Welcome back to another episode of conversate with aim D Earl and I am back with a another very special guest um so I always start off this podcast it’s official conversate podcast question opening question and it’s a finish this sentence and it’s if I was not a lawyer
I would be a what man if I wasn’t a lawyer Jesus that is a hard question uh if I wasn’t a lawyer I would probably want to go in to be a doctor I you know probably would uh if I wouldn’t be that then I would probably
Be a basketball coach because I love both of them but I would say a doctor because I like to help people I think that saving lives really helps in in Alliance with what I’m doing now saving lives keeping people out of jail keeping people from being sued right and I have
A love for basketball so seeing you know the kids as they grow up and they go to a leagues and they go to high school and they go play basketball in these uh younger professions and not going to the NBA sometimes sometimes going to the NBA but just seeing that passion that they
Have for the game um it’s something that I I just like to see always man so you were like if law school is not hard enough you do M SCH try to go for all the man and see it’s crazy because I didn’t know how hard it was so
My fiance is actually she’s a pharmacist and she went through four years of school and uh wow and she always talked sometimes well I should have just went to you know med school and become a doctor but I think about how hard it was
For her you know and it was it was like it was challenging but I think that after a while you know she kind of got her Niche and she was able to do it and I’m like man if I couldn’t be attorney I could be a doctor you know and I would
Have her help me you know we can we can t this thing you know so real so no yeah a doctor probably go be that’s dope tell me about your B your background in basketball I played basketball until I was in high school I started uh my a experience when I was in
Elementary and I went to high school um basketball was that thing that gave me in school um of course I want to be an attorney but that purpose was driven by Brotherhood that I got dur playing basketball is crazy because yeah not long ago I actually had a conversation
With one of my old high school classmates and he invited me to his baby show he’s having a he’s having a a little girl the commer that you get from that right you get the Brotherhood you get the friendship and you get the long lasting relationship of just having a
Friend there that that knew you in some of the toughest moments and some of the greatest moments of your life facts um and basketball was really something that brought me closer to a lot of people and uh longlasting relationships as well man that’s real how how much did
You have let me tell you something I had 12 points a game 12 points a game 12 points I can’t lie I had 12 points seven rebounds you know I did what I can uh I was okay 12 s is not bad that’s pretty good you know I would I wouldn’t you
Know but yeah it was it was it was definitely serious you really don’t understand it until you leave and you go to college and you grow up you know that just that it was the freedom and the love that you have for the game you know when you start being professional and
You doing professional work and you know if you don’t go to basketball and there but you’re just being professional in the world it’s like damn like it was really Freedom that I had during all of this like the love or the sport and the freedom that I had
Those those bus rides to the games from the most fun times whether you won or loss J you would talk to each other man I had some of the best naps in the world going to the games I mean I would go to sleep it would be a good time uh they
Prank you they they try to put nothing on your face all times man and so you know some of us had Squad up a little bit you know facts facts it was a good time it just Freedom you know man dope no that’s real so that is dope that you
Would teach you be a whole basketball coach that that would be fire that would be fire so how where did the law come so I’ve always want to be infiltrate I tell people all the time I wanted to be an attorney since I was little I was a
Person that you know you watch CS get csiu this other things like that but I’ve always had a passion for it my mom told me when I was little she you always arguing so you always want to be you just love AR and you learn that it’s
More than just arguing right you learn that it’s a lot more right but even in school you know being on in debate team you know going to f like doing these different you know oratorical things and speaking and being able to get in front of a room and be confident and talking
About the law when you don’t know it when you’re so young you get that passion for it you have that drive for it right yeah and so being able to do that man I wanted to be attorney since I was young and it just continued to grow
As I matured in in school matured in my personal life and everything else and uh when I got to undergrad I joined the young Democrats of of of Southern University where I went Southern University and college and you know that really one of my mentors was in that
Program he was a mentor in that program and he took me to a hearing one day at an appell court and it just sparked my interest even more because just seeing it was a black attorney actually it was a black attorney going against uh a majority attorney and just to see him
Speak with such power and he had the control of the room and that’s what sparked me again when I got to college I’m like man I can do that you know it’s because of what I saw yeah and it’s because of like what you see in that
Room in that in that in that courtroom can really spark people and can change people and and and you see that every day in court you see that every day going to these arguments man and having that power to really control the room in that type of setting is powerful man
That’s real that’s why representation is so important because if you weren’t able to see that then you weren’t you weren you would that you can do it that you know possible I asked a lot of attorneys on this podcast like what was some attorneys did you know any attorneys
Growing up and a lot of them say they didn’t know any attorneys like the fact that there was no rubric there was no blueprint for what an attorney a black attorney was yeah that’s sad like you you don’t know what to go off so you’re going into this field you don’t have any
