Today in the Law School Insider we explore the journey that Bart Stupak, alumni of Cooley Law School as well as former U.S. Congressman and current partner in the Venable LLP firm’s Legislative and Government Affairs group.
Prior to law School and congress, Bart Stupak was a police officer and had visions of being a state trooper for the State of Michigan. He was able to achieve this dream through hard work and dedication and was actually medically retired from his work as a State trooper due to a job-related injury.
While he was a State trooper he realized how much he wanted to help others and he found that, similar to his brother, who is also a lawyer, that he decided to apply to numerous law schools to see what would happen.
Going through law school he found that he was able to bring so much of his life experience into the classroom and the faculty that he had also brought this same practical nature into the classroom too. Bart also mentioned how important it was to him to have faculty that also were engaged and interacting with him daily.
Bart Stupak worked through law school at night while working full time as a trooper for the State of Michigan. After finishing law school he worked in private practice and then wanted to find more opportunities to serve others, as this was the part of the legal profession that he loved the most.
As he was working and serving people as a lawyer and a United States congressman, he found that you "have to have the discipline to know and follow the law and improve upon the law" no matter what you do.
You also have to know for yourself as you get into the legal profession what the personal satisfaction you are getting from your law degree because in the end Bart Stupak shared that you have to always find ways to help others as that is why you should be in this profession.
Bart Stupak eloquently shared that:
"It's not what laws I might have passed as a Michigan Legislator. The greatest feeling was when a person stopped you and and said 'Thank you for helping my son or daughter who were disabled and you got them some rights and assistance that they needed' or the veteran who got their medals back that they lost in World War II. That meant so much more to people, and that's the way I judge my success. I could make more money if I didn't do pro-bono work, but that's not the purpose of a law degree.
So, as a current or future law student, or even if you are a law school graduate, how are you currently serving others, and how will you serve others in the future?
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Are you a practicing lawyer? A law student? Would you like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of the Law School Insider? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu