The Talent Here

About a week ago, I watched an interview on C-Span between Brian Lamb and Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Lamb, the founder of C-Span, is perhaps the best interviewer I have ever seen on television. Scalia appeared on "Q&A," a C-Span series. It was a fascinating exchange. Here is the link to the episode: http://www.q-and-a.org/search.aspx?For=scalia&x=9&y=14

Scalia was on the show to discuss his book, Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges.

Lamb and Scalia talked about many things, but one of the topics I remember best is Scalia's note of the tremendous amount of talent coming into the profession of law. It is an "excessive proportion" of the talent out there. In his opinion, too many of the best and brightest are making the law their career when they might better serve society in some other capacity.

Scalia said that such a fact was perhaps a sad commentary on how complex the legal system has become in this country. It also showed, he said, that it is worth paying a lot of money to hire the best and brightest minds for legal disputes.

After one semester of law school, I recognize some of what Scalia is talking about. I see with more clarity than in any other academic system just where I'm beginning to stack up in relation to my colleagues and professors.

I won't make sweeping judgements about my potential after only one semester. Law school and a legal career is a marathon, not a one semester sprint. A joke someone told me earlier this year remains prominent in my mind, however: "Students who get As in law school become the professors. Students who get Bs become the judges, and the students who make Cs become the lawyers who make all the money."

I am beginning to sense the enormous complexity of the law, and I see how it can constantly change so that my learning should never stop, even after I earn a Juris Doctor. Being sharp enough to grasp a concept the first time it is presented to you is an enormous advantage, as you simply do not have enough time to repeatedly study it before something new is thrown at you that builds on the previous concept.

Earlier this semester, I attended a luncheon with FSU Law alumni Daryl Parks and Sean Desmond. They both have their own practices in Tallahassee. Both of them emphasized the need for a new lawyer to pick an area of the law and become an expert in it, rather than trying to survive as a Jack of all trades.

Until Next Time,

Nathan Marshburn