Game plan or any example moving into it so the fact that you were able to have um to see somebody and also the point you made about being a kid you didn’t know the law but being able to speak publicly I always say because I I wanted
To be a lawyer since I was young too and I think it’s dope when you recognize it from a young age you’re good at something you know you may not know all the ins and outs of it but you’re you’re able to do something you’re recognized
For it like oh my I’m good at something I don’t know what that feels like I know what that actually meant so that’s really cool so where did you go I was milary BR so my dad was in the milary we moved majority of my years in Florida
But we went from Italy to ger all and then we came back to the States my family’s originally from Louisiana my mom and dad are from Louisiana grew up here um and then my dad joined the military and then we grew up everywhere um but my roots are in Louisiana so
That’s when I went every summer came to see my family came to spend time with my family here but mostly grew up in Jacksonville Florida um then I came back my dad retired here uh in in Louisiana and stayed here ever since and been matriculating through ever since then
Wow you stayed there so what was your favorite place to live in growing up my favorite place to be honest with you would have to be Italy and it’s crazy because the food is amazing the water is amazing but the people are better you know the people
Are even better than all that you know it’s just the people are so nice they come by they come in better than the food water people they they speak every morning good morning you know just they just wow before the pandemic I hope they’re still that way but you know they
Shake hands they say good morning um they’re they’re very fashioned forward so they they I love the way they’re dressed you know and and you know they have you know Paris week fashion week and they have so many different things that happen you know over there that they’re just genuinely nice people um
And so that was a beautiful place to live beautiful place to grow up of course I like to come back to the States so I’m close to the family but that would be the top that would be the top that’s dop how long were you there for
Six years six years yeah it was a while I don’t know anything else about it though exad of food just the food but no it was it was a greatest I tell people all the time you know it’s crazy me and my Fon actually had this conversation the other day about would
You go into the military and like talking about like that lifestyle and I would tell I told her no I wouldn’t go into it but I love the experience I got from it because I got to experience a lot of things some people that look like us don’t always get to experience right
Get to travel you know to Europe get to travel to all these differentes across the seas and you know I got to experience I got to live that life um so I’m appreciative for it I would never do it but sure do you feel like how do you feel
Like that has affected like your perspective spe on the law or just in general being in those different it gave me it gave me a perspective of how much we’re needed to Mentor because even then I didn’t see a lot of people that look like me you know and
And see you know the majority all the time can put you in a space where it’s like man you know and that’s part of my reason I went to HBC because I wanted to see more people that look like me wanted to know about my culture know about my roots in my
Culture and seeing you know why I loved Italy and I loved all these places I didn’t really get to see a lot of you know black and brown people when I grew up and so I was I was sheltered in a way from that aspect of my culture um so it
Really I was really invested in mentoring after that um seeing people that look like me that I can reach back and reach them and help them in their matriculation either through life through you know different organizations that I’m a part of or through law school
Um and and it really drove what I do now in mentorship yeah so how did how do you start mentoring I feel people use mentoring all the time people want to be mentored people want to Mentor like how do you even start that what what’s the
First step you take I’m G tell you I’m one of those hard mentors at first because I really want you to be serious about it right like you have to you can’t just come to me and and and think you’re about to waste my time and and
When I say that I mean you have to come with with an open mind because if I’m telling you something either it worked for me and you can finesse it but don’t just shut it down completely because you don’t understand it right um so the first thing I talked to my mentees about
Is what do you want to do what’s your what’s your in go what what is what is something that you can that you can accomplish while either in your first year second year third year law school or where you are in life today what can you accomplish and we write goals down
And if I can help you I’m a try but if I can’t help you I’m damn sure gonna find somebody that can and doing that yeah we have those goals and we we have a six-month Mark where are we at in six months with that goal where are we at in
Six months after that with that goal um because I want people to do goals that are achievable not just setting the sky for the and then it’s never can be achieved um so you’re not seeing the end result that you want so then it’s like no I don’t
Really want to do this no more so you know achievable goals but we also have a one-on-one conversation about you have to be responsive to me as I have to be responsive to you so that means we we meet we have conversations if if it’s be FaceTime text message or phone calls we
Meet every so often I try to meet every like maybe once or twice a month I know people are busy I’m hella busy too but we try to meet once or twice a month um and having those schedules are important because you you can’t have a mentee but
You never talk to him that’s like what’s the point of that right you go into a menty mentor relationship knowing you’re GNA have to sacrifice some time you’re gonna have to sacrifice some time investing and sewing into those U mentees so they can be better people better attorneys better in life whatever
