by Traverse Legal, reviewed by Enrico Schaefer - June 28, 2007 - Albion College, Chapter 1, Detroit College of Law
THE PAST…There are few moments in life where everything changes. I know where those moments are for me. They probably number a dozen.
Standing at the grade board at Detroit College of Law after my first semester, matching my student number to my grade in contracts is one of those moments. While the possibility of a transcription error still remained acutely possible, there was no denying that the numbers matched up. My heart started to race. I remembered what everyone told me when I started at Detroit College of Law. Their words were placed in different orders, with different emphasis. But the message was the same. "Just don’t flunk out."
My brother Mark was already a year and a half ahead of me at law school. He was on law review. His success as a lawyer, a profession that he claimed from as early as I can remember was assured. The contrast was stark. When I went to Albion, my parents had high hopes. With my first semester at Albion, I received a 2.4. My dad was furious. Threats were made. Ultimatums were given. I had better do better.
The following Semester at Albion I started to come out of my shell. Always socially awkward, I had been adopted by a group of people who I am proud to say remain my friends to this very day. My grade point second semester was a 1.8. I think that second report card was the moment my parent’s expectations for me changed. "Don’t flunk out" was a phrase I would hear many times in the coming years.
I stood at the Detroit College of Law grade board thinking back, my heart pumping. Little did I know that that single first ‘A’ would thrust me on a path that I had swore I would never travel. The one thing I had always known would never happen was about to become my destiny. I was no longer going to law school to avoid getting a real job. That ‘A’ was now in control. Its power would permeate everything about my life for the years to come. I was now walking a path that would take me through the age of thirty, and eventually lead me to places and teach me lessons, which make me the man I am today.
What I failed to realize is that I still had choices. I turned my life over to that ‘A’ until my thirtieth birthday, when I reclaimed my life as my own. There are still days where I hate that ‘A’. There are still days where I hate what came after it.
As a founding partner of Traverse Legal, PLC, he has more than thirty years of experience as an attorney for both established companies and emerging start-ups. His extensive experience includes navigating technology law matters and complex litigation throughout the United States.
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by attorney Enrico Schaefer, who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a practicing Business, IP, and Technology Law litigation attorney.
