Great advocacy is more than just experience: it is also about character and purpose. In this series, we take a moment to introduce you to the individuals who make up the firm, by asking 5 quick questions that help you get to know them a little bit better.
This month: partner Rick K. Carter.
1. I became a lawyer because…
I got tricked.
I was headed to Marquette University to do pre-vet and, ultimately, veterinary medicine but my uncle, who was a fairly renowned trial lawyer here in Arizona, called my mother and told her that he didn’t think spending my life doing proctology exams on dairy cattle would be a quality life. So, he convinced her, and she convinced me, to go to law school on the promise that I would join my uncle’s firm after graduating and passing the bar exam. They were both compelling advocates! I even clerked at my uncle’s firm during the summers. However, after I graduated, the firm informed me that it had a policy prohibiting the hiring of family members.
Down but not out, I passed the California bar exam on the first try and then pounded the pavement looking for a job. I ended up at a firm in downtown L.A. through a friend from law school. I was immediately thrust into litigation. They sent me into my first jury trial knowing it would be a loser, but emphasizing that the experience would be good. I won, and fairly quickly realized that I was in the profession to stay.
2. If I did not become an attorney, my other dream career would be…
I would have been a veterinarian and would have been really happy, notwithstanding the dairy cattle image thrust into my brain. Some days, I like animals more than people. Most days, actually.
3. One of the best pieces of advice I ever received was…
The best advice I ever received from a mentoring attorney was “Use your legal career to get into something else, lucrative, as quickly as you can and before it’s too late!” Good advice I never took.
I try to give more realistic advice to those I mentor, the most important, and the ones I live by, being:
- Be nice to people; and
- Win or lose every case on the truth.
My cornerstone belief, however, is this: In God all things are possible.
4. One of my favorite movies is…
“Cinderella Man” is probably my favorite movie of all time. I think it demonstrates – in a real life story – how someone can overcome being down and out and still reach the top of the mountain, with dignity and humility intact.
5. My last listen (podcast, playlist or audiobook) was…
I like all kinds of music, but the one song that inspires me is Elvis Costello’s “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding.” Favorite line: So where are the strong, and who are the trusted? I pray our world finds them.
But here’s an interesting music story: I play ice hockey. I’m the goalie. Most of the players are in their 20s and 30s, maybe a few older. When I would go into the locker room, they would have some really terrible music blaring. At one point, I said “If you want me to play well, you’re going to have to include my stuff on the playlist, too.” They asked me for a name, and I gave them Andrea Boccelli. So, one day I walk in the locker room and they say, “Here’s Rick’s music.” The looks on their faces were priceless. Then, we won the championship. Was it Boccelli? We may never really know. A little Romanza never hurt!