Frank Marciano Law School Essay October 1980

In poetic terms, I want to be a lawyer so that I can be a player and not a pawn in the game of life. I want to enter a profession where I am free to pursue those ideals that I consider important to myself and to society. Admittedly my values and ideals have been shaped by my parents, since both my mother and father are practicing attorneys. Their main topic of conversation has always centered around the law and quite naturally they have always shown by example and reason the benefits of a law career. My father deals primarily with workmen's compensation and my mother deals in such non-trial matters as estates and real estate. They are both involved with people on a one-to-one basis, and while they will never have the fame or fortune of a corporate or criminal lawyer, they have something I admire and hope to have myself one day the respect of the community and a dauntless attitude towards life.

My idea of a worthwhile practice would be similar to my parents' fields. I have always been at ease with the working man. My jobs as dishwasher, bus boy, parking lot attendant, chauffeur, sweatshop worker, janitor, and various other jobs have put me in contact with the working pe­son who is often sadly and coldly victimized by a complex and uncaring society. Their biggest burden is that they lack the knowledge of the legal system and consequently the ability and confidence to stand up for their rights. With a legal education I will have the knowledge and confidence to stand up for my rights. As an attorney I will also have the ability to make myself professionally available to those people who are unable to fight for themselves.

Although I have been interested in a legal career all my life, it was not until I worked as a research assistant, for my father's firm, Florio, Dunn and Marciano, that I actually experienced what it was like to be a lawyer. I was hired for a nominal salary in the summer of 1978 and in January of 1979 to assist a law clerk who was working for the firm. Since I knew little about legal research, I could not directly assist any of the lawyers nor could any of them afford to teach me the law. But by spending time with the clerk I was able to learn much about legal research and a little about the interaction between lawyers and between lawyers and their clients. What I saw and learned interested me  and strengthened my desire to become an attorney.

If my past and present life is any indication of my future, I will most likely have a diverse and interesting clientele. However, as a lawyer, I probably will never have the famous clients nor the influential connections that lead some lawyers on the road to fame and fortune. However, by helping people who need help and by treating these people with common decency and respect, I hope to garner respect for my name and for my ability as a competent and honest lawyer. Furthermore, I hope, by reputation and manner, to enhance the honor accorded to all of those people involved in the legal profession.