National Jurist - October 2007 - (Page 6) DISTURBINGTHEPEACE Opportunity, privilege, responsibility and puppets “What’s next?” It’s a question every law student asks and answers, most frequently at the outset of an academic year and at milestones like graduation. Friends and family generously (and often predictably) share their own observations and insight, their two pence of perspective. Ya’ know, Jon, you could try this, try that, intern here, work there. It’s generally thoughtful, constructive guidance. But the most powerful messages — both understated and profound — tend to spring from unusual approaches that cut through the clutter. Messages, for example, in the form of puppets. When I graduated from Ohio University, the chairwoman of the faculty senate and her husband, a professor in my journalism program, gifted me a set of four puppets, each modeled after a revolutionary — Mahatma Gandhi, Che Guevara, Leon Trotsky and Nelson Mandela. (Yeah, initially it seemed curious to me, too.) Taped to the box was a note fashioned not to foment revolution, but to admonish me to consider the gift’s broader significance: “We give you this as a reminder always to use the law to make the lives of ordinary people better. You can still make a lot of money and yet feel good about yourself.” By Jon Peters Student Editor “But what do you wanna’ do?” I continued. “Eh, don’t care, as long as it puts cash in my pocket.” Something more meaningful No, they weren’t joking. They were dead serious, totally unashamed. I mean, sure, I also hope to cultivate enough success to pay off my school debt and to enjoy a decent lifestyle. But a myopic and misaligned devotion to feathering your own nest — as an end in itself and for the sole sake of plump portfolios, yachts named Liquid Assets, etc. — would erect an empty vessel, substantial and gilded on the outside, forever empty inside. Such a waste. As law students and future lawyers, we have Read Jon Peter’s extraordinary opportunity. We have extraordinary monthly recap of the privilege. And most importantly, we have extraor- Supreme Court at www.NJPLonline.com dinary responsibility — to the law, to the bar, to the www.NJPLonline.com on the Supreme courts, to clients. When school boards seek help, the legal com- Court page munity should make a good-faith effort to help. When civic groups need advice, the legal community should make a good-faith effort to advise. When the unpopular or disenfranchised request representation, the legal community should make a good-faith effort to provide representation. As a group, we fully appreciate the many challenges and rewards of diligence and sacrifice. Most of us have surrendered and continue to surrender weeknights and the occasional weekend to build the kind of track record that produces results. We’ve read voluminously. We’ve written voraciously. We’ve crammed. We’ve interned — sometimes without pay — and we’ve woven networks to help us jump any and all hurdles. We have carried and continue to carry our own bags and thus deserve rewards (e.g. professional contentment, financial success). But we have also benefited from the wisdom and experience of others, and that places the duty on us to reciprocate — to help others. It’s a mutually inclusive, win-win transaction in which commitment is the currency — that is, commitment to something more meaningful than money alone. Jon Peters, student editor of The National Jurist, is a Phi Kappa Phi Fellow and Leadership Scholar at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. E-mail him at peters.401@osu.edu Cash in my pocket To be sure, everyone pursues the study of law for unique and varying reasons. Some follow paths charted by parents, and others scrutinize economic forecasts, pinpointing career niches with opportunities for rapid professional advancement. Some want to serve the public interest no matter the relatively low compensation, and others simply want to reel in $250K at an embarrassingly tender age. Visiting several schools last year, I asked a number of secondand third-year students what they hope to accomplish as attorneys. Most responses reflected a mature and enlightened vision, anchored by an apparently unshakable commitment. Still, a few answers were unabashedly less mature, less enlightened, and were especially direct and specific, not to mention small-minded. “So, what’ll be on your agenda as an attorney?” I asked. “I’d love to get into a big firm and make some serious money.” www.NJPLonline.com Editorial Team Jack Crittenden Editor-in-Chief Michelle Weyenberg Associate Editor Jon Peters Student Editor Jim Dunlap Copy Editor Ursula Furi-Perry Career Editor Shannon Harrington Art Director Ray Silva Web Producer Zac Scuffham Web Designer Melissa Stottlemyer Multimedia Assistant Publishing Team Mike Wright National Accounts Manager Mindy Palmer Account Representative Elizabeth Callahan Circulation Manager Mike Burke Accountability Manager Reprints Please call FosteReprints at 1-866-879-9144 Contact Information P.O. Box 939039 San Diego, Calif. 92193-9039 Tel: 1-800-296-9656 Fax: 1-858-503-7588 Entire contents copyright © 2007 Cypress Magazines. All rights reserved. Material in this publication may not be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher. 6 THE NATIONAL JURIST October 2007 http://www.NJPLonline.com http://www.NJPLonline.com
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