While it may seem ironic for a correspondence-based school, the two greatest benefits of my time at Oak Brook were the development of strong, lasting relationships with fellow students and the opportunity to learn from an incredible mix of practicing attorney professors who truly modeled servant-leadership.
I have now been out of school and practicing law in California for over 15 years and rarely does a day go by in which I don’t have the opportunity to apply the principles of practice which Oak Brook espouses. While the actual practice of law is generally enjoyable, the most fulfilling aspects of my practice are the abilities to walk with orphans and widows through the loss of their parent or spouse, and, when the circumstances dictate, to be an advocate for justice for those who have no voice. Sometimes this means seeking to right wrongs committed against a now-deceased elder, through application of California’s Financial Elder Abuse laws, and sometimes it involves taking steps to prevent a client from physical or financial abuse by a caretaker or family member.
The degree that hangs in my office daily reminds me that I have been entrusted with a unique chance to fulfill the Biblical mandate to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” and I will be forever grateful to the professors, staff, and fellow students who sacrificially invested their time and resources to give me this opportunity.