Short Answer: I’m not. I do not believe I have ever met anyone by that description in my profession either plaintiff, defense, corporate, tax, real estate, or otherwise.
The past three years I have been working in this state after having met the requirements set out by the Supreme Court of South Carolina by passing three days of testing for the state Bar Examination and adhering to the South Carolina Rules of Professional Conduct under Rule 407.
However, just to get to that stage I had to:
- graduate from a reputable four year university or college with an above median grade point average;
- graduate and acquire my Juris Doctorate degree from a three years of legal education at a law school which was approved by the American Bar Association (and in doing so incurring over $125,000.00 in student loans);
- pass the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE);
- complete my Rule 403, SCACR Trial Experiences to be certified to appear as counsel in any hearing, trial, or deposition; and
- convince a practicing attorney to hire me straight out of law school with no true practical experience;
You always hear people say:
"I should be a lawyer. I thought about becoming a lawyer but just didn’t have the time. I wish I was a lawyer. I took the LSAT and just decide not to go."
I decided to become an attorney. I worked hard, made sacrifices, went in debt because I could not afford it, and delayed my earning capacity while my peers from college started upon their careers.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, I worked for the American Red Cross as an Apheresis Recruiter in Columbia, South Carolina. This is a much more entailed process than giving blood but my sales pitch was always this:
If you or someone you loved had cancer and was in need of platelets or whole blood wouldn’t you expect the hospital to provide you with those necessities? Why are you willing to receive it but not willing to give it?
In turn, you expect competent legal representation if something were to ever happen to you or your family but you’re not willing to give the profession the praise it deserves.
Why are you willing to receive it but not willing to give it?