just sort of be natural and let it all come out,” he said.
Hadley has been a musician since his toddler years, when his mom signed him up for violin lessons. His mom was raised in India, and when she moved to the United States, she began learning the violin herself.
In high school and college, Hadley played trombone, but it wasn’t until law school that he took up piano.
“When I went to law school in Bloomington, all the practice rooms were taken up by actual music students, and I couldn’t play trombone in my apartment because it would be too loud,” he said. “So I bought an electric keyboard where you can turn the volume all the way down and I’ve pretty much been a pianist since.”
As a jazz musician, he’s played at several clubs around the city, including The Chatterbox on Massachusetts Avenue and Geraldine’s in Fountain Square. He finds his passion cathartic, and recommends other attorneys find something that takes their mind off of their day job.
“Having a hobby, something that’s not law, is super important to keep your time occupied,” he said.
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