In my first year of law school, I rarely had time to pick up the guitar. During my third year, that guitar helped shape my career.
When most people think of law school, they picture classroom debates and late nights reading about lawsuits.
For me, one of the most impactful parts of my law school experience wasn’t in the classroom or courtroom, but playing in a band with my 3L classmates.
Looking back, we created a unique chapter of our journey, and these experiences helped me become a better lawyer.
Books and a Band
In my second year, I met Chris and found out we both played guitar. We started getting together after class to play to take a break from studying. I discovered that Chris wrote his own songs, and I thought they sounded great.
By the summer, we connected with other classmates who also wanted to get together to play music. That’s when we learned Mike could sing and Dave also played guitar.
Our apartment complex had an outdoor pool that no one really used, so it was a great place for us to meet to play music without bothering anyone. That summer, after finishing our jobs as law clerks, the four of us would meet at the pool with our acoustic guitars to play for fun. Before long, people started coming to the pool to listen.
After a while, we worked up a few of Chris’s songs along with some covers and started performing at open mic nights downtown. Pretty soon, people started showing up there to see us play.
At the start of our third year, the law school was planning a social event for the end of September which they called the Fall Ball. We pitched the school on the idea that the Fall Ball should feature live music and that we should be the band to take the stage.
Amazingly, they agreed.
Once they said yes, we had less than a month to assemble a full band, learn more songs, and find extra hands to bring it all together.
Dave got his drum set from his parents’ basement, Mike unpacked his keyboards, and we started looking for a real place to rehearse.
The first available spot we could find was an empty car dealership showroom. We turned it into our practice space. We called it “The Fishbowl” because it had huge glass windows, which let everyone outside see us inside.
For weeks, we went to school during the day and practiced there at night to get ready for the show.
Luckily, we had talented classmates who wanted to help. Marija took charge of the soundboard, mostly because she wanted to DJ between sets; Rob and Derek sang backup; Scott joined with his bass; and Shawn and Tom managed pretty much everything else. Even though we were all busy with classes and work, everyone made time to work on our project.
When the Fall Ball finally arrived, our hard work paid off and we had a great night. I’ll never forget the surprised looks on the faces of some of our toughest 1L profs when we started playing.
All along, it felt like we were planning the grand finale of our summer music fling, but it turned out to be just the beginning.
After the show, more opportunities to play came our way, and we chased them all. Surprisingly, the fact that our band and crew were all law school students caught people’s attention and helped us get noticed.
Over the rest of that school year, we played nearly a dozen shows. While many 3Ls were spending their free time focused on job applications and bar prep, in between classes and work, we were booking gigs, appearing on the radio, landing a spot as the opening band for a major-label artist, and signing a contract with an indie label who produced the demo we used to promote the band.
We ended up renting the Fishbowl all year.
As the school year drew to a close, we were invited back to play at the graduation party on the lawn by Cartwright Hall, steps away from the pool where everything began. It was the perfect way for us to celebrate an unforgettable school year.
From Music to Law
Looking back, can I see clearly how my experiences in the band shaped my work today.
We didn’t earn academic credit for our project, but the experience we gained was just as valuable. We had real opportunities to use our new legal skills to navigate areas like partnerships, contracts, and music licensing. We took a crash course in teamwork, time management, and balancing priorities.
The experiences we had in the band also set the stage for my professional journey.
Early in my career, the connections I made through the band introduced me to a musician who was being cheated by her manager. She became one of the first clients I brought to my law firm.
Working with her gave me insight into the broader challenges people face in the workplace and in handling complex business deals. Her story inspired the journey toward the work I do now: helping clients protect legal rights in the workplace and prioritizing people at the center of business disputes.
Lessons Learned
At the time, I didn’t realize how much lawyers and musicians have in common.
Balancing law school, work, and a music schedule helped teach me how to adapt fast under pressure. Live performances, like trials, can be unpredictable. In litigation, the ability to adapt to new challenges is essential to achieving the best possible outcome.
It also showed me how teamwork and collaboration are essential. In the band, everyone had a role, but we all worked toward a common goal. Putting on a trial is similar, and I always try to make sure that everyone on my team understands their role and our goals. Anyone who has worked with me knows how much I value teamwork and collaboration.
Playing in a band isn’t something people typically associate with a legal education, but it was an experience that definitely helped make me a better lawyer.
