THE POWER OF A LAWYER'S (HIGH SCHOOL?) ALMA MATER

    The drive to get into the perceived best colleges and graduate programs has never been greater than it is today.  Students and their families begin building the "portfolio" early.  When our youngest daughter was in 4th grade, she attended the birthday party of a classmate, at which time the child's father announced that his daughter would become a doctor and would earn 3 board certifications.  The latest information I have for that young lady was when she was about 6 years out of high school, at which time she was trying to make her way as a freelance interpretive dancer.  Things do not always succeed as planned.

    While the competition for places in top tier programs remains intense, getting into law school is not as hard as it used to be.  When my now 20-something nephew applied, his mother/my sister, would text me weekly with news of the latest scholarship offers showered upon her son.  Many came from out of state schools to which he had not formally applied.  I responded to her, congratulating him and asked what undergrad grade point average had resulted in such offers.  "3.2".  After I replied that my undergrad average had been 3.7 and no one had offered me a dime, the texts stopped.  

    As the Mock Trial coach at my old high school, Detroit Catholic Central, I see students, including "my boys", working hard, preparing for the next step in their student careers.  And I try to help them when I can.  I do tell them that I see Mock Trial not as a pre-law school activity, but as an opportunity to learn real analytical and "think on your feet" skills which they can carry into any field after the student part of their careers are over.

    There is one thing I haven't told them.  And that is, in my professional career, the most influential educational entry on my CV has been the name of my high school.

    Catholic Central does have a long and impressive list of alumni who are judges and lawyers.  And most practice in the Metro Detroit area, as I have.  But I really learned the importance of the high school alma mater from attorney David Femminineo, a graduate of De LaSalle High School, one of CC's Cental Division rivals.  A long time ago, when I was a plaintiff lawyer and David represented the defense, we had a deposition at his office.  His DLS diploma was on the wall behind his desk.  He said that more people (me included) noticed where he went to high school, than where he went to college or law school.   Soon thereafter, I pulled out my CC diploma and it has adorned an office wall ever after. David was right.

  Later I served as chairman of Catholic Central's Shamrock Bar Association for several years.

  Later yet, I became active in the Detroit Bar Association, where I am a Fellow, a Trustee of the Foundation and a regular contributor to its Detroit Lawyer magazine. 

    I did retire from full time litigation practice with the firm of Landry, Mazzeo & Dembinski in 2021.  And while I have kept busy mediating since, I have not adopted a slick business name, like "ButFacServ".  The Detroit Bar Association, on its website, merely refers to me as "Retired".   

    I don't remember ever telling the DBA where I went to high school.  So, it was with some surprise that I noticed that my name badge for the Detroit Bar's 2022 annual meeting at the Roostertail, (shown above), had my professional affiliation as "Detroit Catholic Central".  I didn't particularly notice the rather odd looks I got from people that night, as I get such looks often, especially during the course of conversation.  After the event, no one from the DBA could explain how or why CC's name made its way to the badge.  But it has now become part of the Butler Historical Archive.

    So, the mystical power of the high school alma mater continues.  So, what lesson do we learn from this, and what wisdom can I pass on to the younger generation?  I have no idea.

    Go, Shamrocks!