It is um so that’s really how I start that um and go from there I think that’s I think that’s a key point because I think there’s a miscommunication at the beginning where some mentees feel like they need to be the one reaching out every single time
To keep this relationship going and then if you don’t you feel like all right then I’m not being a good mentee and then mentors on you you don’t want to feel like you’re chasing this person over trying to help them like I’m I want this for you like no you have to want
This for yourself so I feel like you’re saying like there needs to be a conversation from the the beginning like hey this is the type of relationship that I want I just check in this many times you could do it more than if you want but having that communication at
The beginning of like this is what I want this mentorship expectation this this is what I expect from you and you give me what you expect from me so we already have those expectations out man it’s like a relationship this is this is what I can
Deal with and this is what I can’t deal with it I can’t deal with ad flag de with this I do if I see this no like and that’s really what a mentor M relationship is I have to know how you communicate are you a texter are
You on the phone or your FaceTime do I need to meet you in person like what how do we how do we communicate how do we better this relationship how do we get you to your goals um and that’s important man that’s real so how many people do
You me right now I have six right now I have six people um four of them are in law school right now one just graduated and passed the bar and one is taken the bar we taking it next week so uh February bar is here yeah it’s coming up coming up
Man crazy what so what are you what are you telling the February bar examiner and tell the tell the rest of the February bar examiners out there what you tell most important thing I’m telling her right now is to really hone in on what you know what you don’t know
You’re not going to learn but you’re just not learn it’s not you don’t know it right now next week but make up for that and what you do know and make sure that’s Rock Solid because what you do know you gotta perfect it because you don’t know some
Stuff right um I think I told her actually turn her phone off you know you can’t have outside communication right now like you want to take this thing and be done and then you can talk to people for the rest of your life but this is an
Important exam and and you got to you know cut out because sometimes man family during times like this can be sometimes the worst because they they want to not that they’re trying to be but they want to make sure that you’re good so much that they distract you from the end goal
Because they’re calling you they’re texting you they’re trying to make sure you’re good and sometimes you have to put that boundary there so you can handle business and then come talk to them later and the last thing I tell them is sleep absolutely man you got to
Get some sleep because what you don’t sleep you don’t retain if you don’t get no sleep you do not retain and um retention is the most important thing for that man that’s real I that’s so true when I took the exam I need to block out the
Month before I need to shut down everything I tell you you know you lose sleep like you stay up you’re studying you’re you’re sitting up here trying to make sure that you rain all the information I was a more so of a exam guy so I took like old exams and I would
Take them like constantly taking all all exams full exams you did the full I just went through now I didn’t time myself because I felt like I didn’t I didn’t need to do that at that point but I wanted to see what and it was important
Because me to the point where I can get in test mode and feel comfortable doing that um but yeah man you gota block people out because man people stress you out will man that’s real so what what what year did you pass the bar yeah 2019
Okay so give me a bar hor story whether you when you were studying or when you were taking the test anything go ter tell you uh I wrote the bar and people think I’m they give me the same look that you’re giving me I literally I wrote the bar exam I wrote
All of it and Midway through my last day the last exam so the way Louisiana is set up you have three days Monday Wednesday Friday you take the exam from 8 to 5:00 pm so they break it up you have an exam from 8 to 10 uh 10 to 12 1
To three 3 to 5 eat Monday Monday Wednesday Friday yeah oh my God no it’s horrible but Midway through my one to three exam my hand my hand cramp and I could not for the life of me write down the last part of my hypothetical I was trying to write and
So I had to take like five minutes and just like massage my hand because my hand literally had cramped so hard like my hand was about to fall off my hand had five minutes count five minutes is five minutes count man and so I still
Had multiple choice to do man I had like 10 multiple choice left so I was like okay so what I did was I had to use my left hand and I’m not horribly left-handed but you know that’s not my dominant hand but I went through while
While in those 10 10 multiple choice and I just did the multiple choice with my hand here so this hand can rest you became idest in like five minutes and so from there uh when I finished the multiple choice my hand got some feeling back so I finished the exam um yeah I
That one thing L doesn’t do they don’t show you what how you did on that exam if you passed it so I don’t know how I did on it probably failed that section horribly and just picked up rest of I don’t know um but I you know we’re an
Attorney today so um that’s it I I appreciated that for what it was I tell everybody if you writing it make sure and the thing is you can put yourself in a situation where practicing but until you’re on that exam day you really can’t really feel how it’s going to be then
Because I mean I was just writing you know just writing just the press That’s crazy so how how is the Lou Louisiana Bar set up like in terms of like what’s like it’s multiple choice and every exam has um 10 multiple choice questions and then you have uh five
