Fagan: Post 1

For my mentor I selected my dad. He has always had a large role in my life and has helped me make many important decisions. A few weeks ago, I asked him to officially become my mentor. He happily said yes. He has had a huge impact in my life both regarding my career path and my Christian walk. Like Ben, the only other person who has had a mentoring role in my life is Coach Swider, but most of my experiences with him are in group settings, rather than one on one. My dad, Stuart, is a civil rights attorney. He has worked in law for over 25 years. He is currently a sole practitioner, although he has been both a partner and an employee at different law firms. I want to follow in his footsteps as a lawyer fighting for people’s civil rights, so my dad seems like the most logical person to mentor me.

Recently, I asked my dad about why he went into civil rights law. Several years ago, when he was already a lawyer, my dad needed continuing education for his work. He saw an ad for a fair housing law conference, a branch of civil rights law, that covered his continuing education needs and he decided to go. When he went, he was interested, but unsure if he would go ahead with it. Right as he was finishing the conference and about to leave, the best fair housing attorney in California came up to him and asked him to take a case. My dad hesitated, but the lawyer offered to help him and teach him all the ins and outs of fair housing. My dad accepted thus becoming a fair housing lawyer and the other lawyer ultimately became my dad’s mentor and still acts in that role to this day.

Having watched my dad help many people over the years has made me want to follow him down the same path. When we talk, he encourages me to go for it, as he loves what he does and he would love for me to join him in the business. I look forward to working for him one day.