Posted by Hardy Parkerson, Atty. - Lake Charles, LA on 12/21/06

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Questions 1-3 of interview. More to follow.

1. Why did you choose this career?

Well, Ashley, here I go. I had answered all the way
down to number 29 of the 31 questions you sent, but, as I
have told you, I lost the answers, so I am starting again.
I hope I get them all answered in time. My printer is not
working, so I cannot print out your questions, so I will
have to answer them like this. Here goes!

I chose law because I wanted to see that justice was
done. I had seen a lot of injustice as a boy, and I wanted
to do something about it. I once was at a ballgame when I
was a kid, a baseball game, and a foul ball was hit up
into the stands. A very prominent man of the town came up
into the stands and accused the group I was sitting with
of stealing the ball. I knew no one had stolen the ball,
so I answered up to him. He told me to shut up. I told him
I did not have to shut up. He told me he would have me
arrested. I told him to go ahead if he thought he was big
enough, something like that. Pretty soon the cops were
there, I assume, to arrest me, and this really embarrassed
me in front of the family that I had gone to the game
with. I was from out of town and a guest of another
family. I could see the injustice of this, and this stuck
with me. I resolved that I would l become a lawyer and
fight against such injustices. There were other cases of
injustice that I saw as a boy, and I saw the law as a way
of gaining the power to deal against tyrants who brought
about such injustice. Also, I read a book entitled A LIFE
IN MY HANDS by a great California lawyer named J.W. "Jake"
Erlich. He fought for the underdog against the powers of
the government. I wanted to be like him. I resolved to go
to law school and become a lawyer and to become a criminal
lawyer. I used to read Perry Mason stories, and I liked
them. I wanted to be a Perry Mason. Also, I wanted to be
a part of the government, and I could see how many elected
officials were lawyers. I realized that the law was a way
into the government.

2. Did you go to college? If so, for how long? Did you
need a college degree? What kind?

Yes, I went to college. I registered for college in
my home town the day after I graduated from high school.
My faculty advisor asked me at the time what I wanted to
major in. I said that I would like to become a lawyer, but
I knew I was not smart enough. "What are you talking
about, boy!" he responded. "The best lawyer in this town
was the dumbest guy who ever went though this college."
He named the lawyer. After forty years that lawyer is
still practicing in Lake Charles and he is still the best
lawyer in this town.

In those days one could get into law school after
only three years of college on a combined-degree program
whereby he let his first year of law school count for his
last year of undergraduate study. I chose that route. I
got a B.A. in Social Studies. Social Studies and Pre-Law
were about the same thing. Originally, I started in Pre-
Law, but switched to Social Studies to get my B.A.
degree. Generally, a bachelor's degree is at least
desirable, and preferable; but I still think one can get
into some law schools without even a bachelor's degree,
just sixty or ninety hours of college credit. That may
have changed. It probably has changed at the better law
schools. Most, I am sure, require a bachelor's degree for
entry into law school. It really does not matter what one
majors in in college, just so long as he or she has
demonstrated that he or she can do college level work and
can show potential for doing graduate-level work. I knew
a girl in my law school class that had majored in music,
and she did well in law school. Many pre-law students
major in government and political science as a
prerequisite for law school. Engineers do very well in
law school and in law practice. Science is a great
background for the law. Most lawyers are not
scientifically trained nor inclined. Most lawyers are
trained in the social sciences, not the pure sciences.
So, as I say, it does not matter what you major in in
college prior to law school, just so long as you prove
yourself. I took much English and French, a lot of
sociology, a little math, a little science, a little art,
and a little of everything else as the courses leading to
a B.A. in Social Studies.

3. What was your major? Which classes did you take?
Which classes did you like the most?

I have answered this question pretty much in my
answer to number 2 above. I suppose I liked my speech
classes the most, and perhaps my English classes. I liked
writing and literature. I was a member of the college
debate team, so I liked speech classes. I knew that as a
lawyer I would have to do much public speaking, so I dug
into that. Of course, I liked history courses and
government courses, even some philosophy courses, and even
the two art courses that I had to take. I enjoyed
college. Not much I did not enjoy. Was not so good at
math, but I got through it. Had to take only two
semesters of math, as I remember it, and that was limited
to Business Math. Did not have to take College Algebra.
Thank goodness!

Another Young Lady Interviews Seasoned Lawyer, 12/21/06, by Hardy Parkerson, Atty. - Lake Charles, LA.

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