Success is the Intersection of Opportunity and Achievement

This week in the Law School Insider we are bringing you Judge John Badalamenti, judge on the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. Judge Badalamenti shares his experiences with us as well as some of the struggles that he faced.

Judge Badalamenti started his journey as a child. His mother was a secretary for a court in Manhattan. As he would visiting his mother over lunches he would typically arrive early and he would be able to see the courts in action and he found that he aspired to be a Judge one day, to help people.

To be able to get to the point where he could be a Judge someday he knew that he would have to set himself a part starting in his undergraduate years and then continuing this in the law school community for which he chose to attend. In his undergraduate experience he started to volunteer broadly in law offices as well as in the local Sherriff's office working with their legal counsel to get a vast experience that he could draw from.

In getting into law school and getting through law school Judge Badalamenti stated that all law students have barriers that can stop them, or at least can hinder them, from attaining the goals that they have set for themselves. For Judge Badalamenti it started in his undergraduate years when he found that he would need extensive surguries that would span his years in law school and would significantly effect his vision in law school too. As he was looking at law schools he asked questions of students receiving accommodations for disabilities on the services they received. Judge Badalamenti encourages you to ask similar questions if you have a disability. Also speak to the person in Student Services that coordinates these services too to understand the process and the breadth and depth of services.

As you are going through law school it is important to disclose issues that you may having with your adviser or others on campus and to ask for what you need to solve this issue. By offering a solution to a perceived problem you will be seen as someone that is helping and not hindering the institution.

Judge Badalamenti has learned some valuable lessons during his tenrure in his position. However, one of the most valuable lessons that he has realized is the importance of being able to write concisely for anyone that you are going to be working with. This relates to the fact that judges and lawyers are very busy, so the more concise and refined you are in working with them you will save people time in their efforts to work with their clients.

In law school Judge Badalamenti mentions that you need to focus on writing. You need to be able to get to "it" as soon as possible when it comes to legal writing and many law students struggle with this. Why is this important? It is important because as Judge Badalamenti stated, "Less has more effect" when it comes to quality, concise writing.

To be a judge today it takes many years of honest, hard working advocacy as a lawyer first. Through this experience you will gain the respect of your peers as well as the other judges that you will appear in front of in your time as a lawyer. By having a solid reputation, you will find that you have advocates and people that will be willing to assist you when it times to campaign, fund raise, etc. 

A writer that Judge Badalamenti reads states that "success is the intersection of opportunity and achievement". Judge Badalamenti stated that all of you should sit down with your laptop and write out your goals - define what you are trying to accomplish. Too many people aim at a dart board that they cannot see. They are not deliberate. You have to know what you are aiming toward before you can ever achieve your goals. One other activity to do it to take one person that is doing what you want to do and answer the question of what is their background and what did they do to get to where they are today.