Please read updated draft...music/public interest topic Forum

[dabbadon8]

Old thread was starting to have too many drafts so time to start fresh. This is still very much a work in progress but I think (read: hope) I am moving in the right direction. Please let me know what you think of it.

I am sitting inside of a backstage trailer on a cool autumn night. The anxious rumblings of thirty thousand people permeate the thin walls, echoing the nervous anticipation within. Tom Johnston, lead singer of The Doobie Brothers, has just finished wishing us luck when the stage manager announces that we have “five minutes!” The band I founded is moments away from playing our largest show, yet the night’s events are bittersweet. Several weeks ago, the other three members of the band informed me they intended to move to Nashville to pursue a record deal. I had already known, however, that the time had come to make a decision. Beginning in our formative days my band mates would continually razz me “If we ever get a record deal, you’re going to quit the band and go to law school, aren’t you?” I would pretend to laugh it off, but their jokes provoked serious thought as to what I wanted.
The band had under gone a dramatic evolution from the original incarnation’s humble beginnings. From the outset, I acted as band manager. Our first performances were the result of me pleading with local bars to allow us to play for free, and now the band supported my college expenses. Last summer, I booked us a gig as the opening act for the group Kansas and suddenly people were begging for us to perform at their venues. Several times a week we played in venues two hours away, leaving at six p.m. and not returning till four in the morning. The balancing act between school and music became increasingly difficult. Our success spurred me to make a choice between my academic or music career. After examining my priorities, I made up my mind.
The day that the band informed me of their plans, I told them I made a decision to pursue law school. While it may have appeared to them that I was “selling out” for a more traditional career path, it was music that motivated my choice. My introduction to the field came through learning how to copyright songs I had written. In my research, I stumbled upon cases like John Fogerty v. Creedence Clearwater Revival, in which Fogerty, who quit the band for a solo career, was accused of infringing on Run Through the Jungle. A song that he wrote! I became intrigued by music’s dependency on law to protect artist’s rights. This initial interest in protecting the rights of artists ultimately spread to civil, animal and victim’s rights. What started as a simple search for copyright information, turned into a passion that sat side by side with music. As the time came to choose a vocation, I came to recognize that the elements I loved in music; analyzing content, comparing the use of different concepts in various situations, and the ability to creatively interpret compositions, were the same things that drew me to law. I decided on a legal career because it offers me the intellectual stimulation that I love in music combined with ability to make a direct and substantial positive impact on my community.
The spring break following the Doobie Brother’s show, while my friends vacationed, I stayed behind to interview for an internship with the State Attorney’s office. Two months later I found myself in a corner office hearing a stern voice warning me; “Remember this is for this man’s life!” It was my responsibility to complete a death penalty evaluation to determine whether the prosecution would seek capital punishment in the case of a double homicide. In front of me was a stack of papers containing all the legal precedents and at my feet sat a box, which contained all the pertinent details I would have in order to decide whether a 23-year-old man would be tried for his life. Over the course of several days I reviewed the case, discussing all the relevant case law, and arguing my interpretation of the facts with my supervisor. I relished the opportunity to weigh in on decisions that required an array of ethical and intellectual considerations, and I knew that I had made the correct choice of careers after witnessing the tangible impact of our decisions in emotional next of kin meetings.
The process of deciding between my two passions served as an affirmation of my commitment to the field of law. Through carefully examining my priorities, I came to the conclusion that a career in the legal field will fulfill my need for invigorating intellectual stimulation as music has done, while also providing me the opportunity to directly serve the community. It is my intention to use the legal education offered at ___________________to pursue a career in the field of public interest law. I am going forward with no regrets, and if one day Tom Johnston comes calling, I may not be in the position to share the stage, but I will undoubtedly be able to offer sound legal advice.