Representing Individuals and Companies in Lawsuits

Name: James Reece

Major: Economics

Law School: University of Minnesota

Description of your job: Our firm only handles civil litigation so I am involved in representing people and companies who are either suing or being sued. We handle lawsuits all over the country and occasionally outside the United States.

Do you have any advice for students who are considering going to the same law school you did? I think that it would be helpful to sit in on some classes and get whatever other help you can in advance so you know what law school will be like. I also think that reading, writing and analytical thinking are the key skills you should work on.

Is there anything in particular that you did during your undergrad that benefited you more than anything else in getting through law school and/or transitioning into the legal profession? I was used to studying.

If you had a chance to go through law school all over again, is there anything you would do differently? I would take my advice in the above answers.

Is being a lawyer what you expected it would be? Why or why not? Pretty much. It may be that litigation is somewhat more stressful and time ‑ consuming than I expected, but some of that depends on the type of litigation that you do.

What is it like transitioning from being a law student to being a lawyer? Like with any job, you find yourself watching others constantly and learning, hopefully from good role models.

Is there anything students should know about the legal profession before they decide to commit their life to it? I would recommend that they "walk around with" some lawyers, talk with lawyers, work as paralegals or in other jobs where they will have exposure to lawyers so that they can see first hand what it's like.

What does a typical day look like for you as a lawyer? Lots of analyzing fact situations and strategizing about how to best achieve the outcome for your client; interacting with lawyers on the other side of cases; interacting with clients and witnesses; and interacting with Courts.