President's Profile
| Publication year | 2023 |
| Pages | 04 |
July 2023
What a Wonderful World
BY HALEY HEMEN
New CBA President Judge Nathaniel Baca has an exceptionally human approach to the law, shaped by a simple principle: the desire to help others. "Growing up, I was not one of the lucky people who knew what I would be at a young age. But what I had as a child was the start of something fundamental to how I practice law: I enjoyed helping people. This simple emotion was my primary motivation for exploring the law and finding a way to help others," says Baca.
"During my childhood, I did not have access to lawyers or people in the legal profession. I grew up in a small town in the Four Corners area. As a result, my understanding of conflict resolution grew not through the lens of statutes or caselaw but through discussions between family members. I'm blessed to have come from a family who believed in supporting each other, supported my goals, and gave me room to explore my curiosities."
Musical Roots
By the time he reached college, Baca was pursuing a career as a professional musician. When an ear injury put an end to that aspiration, he pivoted to a career in the law. While it may seem a left turn to some, for Baca, it made sense. "For me, the connection between law and music is the desire to share, collaborate, and build emotional and intellectual connections with other people. As a musician, empathy with the composer and with the audience has always been deeply important. I find the stories, emotions, and history behind songs fascinating.
"As a performer, it's important to study the scores and understand the history behind the songs we play. This study and practice allowed me, as a musician, to properly share the complete song and what the song represents. I find that this approach is similar to the way I like to practice law, in that it is valuable to understand the stories and history of my clients as well as the history behind the law. These stories can be illuminating and, when I began connecting them, I became a more effective advocate and began to hold a greater appreciation and sense of success for my own work.
"Every performer wants their audience to be touched and moved in some way. The law is an even greater opportunity to help people when they need it most and to let them, hopefully, find a path for the future."
To this day, music stays with Judge Baca. It's one of his...
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