Why do you think you are a better lawyer than the other associates?
Well, in my experience, I excel over others in my profession because I work harder than most and I love it more than all
A good lawyer is the product of both talent and experience. I will take talent over experience any day of the week and twice on Sunday because people can experience the wrong things. With that in mind, I think that I am the most talented of all the associates. What I clearly lack in experience, I make up for in talent. I can adapt and move on the fly – a required courtroom skill and a key to success given the setting of “The Law Firm.” What’s your verdict on reality TV?I enjoy TV. I enjoy some reality TV. I also enjoy TV with real talent. I am (obviously) not an actor, so I evaluated the experience from the perspective of a trial lawyer. The experience, and working for Roy Black, was a career highlight, regardless of whether it was on TV or not. Hopefully, America will say, “that guy can’t act, but he is one hell of a trial lawyer.” What, in your opinion, is the biggest misconception people have about lawyers and why is it a misconception? People think we all share the same values, and those values all revolve around personal financial gain. That is not true. Most attorneys I know care deeply about their clients. They lose sleep at night not because a client has not paid a bill, but because the client is facing an enormous legal challenge that is impacting her entire life. Moreover, many attorneys care deeply about the system of justice and, by inclusion, our country. Justice is inseparable from democracy and the founding principles of our country. Many attorneys fight hard for justice, sometimes at a great personal cost. Amazingly, this fight can occur on many different levels. From arguing a death penalty case before a state supreme court to arguing with a school board over a much-needed reduction in classroom size – wherever a position of justice is asserted, an attorney is likely nearby. People think we pursue our own interests because, frankly, many lawyers do just that. However, the vast majority do not. The ability to argue two sides of the same issue is not the result of a duplicitous conscience; it is the result of a proper interpretation of our adversary system.
Contestants: OLIVIER
Why am I a better lawyer? Most lawyers end up in law school still with a silver spoon in their mouths. I didn’t; I had to fight for it. I dropped out of high school when I was 16 and only made it back on the academic track when I was 23 – in college. There, I graduated at the top of my class in three years, while still working. I managed to get into a top law school and excelled there as well, graduating first in my class. After graduation, I went from one prestigious clerkship to the next – clerking in federal court, on the Central District of California, and then on the Ninth Circuit. After clerking, I started working for one of the top law firms in the country (a firm whose partners include, among others, a former Secretary of State and a former Solicitor General). Following that streak, I opened my own firm with two of the most talented young lawyers I know, one of whom I had met at apps like match my previous employ. We’ve never looked back. What’s your verdict on reality TV?Not all reality TV is created equal. There are shows whose focus is on bringing out the best of us – and thus appeal to what’s good inside of us. That’s inspiring. Then there are shows that capitalize on our darker side – the side that can’t look away when driving by a car accident. Although those can be entertaining too, they’re less than uplifting. What, in your opinion, is the biggest misconception people have about lawyers and why is it a misconception?I can only speak about what is “the biggest misconception people have about lawyers” as it relates to me. Most people believe lawyers to be argumentative and to like conflict. I don’t, at least not in my personal life. I find that it takes way too much work to be right. I’d rather be happy.
