In today's episode we speak with Bruce Crews who is the Jackson County Probate Register and a graduate of Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
When I asked Bruce Crews about his definition of success he stated that success has changed for him over the years. When he was younger, it was more about "how do I feel about things", but as he went through and got into his career it was about "who did I help today". In the position that he is in currently one of the questions Bruce asks himself is "Did I write the order for the judge to sign that would help another person's life."
In probate things are different, and you have to make sure that people get through the process. While it is different, the judge that Bruce Crews works for refers to the court as a "helper court."
When thinking about law school and where Bruce Crews was as he was making his own decision. He stated that he felt that he did not take a lot of time to make an informed decision. He was drawn to his choice to it based on distance to where he was as well as when courses were available.
Looking back now, and thinking of the law students that he works with in his current roles, he stated that he feels that the practical nature of the education; being in a real courtroom with a real judge; that he received at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School, made him much more prepared for the "real practice of law." Bruce Crews mentioned that now, if he was doing it again, he would be looking for a school like Western Michigan University Cooley Law School that prepares you to actually practice law, not just what law school will adequately prepare for the bar.
Bruce mentioned that for him the bar exam was a test of memorization that in a way focuses on legal thinking, but real lawyers do not practice from memory, they are looking up and researching all the time, so you have to know how to do this.
Bruce mentioned the importance of "networking, networking, networking" and how much he wished he had made more connections with classmates during law school and it is useful to have these connections now that you can draw on to be successful in your law practice. Whether that is getting to know a specific judge or county procedures, or other things that you may not know if you are not from the area. Having a network you can ask will help you with this.
Also, from Day 1 of Law School your Reputation matters. Be aware of what you say in and out of class as you never know who may be asked about you.
Bruce Crews also mentioned that know that mistakes will be made in professional practice and that there is a system in place to catch mistakes and as long as you do your best, then you pick up and move on.
Did you like this interview? Leave a comment below to let me know!
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