This past Monday, I helped say good-bye to a friend and mentor in the legal profession. The bits and pieces of what exactly he "meant" in my life come out in dribs and drabs, but he, among other people, helped me focus on the practice as something to enjoy.
He was a one-time clerk for Judge Higginbotham of the Seventh Circuit, and an adept senior litigator for one of the two federal antitrust enforcement agencies. He was the lead attorney on an investigation that I staffed with my mentee. We had so much fun, and we enjoyed ourselves. We learned to research, write, and ask the tough questions, particularly during investigational interviews. I've never seen so many top industry executives excrete so much collective sweat in my entire life.
And he did it with a twinkle in his eye, and a love for teaching the younger attorneys.
I left that agency three years ago, and he continued to be a friend and mentor-and someone that I looked to for guidance. I saw him again at his retirement party, which he thoroughly enjoyed, and I'd heard he had a blast this past year.
We will miss him quite dearly. I hear the sound of The Governor's laughter in the next room, or get my point across to a client in the way she understands, and I understand why these things were so important to him. The best thing to do to honor his memory is to practice law with enthusiasm and integrity, which I am more than happy to do.
Posted by equilibrium-girl at February 26, 2005 08:25 PM