Why Do I Practice Law?

In 2004, my sister Karen Pennant passed away and left me to be the guardian of her daughter for two years. The request was informal because, like most people, she didn’t have a will or trust to make me the legal guardian. That meant that I had to go to court and petition for guardianship on my own. We didn’t have money to hire an attorney to do this for us. I was a junior in college. It was a challenging time in my life. Mourning the passing of a family member and having to go to court is not easy. I remember telling myself that when I got through that legal guardianship proceeding, I would become an attorney and help people who needed it. That experience forever changed the course of my life.

As time drew near for me to go to law school, I was fortunate to learn from and shadow a brilliant personal injury lawyer, Eldon Goodhue. He is a mentor and a close friend. Having represented me in an auto accident case, he quickly recognized from my questions that I was deeply interested in the law. Not only did he teach me what went on in various courthouses throughout Massachusetts, but he taught me how to become a trusted, knowledgeable, and persistent attorney. He exposed me to the importance of being a caring attorney. Becoming one with your clients’ stories allows you to best advocate their case as if it were your own. Through his mentorship, I developed a solid handling of personal injury cases.

My legal experience is intriguing, and my legal career has been diverse. I started as an intern at the Suffolk County probate and family court in Massachusetts. The opportunity arose as I accompanied a family member who needed help with his case. An employee for the courthouse noted the information I provided that family member and asked him if I was his attorney. Apparently, the presented pro se document made such an impression on the employee that they offered me a summer internship at the Suffolk County probate and family court. It was a confidence booster, and I went back to law school more committed than when I started.

After graduating from law school, finding a job was difficult. I thought to myself, “I needed to figure this out.” That was when I reflected on the courthouses I visited with my mentor and visited the local courthouse looking for work, heck, even volunteer work if I had to. I still remember my wife and me going to the Catawba County courthouse. I asked to see the Clerk of the Superior Court, who usually sees people on an appointment basis, but not that day. She saw me without an appointment and asked for a resume, which I had. We sat in her office for an hour and spoke. That was a Thursday. On the following Tuesday, she offered me an opportunity to work there. I started as a deputy clerk in Catawba County Clerk of Superior Court, where I served as a clerk for two civil law judges. I would alternate between the courtrooms and the court departments during that time. This opportunity allowed me to gain experience in procedural and legal requirements for filing civil suits. I gained insights from the judges and lawyers on advocating clients’ rights during the many trials I observed as the record keeper of the trial docket and court files.

After my experience in the Catawba County Clerk of Superior Court, I began working in the Civil department at Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior. I still remember giving the Clerk of Superior Court my resume weeks after her assistant clerks had interviewed me. I guess I was impatient and didn’t want her assistant clerks to forget about me. So, I had to ensure that I handed the Clerk of Superior Court my resume and introduced myself so that she knew the determination of the person her staff had interviewed. The character of the man she would be hiring. They hired me, and within one month, they promoted me to the estate department to help with that county’s high case volume. There I gained extensive experience in estates administration. Assisting attorneys representing their clients and individuals during a sensitive time for families impacted me and reminded me of my earlier experiences. It taught me more about valuing life. The timing of that life lesson was perfect. My wife and I had just welcomed our first daughter.

After my experience in the Clerk of Superior Court’s office, I deliberated on starting my private practice. I knew I had the legal knowledge, experience, and grit; however, an opportunity to become an appointed magistrate for Mecklenburg county came about. After consulting with my wife, mentor, and Clerk, I took the nomination. As a magistrate, I learned more about the civil and criminal sides of the court and the laws as I was the gatekeeper for the District courts. Being able to assist victims and provide information that increases people’s access to justice was an honor. It kept me sharp on the law and up to speed with all the players in the litigation arena.