The knock on my candidacy

The first question I had to ask myself is what is the number one negative aspect of my candidacy. I think that inexperience is the clear leader. I've been out of law school almost five years (five years as of this weekend, as a matter of fact). I'll have been licensed for five years as of September 26, 2006; and my first job was working at the Court of Appeals, where I started in December, 2001, and I worked there until January, 2003.

I've tried exactly one case to completion. This puts me ahead of almost everyone my age that's been practicing law for less than five years. Most people don't realize that practicing the law means spending about only 10% of your time in the courtroom. I would estimate that only about one half of all civil cases filed go to a full-blown trial; many cases are disposed of in motion hearings, but the vast majority are settled before or during trial. Some are even settled after trial.

So actual courtroom experience may appear important to voters, but it is less important to the actual judicial process than it appears. One major problem with a popularly elected judiciary is politics. In Mississippi, everything is connected. People living in Jackson grew up with people living in Hattiesburg; someone in Oxford is cousins with someone in Gulfport, and so on. I don't have the native connections, so I have to rely on my personality, my friends, and their connections.

The campaign begins in earnest next week.