As published in the Tennessee Bar Journal
“Advice to Graduates: A Letter to Myself” highlights Andra Hedrick’s remarks during the Nashville School of Law Commencement on Dec. 6, 2014.
Graduating students, it’s an honor to address you on this very special occasion. And it’s great to see all the family members here to celebrate with you. First, let me speak directly to the husbands and wives of our graduates. No doubt the last few years have been toughest on you. While your law student spouses juggled the responsibilities of work and school, this left little time for you. Fortunately, your suffering was not in vain. There is a cause of action in the law called “loss of consortium.” Write this down and look into it. Consortium — C.O.N.S.O.R.T.I.U.M.
To the mommies, daddies, grandparents, aunts and uncles, I congratulate you. You now have a lawyer in the family. And by showing up to graduation today, you’ve earned the right to free legal representation for life. So go ahead. Program your lawyer’s number into your phone. Call it, and call it often.
Now to all the less successful siblings in the room. For you I have only one question. Don’t you wish you had gone to medical school?
And finally, some advice for the graduates. I’m pretty sure this is the part of our program where I am supposed to get serious and say something profound and inspiring. But I could not think of anything profound or inspiring. So instead I thought about all the things I wish someone had told me on my graduation day. And then I sat down and wrote a letter to myself.
| May 9, 1998
Dear Andra: Congratulations. You are graduating from law school today. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have bad news for you. The practice of law is hard. At times it will make you miserable. You will make many mistakes, and some will be terribly embarrassing. Fortunately, I’m here to help. Follow these 10 simple tips, and you will be just fine. First, take off those heels and put on a pair of flats. Do you really want to be that student who falls at graduation? I sure don’t. Yes, I know you have an excellent resume. But I advise not printing it on that pretty pink paper you love so much. I assure you, your potential employers will not be impressed. They’ll just think you’re weird. When you head out for job interviews, take an umbrella. In fact, take the biggest one you can find. Trust me on this one. You’ll thank me later. When you land your first real job, don’t run out a buy a brand new car. Let me remind you that you are poor. Dirt poor. Like ramen noodle and Kraft macaroni and cheese every night poor. And, guess what? Repayment of student loans starts now. If you enter private practice at a law firm, study the names and photos of the partners carefully. There’s no excuse for calling one partner by the name of another partner, even if they do all sort of look alike. At your first solo hearing, take the time to look at the county listed on the paperwork. Trust me. You will feel like such an idiot if you sit for two hours in Davidson County Probate when really you were supposed to be in Williamson County Chancery. From time to time you will get calls from a parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle. When this happens, ask three questions: 1) Is anyone hurt?; 2) Is anyone in the hospital?; and 3) Is anyone dead? If the answer to all three of these questions is “no,” hang up immediately. Never, ever do free legal work for a relative. No good ever comes of it. When you enter the courtroom, turn your phone on silent. Remember, your phone has multiple ringtones for different purposes. Turn them off. Turn them all off. None of us want to hear “Funky Town” ring out in the middle of a hearing. If you are asked to teach at the Nashville School of Law, heed this advice. On all exam days, take the stairs instead of the elevator. The students will absolutely lose their minds if you arrive late on exam day. And I can tell you from experience it takes at least 30 minutes to free someone trapped in an elevator. And finally, above all else, cherish every day you have as a lawyer. It is a privilege to get to do what we do. Be grateful, even on the days that seem to be miserable. And don’t belly ache about your job being hard. Of course it’s hard. It should be hard. Otherwise, even your sister could do it. Sincerely, Andra |
Graduates, my hope in sharing this letter is that you will avoid my embarrassing mistakes. Congratulations on your achievement. And best of luck on the bar exam.