Law: A Customer Service Job

Because the military rotates assignments every 18-24 months, Andrew Henderson faces a diversity of challenges. Currently, Henderson defends sailors whom the Navy is trying to eject from the service. "You spend a lot of time on your feet," he says. The pay is low for the long hours, but because of an informal atmosphere and a love of the law, Henderson enjoys what he calls, "the ultimate customer service job."

"Very quickly out of law school you get some tremendous litigation experience when working in the Navy," says Henderson. "I'm also not stuck in an office all day. I go to hearings on ships, subs, and airfields." Henderson cautions, "like medicine, law is a very specialized field." Don't assume that all lawyers are alike, nor do they all do the same work. "There is a minority of lawyers making a lot of noise and giving the field a disreputable image," he reports. We live in a very litigeous society, says Henderson, where people poke fun at lawyers while at the same time sue their neighbor for slander.

"My law school class at Pepperdine University was about 50% women. Ten years ago it wasn't anything close," says Henderson who predicts more changes. Military law will have a great deal of opportunity, says Henderson who clerked at a civilian firm before the navy. But before going in head-first, Henderson advises, "Reevaluate why you want to go to law school. Too many people go to law school for the wrong reasons." Says Henderson, "Don't go for the money, because Mom or Dad went, or because you don't know what else to do. Go to law school because you're interested in the law."

There is no single major that is best for law, says Henderson. "Better lawyers are not pre-law lawyers." Working in customer service, or in jobs that might have to deal with complaints, would be a valuable personal experience. Generally a J.D. from law school is sufficient to practice law, but if you want to teach, says Henderson, an L.L.M is a credential you'll need. Intenships are scarce and generally reserved for law school students. In the meantime, Henderson recommends reading university law reviews and the American Bar Association's journal.

by Jeremy A. Villano '97