Trial Magazine

My father was killed by a drunk driver when I was five years old. At the age of nine, I sat in the back of the courtroom and watched as my family’s attorney tried the wrongful death action against the driver and the bar that served him. Once the case concluded, the judge asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was that I wanted to be a trial attorney or a judge.

Diane Cardoso, Brady Reilly & Cardoso, Kearny, NJ

The moment I knew I wanted to be a lawyer was as a boy watching the TV show “Perry Mason.” I was intrigued by the courtroom scenes and how he always got the witnesses to break down. I thought to myself, what a cool way to make a living. Almost 44 years later, I still feel that way. And I was pleased to hear U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor say that she also became a lawyer due to Perry Mason!

John Montalbano, Montalbano Law, Middletown, CT

My mother was a legal secretary (that was her title back then), and I had the impression growing up that lawyers existed to draft legal documents. In my senior year of college, I heard the words “advocate” and “attorney” being used in the same sentence. I always thought advocacy was my calling, so I got my hands on a glossy Georgetown Law brochure (pre-internet) and started there in the fall of 1987. I still have the brochure on my bookshelf.

Renée Brooker, Tycko & Zavareei, Washington, DC

What sealed the deal for me was when someone very close to me was a victim of sexual harassment and she got a plaintiff attorney to hold the company accountable. David and Goliath. I thought it was pretty cool that it doesn’t matter who you are­—you can be held accountable.

Joel Franklin, Franklin Injury Law, Louisville, KY

My mom is a lawyer, and when I was in college, she was in a terrible automobile crash. Before surgery, when we thought we might be sharing our final words together, she told me that she wanted me to focus on my education. That moment completely changed my life. She survived but lost her leg. I started working hard in school, went to law school, and the rest is history. I now specialize in representing people with disabilities. It’s a tremendous honor to do what I do.

Matthew Bourhis, Bourhis Law Group, Los Angeles, CA

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