Why Barack Obama Is a Role Model Lisa Shuchman The Minority Law Journal <http://www.americanlawyermedia.com/mlj/> October 20, 2008
*We asked some minority partners about the lessons they see in the career of the nation's most prominent minority lawyer. Not all plan to vote for him, but they all have strong opinions. * ------------------------------ "I'm impressed by Obama's ability to get people to focus on shared values in order to reach a consensus. This is the same thing you do in trial work: If you can get people to buy into common values, you can win. When you try a case, you figure out what value system you need to play to -- how you can get support across ethnicity, race and gender. "Obama does this in a political sense -- every time he fights through the smoke and gets his message out, he gets support through shared values. In law you also achieve consensus by focusing on common values." *-- Edward Fernandes, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, Austin, Texas <http://www.akingump.com/efernandes/>* "The two lessons I think young lawyers can take from his rapid rise is that: One, you need not abandon or turn your back on the black community to excel in the profession; and two, he forever dispels the myth of a black professional 'glass ceiling.' "In my experience, African American professionals -- especially, in large corporate law firms -- tend to believe they have to make a difficult choice: They have to abandon their connection to the black community to achieve success. They believe they have to join the white country club, send their kids to a white school and even have a white spouse. They think that to advance their career, they need to adopt white social customs so they can be in proximity to the power players. "This, of course, is not the path they're required to walk. But these are the signals young minority lawyers receive -- the myth that's conveyed. Barack Obama dispels that myth. Law students can look at him and say that it's not a requirement that they abandon the black family, the black church and concern for black issues in order to succeed. "Obama also demonstrates that there is no glass ceiling for black professionals. It can often feel like ceilings exist where they don't. There's a natural progression to everything, but Obama has accelerated the curve. He is an example of someone who has defied expectations. Now, more African-Americans will see they can follow a path to the top." *-- Ashley Taylor Jr., Troutman Sanders, Richmond, Va.<http://www.troutmansanders.com/ashley_taylor/> * "One thing that hurts the minority community is that there are not a greater number of us participating in elected politics or, to a lesser extent, appointed political positions. It takes a great deal of fortitude, strength and intelligence to participate in those positions at a high level. "I find Obama to be a great inspiration to others insomuch as he gives guidance on different ways we can participate. He shows that we can be part of the mainstream of America and yet still understand and represent the issues that minorities have had to live with for hundreds of years. He gives people the confidence and courage to do that." *-- Debra Wong Yang, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Los Angeles <http://www.gibsondunn.com/Lawyers/dwongyang> * "The No. 1 lesson minority lawyers should learn from Barack Obama is that merit works. They should look at his example and recognize that they need to rely more on being successful academically and in their careers and less on affirmative action. No one can question Obama's success and accomplishments. No one says affirmative action put him where he is. There is no question why he is where he is today. "Minorities should emphasize hard work and merit as opposed to diversity and affirmative action. If they achieve success through hard work, then irrespective of whether people can pronounce their names or whether their parents came from Kenya or, as in my case, Colombia, clients won't care." *-- Juan Morillo, Clifford Chance, Washington, D.C.<http://www.cliffordchance.com/directory/lawyers/details.aspx?LangID=UK&contentitemid=12364&f=all&l=morillo&p=all&c=all&o=all&positionid=all&countryid=45&officeid=all> *** "At the time Obama graduated from law school, there weren't a lot of role models for minority lawyers who wanted to follow a nontraditional career path. There was no safety net if things didn't work out, and there weren't many people who would reassure you that it was OK if you didn't want to be part of a big powerful law firm. I'm sure most of the time people looked at Obama as a minority with a Harvard Law School degree and said he was throwing his life away. [Although Obama had been a summer associate at what's now Sidley Austin and, likely, could have clerked for a federal judge, after law school he took a position at a smaller firm, taught at the University of Chicago Law School, wrote the memoir "Dreams From My Father" and launched his political career.] "In that era, it was harder to have the courage to follow your own path. If you failed, people would say you blew your one chance to be a minority within the power structure. But he took that risk and did something different. Young minority lawyers can learn from Obama's example that they shouldn't be afraid to pursue their own path." *-- Michael Kim, Kobre & Kim, New York <http://www.kobrekim.com/bio/michael_kim.html> *** "Young lawyers can learn from Obama that if they have vision, build relationships and have a little charisma, they can do anything. And this applies whether they're looking at a career in politics or in a law firm. Obama is someone who has taken a great interest in the law as a profession and as a means of change. He's developed relationships at every step of his career. And this is an important lesson for young lawyers: Law practice is not complicated. It is about the quality of what you do and the nature of the relationships you build." *-- William Lee, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, Boston <http://www.wilmerhale.com/william_lee/> *** "My impressions of the [Democratic] nominee and the impact he is having on the legal profession and on lawyers of color in particular is that he operates on the 'no fear' principle. He is willing to put his intellect, courage, judgment and vision on display as an example of what each of us can be. For a person to have that level of courage, knowing he will be under fierce scrutiny, is extraordinary. Everyone -- and, especially, young lawyers of color -- should look at his ability to rise above it, or in spite of it, as they try to find their way in the profession, as they will also be put under fierce scrutiny when they enter a law firm." *-- Mary Richardson-Lowry, Mayer Brown, Chicago<http://www.mayerbrown.com/lawyers/profile.asp?hubbardid=R132198513> *** -- "Usually when people are sad, they don't do anything. They just cry over their condition. But when they get angry, they bring about a change." - Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Black Focus Inc." group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Black-Focus-Inc?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
