Tim Finchem Interview: Law School, Leadership, and Career Lessons Beyond Legal Practice

Last Updated: September 2026

A legal education can prepare graduates for far more than traditional law practice. Analytical thinking, persuasive communication, problem-solving, writing, and the ability to evaluate complicated issues can translate into careers in business, government, public policy, nonprofit leadership, consulting, and many other fields.

Tim Finchem's career is a particularly useful example.

Finchem earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He began his professional life practicing law in Virginia before moving into politics, government, consulting, and eventually senior leadership with the PGA Tour.

In this Top-Law-Schools.com interview, originally conducted in 2010, Finchem reflects on why he chose law school, what he learned at UVA Law, how moot court strengthened his communication skills, and why legal training continued to influence his work long after he stopped practicing law.

Some references below reflect circumstances at the time of the original interview. The broader lessons about legal education, transferable skills, practical experience, and career flexibility remain highly relevant to students deciding how they want to use a law degree.

From an Early Interest in Politics to Law School

Top Law Schools: Do you recall when you first developed an interest in the law?

Tim Finchem: I was in high school and went on a field trip to watch a trial. I was a junior in high school, maybe 18 years old, and I thought I could do better than the lawyers I watched in terms of presentation.

I also had an interest in politics from a young age. John F. Kennedy's presidential campaign got me interested in politics and public policy. At that time, becoming a lawyer seemed like a natural path for someone interested in those areas.

Top Law Schools: When you went to law school, were you intending eventually to become involved in government and public policy?

Tim Finchem: To some extent, yes, but I definitely wanted to practice law. I wanted to litigate and be in the courtroom.

My focus in law school was admiralty law because I was interested in litigating maritime claims. I was in Norfolk, Virginia, and anything connected with ships interested me. At the same time, I always thought legal practice could become a foundation for future involvement in public policy.

Beginning a Legal Career in Virginia

Top Law Schools: What were your first years practicing law like?

Tim Finchem: I worked for a plaintiff-side personal injury firm that also handled criminal, business, and real estate matters. Its central focus, however, was representing people connected with the maritime trades.

The firm represented seafarers and members of maritime unions in Norfolk, which meant that it handled many claims arising from that work. Much of what I did involved maritime law and plaintiff-side personal injury work.

After several years, I established a general practice with two other attorneys. At the same time, I was becoming increasingly involved in political campaigns.

Eventually, I left Virginia for Washington.

Moving from Legal Practice into Politics and Government

Finchem's career illustrates one of the broader possibilities available to law graduates: legal practice does not have to represent the final destination of a J.D.

His involvement in political campaigns eventually led to work in Washington and later to a White House role involving economic initiatives and coordination among different levels of government.

Top Law Schools: Did your legal training help you take on those types of responsibilities?

Tim Finchem: Somewhat. Legal training develops analytical skills as much as anything.

You learn to look at both sides of an issue, ask the right questions, stand back from a situation, examine a set of facts, and make an evaluation.

Those abilities are valuable in almost anything you do. They are particularly important in organizations, whether you are working in business, government, politics, or another field.

Why Legal Training Can Be Valuable Beyond Practicing Law

One of the strongest themes in Finchem's experience is that the value of a J.D. is not limited to knowing statutes, cases, or courtroom procedure.

Law school teaches students to:

Break complicated issues into manageable questions.
Evaluate competing arguments.
Identify relevant facts.
Communicate conclusions clearly.
Write persuasively.
Defend a position under questioning.
Recognize weaknesses in an argument.
Make decisions when the facts are incomplete.

Those abilities can matter in traditional legal practice, but they are equally relevant to leadership, business strategy, consulting, government, policy, negotiations, and management.

Law graduates interested in exploring such options may also find LawCrossing's guide to 60 Nontraditional Jobs You Can Do with a Law Degree useful, as well as its discussion of non-legal careers for people with law degrees.

Choosing the University of Virginia School of Law

Top Law Schools: Growing up in Virginia and attending the University of Richmond, was UVA Law your first choice?

Tim Finchem: Yes. I spent four years at Richmond and then a year in graduate school studying political science. During that time, I had opportunities to spend time in Charlottesville, and I didn't really want to go anywhere else.

I did consider pursuing a Ph.D. and teaching political science. I was accepted into a graduate political science program at USC, but ultimately Virginia Law was where I wanted to go.

Finchem's experience also demonstrates an important principle for prospective students: choosing a law school can involve more than rankings alone. Academic interests, location, professional goals, culture, cost, and the opportunities available through a particular institution can all matter.

Students comparing schools can explore the broader Top-Law-Schools.com law school rankings and profiles, while keeping in mind that rankings should be only one component of a larger decision.

Professors, Constitutional Law, and Learning Outside the Classroom

Finchem remembered several professors from UVA Law particularly strongly, including Civil Procedure professor Dan Meador and constitutional law professor A.E. Dick Howard.

During law school, Finchem also became involved in work surrounding changes to Virginia's constitution. That experience exposed him to the intersection of law, politics, public communication, and government.

It is another example of why some of the most useful experiences in law school can occur beyond ordinary classroom assignments.

Students who combine coursework with research, clinics, advocacy competitions, public service, internships, political work, or other practical experiences can gain a broader understanding of how legal training functions in real-world settings.

Moot Court and the Importance of Communication Skills

One of Finchem's most memorable law school experiences was participating in UVA's Lile Moot Court Competition.

The competition required students to research issues, prepare briefs, argue multiple rounds, and respond to difficult questions. Finchem ultimately reached a final round in which Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall participated as a judge.

Although Finchem's team did not win the final, he viewed the experience as enormously valuable.

Tim Finchem: I look back at debate in high school and college and then moot court at Virginia as fundamental to what I have done throughout my career because of the communication skills I developed.

It doesn't matter whether you are working in business, government, public service, volunteer organizations, or somewhere else. Whenever you have to deal with people, communication is essential.

Writing briefs and arguing cases also took my ability to build and defend an argument to another level.

Why Communication Matters in Legal and Business Careers

For law students focused heavily on grades and substantive legal knowledge, communication skills can sometimes receive less attention than they deserve.

Finchem's experience suggests that students should deliberately practice:

Public speaking.
Persuasive writing.
Listening.
Responding to difficult questions.
Explaining complicated concepts simply.
Advocating for a position without ignoring opposing arguments.
Communicating with people from different professional backgrounds.

These skills can matter in client relationships, interviews, negotiations, courtroom advocacy, management, business development, public policy, and organizational leadership.

Transitioning from Law into Business and Consulting

After leaving government, Finchem did not return permanently to conventional legal practice.

He performed some consulting work with law firms and operated a business focused primarily on strategic corporate consulting.

That transition demonstrates how a legal background can become one component of a much broader professional identity.

LawCrossing discusses similar transitions in its guide to pivoting into non-traditional legal careers in policy, compliance, consulting, and related fields.

Another useful resource is Beyond Practicing Law with a Law Degree: New Career Options for JDs.

Should Law Students Consider Business Education?

During the original interview, TLS asked Finchem what advice he would give students entering a difficult legal employment environment.

His answer centered on preserving options.

Tim Finchem: I generally tell people to make decisions that increase their options when possible.

If I had to do it again, I probably would have combined an MBA with my law degree.

A law degree provides one kind of training, but if you eventually move into business, having a deeper understanding of business can be particularly helpful.

If you practice business law, understanding corporate structures, finance, incentives, and how businesses operate can also improve your ability to understand your clients.

The important point is not that every law student should pursue an MBA. Rather, students should think carefully about the knowledge and experience that will complement the career they want.

A joint degree can involve significant additional cost and opportunity cost, so prospective students should compare those tradeoffs with their intended career path.

Use Law School to Expand, Rather Than Narrow, Your Options

Finchem applied the same principle to coursework.

Instead of approaching law school simply as a sequence of requirements needed to graduate, students can use electives and extracurricular activities to develop knowledge that supports several possible career paths.

