This week on the Law School Insider I am bringing you Judge Richard Suhrheinrich who is Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit serving in Lansing, Michigan
Judge Suhrheinrich has a long legal practice history with many experiences in medical malpractice law. President Ronald Reagan appointed Suhrheinrich to a judgeship on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in 1984. President George H. W. Bush appointed him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1990. Suhrheinrich assumed senior status in 2001.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich knew form an early age that he wanted to be a lawyer. He came from humble beginnings. Growing up in a home in southern Indiana without running water in the same county that Abraham Lincoln was from. He became very interested in Abraham Lincoln early in his life and felt that if he could become a lawyer from his humble beginnings then he could too.
He also felt that he had the right attributes to be a lawyer. He loved to read and as Abraham Lincoln once said, if you want to be a lawyer, “Read, Read, Read.”
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich has had a long and distinguished law career. He started his career as a law clerk for the oldest law firm in the state of Michigan. He was fortunate enough to get hired by this firm, a firm that had been representing doctors since 1891. In 1969 he left his firm to start his own firm with a partner that focused on medical-legal defense work. By 1984 he had approximately 75 lawyers working for his firm and 150 employees in all and the firm was very successful. As a part of this success he was able to financially support the Republican party and as he stated he became “political” by giving donations to this party. Judge Richard Suhrheinrich also mentioned candidly that if you have an interest in being a judge you have to be somewhat political.
In 1984 President Ronald Reagan appointed him to the U.S. District Court and in 1990 President George Bush appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals.
I had Judge Richard Suhrheinrich tell you what he would share with a law student that came to him asking for advice about finding success as a lawyer. Judge Richard Suhrheinrich mentioned that first he would tell students to take some time to really think about the reasons why they want to be a lawyer as it is a very time consuming and difficult field. He shared that the practice of law is demanding and many lawyers will give up much family and personal time to be able to represent their clients well. You have to be able to answer the question on whether you are willing to give up the time that it takes to be a quality lawyer.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich also mentioned that to be a quality lawyer you have to learn some basics. Things like how to be mannerly and knowing things like what fork to use and how to get off of an elevator are things that law school may not teach, but are skills that will take you far in your career and in life. You also have to be prepared as a lawyer. When you enter a courtroom Judge Richard Suhrheinrich said that you should be the most prepared person in the room and this just shows you that there is no substitute for plain hard work. In the end you will learn what questions to ask people because of the hard work that you put into the cases that have.
I asked Judge Richard Suhrheinrich if there were certain things that someone should read to prepare them for success. He stated that there were not specific books, but that he would recommend that pre-law students consider a business curriculum and taking courses that focus on reading and writing.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich share his thoughts on how to find balance between personal and professional life too. He first explained that he would not have been able to be as successful as he has been without “marrying well.” This means having a significant other that understands the demands of the job and the profession and who is willing to step up and take on some of the things that you may not be able to. Second, he mentioned that you have to set boundaries and determine what are the important things and non-negotiable things in your life and career.
If you want to be a lawyer you have to think about being a lawyer all of the time. You can do this in many ways, even in the leisure books that you read. Judge Richard Suhrheinrich stated that books like To Kill A Mockingbird and others are perfect to help you start seeing the law in a new way.
Judge Richard Suhrheinrich sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals. This is a court that was created by the Constitution of the United States and he is an Article III Judge which means that it is a position appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. As a Judge on this court his jurisdiction is limited to what the Constitution says that they can decide.
In the end, Judge Richard Suhrheinrich says that being a lawyer is a great thing. You have great responsibility, do interesting work and you are caring for society. Looking back at his career what he is most proud of in all of the success that he has had is that he can say “my God, I’m a Lawyer”