I didn’t grow up wanting to be a lawyer. 

Most of what I heard about lawyers when I was younger was from lawyer jokes. 

Then, I took a Contract Law class when I was in business school at the University of South Carolina. I was about 20.

That Contract Law class was taught by a self-described “old country lawyer” from nearby Calhoun County. He was performative, spoke slowly with a pronounced drawl, and was full of folksy Southern charm. 

He rose to prominence in his rural community by helping his fellow countryfolk solve their problems. He wasn’t a specialist at first: he drafted Wills, set up trusts, settled disputes, and litigated small civil cases. 

Eventually, he drifted towards what interested him most: business. He ended up representing several large farming companies in his area and built up a law practice. 

He decided to do some teaching in the twilight of his career, which is where our paths crossed.

On the first day of class, he started by talking about how his career path required him to be a self-learner.

Self-learners are naturally curious – people able to apply new ideas and concepts quickly. A pretty handy skill for a lawyer. I suppose everyone can be taught to be a self-learner – and there are certainly habits that help form the skill. But some are more naturally suited for it than others, like the “old country lawyer”.

He talked about the process of being able to learn a new piece of information, array it against a framework of legal knowledge in your mind, and then fire back with the right question or advice. He was describing an everflowing process for acquiring knowledge, with a framework – a legal framework. 

The best lawyers are lifelong students, always processing info and adding to their knowledge base.

I recognized that same trait in myself, when I met that “old country lawyer”.

I watched him diagram the various aspects of business law on the whiteboard that summer, and the concepts clicked for me immediately. I easily understood what he was talking about without much effort – usually after hearing him describe things only once. It all made sense to me, naturally. I felt this light bulb go off inside – “ping”.

That’s why I became a lawyer – I followed that “ping” feeling. 

I had already decided to seek more education after undergrad, but I didn’t want to get an MBA. I wanted something more practical – a skillset, a trade. I wanted what the “old country lawyer” had, so off I went to law school.

Only then did I grasp just how vast the legal profession is – all of the different forms of practicing law. It’s like an amoeba, touching all areas of society.

Family or personal matter? Check, lawyers are involved. Business or money matter? Check, lawyers there, too. Property issue? Check. Natural & environmental concerns? Check. Government and politics? Double check.

I started seeing the world through the lens of the law, imagining myself as a practitioner in all of these different ways.

Like the “old country lawyer”, I followed my natural drift. I followed that ‘ping’ that lit me up when I learned about contract law. That ‘ping’ led me to study the subjects I found interesting: business/finance, technology, human systems, intellectual property, international transactions, investing. And those studies, and then years and years of repetition as a practitioner, led me to have the law practice I have today.

Today, I’m fortunate enough to help my clients solve problems that I already enjoy solving. The stuff in my wheelhouse never gets boring for me. I’m the lifelong student type for my preferred subjects, so the knowledge compounds.

And that’s a big part of what being a lawyer means to me – the opportunity to help others by providing knowledge, judgment and strategy. I chose the business/finance law arena since it’s the game I enjoy playing the most. 

But when I look around, the legal profession looks worn down – and sometimes sleazy. I don’t like it. 

It seems like every billboard on every major highway in America is an advertisement for personal injury lawyers. 1-800-LETS-SUE in bold glossy font, screaming at me. (I don’t have anything against PI lawyers and actually think they serve a great function in some cases. But when the legal pursuit itself becomes too much of a commercial enterprise, I’m not sure that we’re all better off… anyway, I digress.)

So I try to remember the “old country lawyer” and focus on other lawyers that I admire. There are plenty. I often stumble upon these ‘recovering lawyer’ types who found a second act, typically landing in business, investing, writing or politics. I’ve made a list over the years.

Charlie Munger is at the top of my list. He had a brief legal career: he graduated Harvard Law School in two years (instead of the typical three), spent some time as a law clerk, and practiced general/business law for several years before going into investing.

The business world is full of other examples: Sam Zell (real estate tycoon, went to law school), Brad Gerstner (investor, former M&A lawyer), Herb Kelleher (corporate lawyer, founded Southwest Airlines), Bruce Karsh (corporate lawyer, co-founded Oaktree Capital Management), and numerous others.

And then there are lawyers who used the law to shift history and grind the gears of human progress. These lawyers are higher up the totem pole, morally speaking. They make the rest of us look like paper pushers. 

People like:

Nelson Mandela – started South Africa’s first black law firm, often helping fellow black citizens fight against apartheid discriminatory policies in the courts, served decades in prison for his activism and was eventually freed to become the first democratically elected President of South Africa.

Mahatma Ghandi – also worked as a civil rights attorney in South Africa before later returning to India and catalyzing the movement for independence from British colonial rule.

Thurgood Marshall – quickly recognized the power of using the law as a tool for social justice – one of his first cases was suing the University of Maryland law school for previously denying him admission (he ended up at Howard) – and was the first black Supreme Court Justice in the United States.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg – struggled to find a job as a female lawyer in the 60s, which led to her legal work as an advocate for women’s rights, and also ended up on the Supreme Court.

James Baker – worked for many years as a corporate lawyer before getting into politics & government, and later served as White House Chief of Staff and eventually Secretary of State, using his formidable skills as our nation’s top diplomat.

There are many many others.

So when I hear all the lawyer jokes, I smile. I get it. I understand why people have become frustrated with lawyers. I recognize that a lot of people see the lawyers on America’s billboards as the ‘main character’ of the profession – it’s our loudest archetype. 

I’m just sad that more people don’t meet lawyers like that “old country lawyer” who jazzed me up about Contract Law back when I was just a pup.

I choose to think about the lawyers who pushed things forward, who blazed their own trail. I try to emulate the ones, like Charlie Munger, who used their legal knowledge & training to develop a code of ethics for their own life and business. That’s my camp.

Using the law to change the world, first by changing myself.