So as I really got to know judge and why he likes his job
the amount he does he kind of persuaded me in a sense to get to know more about
what it takes to get to where he’s at. Because from my standpoint that is all I
want, I want to have a career or a job that I can wake up and enjoy going to
everyday. Judge Harris had told me that he went to two separate colleges but I
didn’t go in depth as to how many classes he took at each and how long it took
him to get his degree; so I took it upon myself to look this up.
I feel as if this could actually help people who are looking
for that occupation or career who don’t have a clue.
For the final meeting with the judge I wanted to know the
steps he took in order for him to get to the place he is currently at. When
speaking to him and asking questions this is the information he gave me:
The first step is to achieve a bachelor’s degree from a
university. Some schools will prepare you better for the future of your degree
in law such as ivy league schools but there is no major you have to have in
order to apply to law school, which is the second step to the process. A lot of
future law students major in history, sociology, majors that have to do with
communication, and a lot of others. It is said that your grades that you obtain
when getting your bachelors will determine whether or not your get accepted in
to law school, so getting the best grades you can should be a top priority.
Internships will also help a lot.
Once you get accepted into law school it is key that you
give it your all this was made clearly to me by the judge when he was telling
me all these things.
“A ton of people apply and go to law school and if you were
to go and just preformed like an average joe and got average grades it would be
a waste of your time.” This is what the judge stressed on me over and over
again as I was asking these questions. When he told me this he used hand
gestures a lot to emphasize how important this was. Judge Harris also told me
that internships with lawyers were equally as important.
At this point Judge Harris was up and walking around the
room pacing back and forth while he was telling me all of this information. It
was quite a sight to see especially with how much passion he was speaking with,
it just came natural to him.
“So after law school that’s it? You got it?” This was my
next question.
Judge chuckled and replied, “No not quite. Once you get done
the next step is the bar exam. This exam will determine whether or not you are
prepared enough to practice jurisdiction in the area you reside. And this exam
is not easy to say the least; it takes a lot of preparation. When I graduated
college this was the first thing I did afterwards. I studied for months until I
knew I was beyond ready for this.”
Judge Harris told me once he passed his exam that he
basically lived in a courtroom from there on out. He began his work as a
district attorney starting out gaining experience and bettering himself. His
work was always outstanding so every time his name was brought up or heard it
was nothing but good words. He got on good terms with numerous judges in his
area and always surrounded himself with them so that they could mentor him and
give him knowledge he needed to know.
“After about 15 years I clearly made a good name for myself,
the only step I had remaining in order to reach my life long goal was to apply
and win an election. And best believe I did it.” This was the closing statement
by the Judge.
Meeting with this man was truly inspiring. I learned a lot
from just hearing him talk and how passionate he is about what he does is
amazing to me. I cannot wait until I find out what it is that makes me this
passionate.