Someone interested in business might study corporate law, securities, taxation, finance, or entrepreneurship.

Someone considering government might combine administrative law, constitutional law, regulatory courses, clinics, and public-sector internships.

Students interested in litigation might emphasize evidence, trial advocacy, moot court, writing, and clerkship opportunities.

The broader lesson is to make choices intentionally.

Practical Experience During Law School Matters

Finchem also emphasized the value of practical professional experience.

He encouraged students to use summers and other opportunities to work in environments such as:

Law firms.
Corporate legal departments.
Courts.
Government offices.
Clerkships.
Public-interest organizations.
Businesses.
Other professional settings connected with their interests.

Practical experience can help students answer a question that coursework alone often cannot:

Do I actually enjoy this kind of work?

Internships and summer positions also expose students to workplace expectations, professional relationships, deadlines, client service, and organizational culture.

Even experiences that ultimately convince a student not to follow a particular path can be valuable.

Finchem's Own Law School Summers Took a Different Path

Interestingly, Finchem acknowledged that he did not personally follow the conventional summer-employment path he later recommended.

One summer he worked on a constitutional referendum campaign. Another summer he worked on a congressional campaign. At another point, he tended bar.

Those experiences nevertheless developed skills and relationships that eventually became relevant to the unconventional career he pursued.

The lesson is not that every law student must follow the same prescribed sequence. Instead, students should understand what each experience is teaching them and how it contributes to the direction they want their career to take.

What Was Law School at UVA Like?

Finchem described his first year at UVA as an adjustment but remembered law school overall as challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable.

He was deeply involved in activities outside the classroom, including politics and campaign work, while also completing his law school coursework.

His advice was straightforward: get as much as possible from the experience while you have it.

Law school is expensive and demanding. Students therefore benefit from treating it as more than a credentialing exercise.

Classes matter, but so do professors, classmates, clinics, competitions, internships, professional organizations, networking opportunities, research projects, and experiences that help clarify long-term goals.

A Career Does Not Have to Follow a Straight Line

Finchem entered law school expecting to practice law. He did practice. But his career later extended into political campaigns, government, consulting, business, and major organizational leadership.

For today's law students, that trajectory highlights an important point: a J.D. can become part of a career rather than define the entire career.

A person can begin in a law firm and later enter government.

A lawyer can move into corporate strategy, compliance, consulting, operations, recruiting, academia, policy, entrepreneurship, or management.

Others may remain in practice while changing firms, specialties, markets, or professional goals.

LawCrossing's Alternative Legal Careers: Planning for a Job Change as a Lawyer provides additional guidance for attorneys evaluating those kinds of transitions.

Key Career Lessons from Tim Finchem's Experience

Develop transferable skills. Analytical thinking, writing, communication, and persuasion remain valuable whether or not you spend your entire career practicing law.
Keep your options open. Courses, internships, complementary education, and professional experiences can expand the number of directions available after graduation.
Learn to communicate effectively. Finchem viewed debate and moot court as some of the most consequential preparation he received for his later professional life.
Gain practical experience. Classroom knowledge becomes much more meaningful when students see how organizations, courts, businesses, government offices, and law firms actually operate.
Do not assume your first job determines your entire career. A law degree can support many different professional paths.
Use law school intentionally. Students have only a limited period in which they have access to professors, clinics, student organizations, advocacy competitions, internships, and other educational opportunities.
Understand business as well as law when appropriate. Attorneys working with companies benefit from understanding how clients make money, make decisions, evaluate risk, and organize their operations.

A Lighter Closing Question

At the end of the original interview, TLS asked Finchem about being portrayed on Saturday Night Live.

He laughed about the experience and recalled receiving messages the following day from people telling him that the appearance meant he had "finally arrived."

It was a light ending to a conversation that ultimately offered a much broader lesson: legal careers do not always develop in predictable ways.

A student can enter law school imagining one future and ultimately build something entirely different.

The most useful preparation may therefore be learning how to think, communicate, adapt, and make the most of opportunities as they arise.

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