This week in the Law School Insider we are bringing you Bob Beeckman, Special Investigator with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). It was great having Bob Beeckman on the show as he talked to us about his role and using his law degree in a unique way.
Bob Beeckman stated that his role in the FBI is as a case agent. In this role he examines the evidence. He also is testifying in cases against the people being investigated. In a large case that he was a part of, the Kwame Kilpatrick case, he used numerous examples to show the ethical shortcomings of lawyers and other legal affiliated entities as it related to this specific case.
When it comes to ethical dilemmas, Bob Beeckman shared that Kwame Kilpatrick was a lawyer but ended up having to surrender his license as a part of the investigation into the criminal organization that he was running within the City of Detroit. Kilpatrick had lawyers that represented him that placed him on the stand in his first trial and he committed perjury. Plaintiff counsel had found text messages that showed that Kilpatrick had perjured himself on the stand. When this was found the counsel contacted legal counsel for the City of Detroit and due to this being brought to them, they went to their client which was the Detroit City Counsel and people of Detroit and encouraged them to settle for more than jury had awarded in the case. This was done by the City Attorneys for the personal benefit of Mayor Kilpatrick.
The lack of judgment in this case is a good example for all law students that might work in a public capacity, working for a city or municipality. As Bob Beeckman states, if you have an official that is leading your area that has done something illegal then it is your duty to tell them that they must get their own lawyer and not represent them personally, as it is your duty to represent the constituents that are a part of your public area/municipality.
Bob Beeckman stated that his father was a police officer in the City of Detroit, and he always had an interest in law enforcement. While a student at Cooley Law School Bob Beeckman had an opportunity to hear from field agents who were visiting the school to recruit for the FBI and to tell their stories. He stated that the stories made the career sound interesting and after his many years working for the agency he has found true joy from the work that he does daily. Bob Beeckman shared that if you enjoy law enforcement, the FBI is a great option as it has the largest jurisdiction of any federal agency.
The FBI is the investigative arm of the Department of Justice so when Congress is investigating things, they will state which agency has jurisdiction over a case and in many cases the FBI takes to lead on these cases. The FBI does look for certain types of skills and traits in people that they recruit. If you were interested in working for the FBI they are looking for a diverse group of people. Lately they have been examining more people with backgrounds in areas of:
- Foreign Language Proficiency
- Engineering
- Computer Skills
- Computer intrusion and security
Considering an undergraduate curriculum that incorporates these areas can make you very marketable.
Also, if you have opportunities that you can point to that show that you have had experiences in a supervisory role or If you have positions of responsibility and have placed in a position of trust, they want to see this too. Gaining these types of experiences is more important in Bob Beeckman’s point of view than even the idea of being a police officer first.
As he looked back at his own law school career and law journey, he stated that if would have done anything different he may have wanted to become more fluent in a foreign language. Outside of this he said that he would not have done anything different to change his path in getting into the FBI. He started in law school being an intern with the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, which allowed you to go and prosecute cases. Because of the good work that he did with this Association he was asked to stay on as an Assistant Prosecutor. A few years later as he was interviewing for the FBI, they asked questions which probed ethics and professional responsibilities that you had. Luckily, he had hundreds of stories to tell because of the work that he had done as an Assistant Prosecutor.
One final piece of parting wisdom that Bob Beeckman left us with was that any good interview question and answer has three parts to it.
- The dilemma that you faced.
- Your creative solution to the problem.
- The happy result.
Did you like this interview? Do you have a question for Bob Beeckman? 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, or do you have a topic you would like to hear about? Send me an email at lawschoolinsider@cooley.edu
