Nicholas Monck, 0918 COBJ, Vol. 47, No. 8 Pg. 120
| Position | Vol. 47, 8 [Page 120] |
August, 2018
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Nicholas Monck is the president of the Student
Bar Association at the University of Colorado School of Law, and a member of the class of 2019.
Describe yourself in five words.
Versatile, adventurous, advocate, juxtaposition, deliberate.
Why did you become a lawyer?
Growing up, I didn't have any lawyers in my family, so my only real knowledge of the legal industry came from TV and movies. I knew lawyers represented people in court, but I didn't have a sense of how vast the profession is or the opportunities for lawyers in public service. It wasn't until I had been working in Washington, D.C. and noticed most of my mentors and people I looked up to were lawyers that I started seriously looking at law school.
What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Zealous advocacy doesn't require you to be a jerk, and you should treat everyone the way you would like to be treated. I think it is incredibly important to maintain a positive relationship even with people you disagree with. Nothing justifies personal attacks or vindictiveness. Just because your views are different, it doesn't mean you shouldn't be respectful of someone. For example, before being elected SBA President, I was part of the law school's Criminal Prosecution Society. A lot of my classmates and mock trial teammates work for the public defender's office. We don't allow our different views on criminal justice to get in the way of our friendship.
What is one of the most positive experiences you've had as a lawyer?
The collegiality from everyone in the Colorado bar has been very surprising. Even when I'm calling someone about an administrative or procedural matter and identify myself as a law student, I've had nothing but courteous interactions with attorneys, judges, and elected officials. I know how busy people are, and I've been shocked by how many lawyers have...
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