Hypothetical questions depending on what it is so for constitutional law you’ll have something more than likely you have something dor dor Clause you have something on like something else on constitutional law and then you have 10 multip choice questions from there um and most the time and it’s Bas Laing you know that
This that there you have all those things and they love interstate commerce and and and all that good stuff so they put that on there and then they go and give you 10 multiple choice after they give you those hypothetical situations now mind you during those hypothetical situations you could have some like
Subsections one a one b 1 c 2 a 2 b 2 C and it’s like bro I can’t just give you a one sentence like y’all want a paragraph for each of these so you really got to know what you’re saying because you gota you got to answer
Everything you got to get the main points that you can hit and you really go to just know how to how to how to finesse it in a way I learn I love writing got so I just you know I could I could write somebody under the table so
I’m like man let me see this you know go come it’s hard so so so the Monday Wednesday so that’s Monday like Monday wednes Friday each day is the same way and then wow Tuesday is really your days to like get ready the Tuesday is your day to get
Ready for Wednesday and the Thursday is your day to get ready for Friday and Sunday is your day to get ready for Monday but that that one day in between it really goes quick like as soon as you wake up you’re studying by the time you
Know it at 6 p.m and it’s like damn I got an exam tomorrow I don’t even know what’s going on so crazy man it’s so how different jurisdictions are different because in DC it’s two days back to back and it’s six hours each day one day is multiple
Choice and one day is all essays so the fact that it’s spread out the I feel like I’d rather it be back to back days to spread it out to spread it out for a whole week that’s too much stress Tuesday and Thursday you really don’t
You really stress and say like how did I do Monday how did I do Wednesday like how did I do Friday like I don’t know like yeah yeah man that’s funny okay so one and done you you passed to Bar congratulations so what was your first
Job first job after passing the bar was at the Department of Justice uh Assistant Attorney General um really did a lot of civil rights stuff civil litigation that stuff a lot of motion practice I did a lot of 1983 claims um so you know it was heavy on motion
Practice and heavy in hearings and then we hit Co hit it was like you’re kind of just trying to figure stuff out from there now we went to zoom court and going to zoom Court you’re really trying to figure out how things go because you know from that march to May June July
Everything was like shut down so it’s was weird um and then Zoom court is now now become a big thing um so we continue with that still going still going from there transferred into private practice got you did you always want to do federal government work or you know
That I just always thought I could do would do but it’s just something that came along and I’m I’m thankful I everybody I’m thankful for process because they really gave me a foundation because you know you leave law school and you really go into practicing not knowing sh anything about practicing you
Literally go into it like I gotta file a motion how do I do that I got to go file that okay what do I do after I file the motion like what do I do after the court gives me my receipt of like what do I do with that like how do
I calendar my dates for you don’t know how to do any of that right the administrative side of lawyering that nobody you don’t plan for you you know they just teach you no and state specific law also like you just don’t yeah so going from there man uh the doj
Really got me a base of that because I had I was blessed enough to get a secretary and a pargal that knew what what what was going on so they were able to teach me and so when they’re teaching me I’m Lear from while I’m actually helping them as well because I’m
Bringing them into the F on what I do on my side and they’re bringing me into the F on they do on their side and so doing that you know really gave me a base of the Practical aspect like you said administrative of how lawyering is and
Uh it helps with the everything else because pener and me we never like each other ever I want you to know that me and P are never like yeah oh my gosh that’s real so transferred into the Private Practice how was that transition you know I would say this private practice is
Um it’s different and it’s different because uh you know now I’m dealing with Bill I’m dealing with you know clients that are very rich and that expect you to do a lot of things that are out of your power um you’re dealing with the powers that be that is a European based
Majority of a law firm that’s bringing black and brown people in that just don’t know how to do that um so then you deal with you know the PA of aggressiveness you deal with you know feeling like sometimes your minority and you just don’t have anyone
To talk to and trying to Mentor in those situations um but once you get through those feelings you learn the game and it’s a game you learn how to get through um but Private Practice was was a struggle for a little while because I’m just you know trying to build 160 to 180
Hours a month it’s like how in the hell not going to do this and you learn you know you learn how to do and and it’s crazy because every client has different you know requirements that they that they need and different billing requirements you got to learn that you
Got to learn how to you know tailor your writing to the partner that you’re working for if it’s more than one so it’s a lot but it was it it’s it’s been it’s been well just an adjustment yeah that’s real so so break down the game give like a quick synopsis
Synopsis of what what what is the Private Practice game have what have you man um so together the game let’s talk about that uh no the um the first thing you do when you get in into private practice is make sure number one that you have a mentor that’s in private
Practice or that has been in private practice for while and then once you get into the firm pick what you want to do smart and wisely because a lot of different people are going to want to say hey can you work for me on this project hey can work
For me in this project and you have to balance what you’re going to do because you’re not able to do everything so you have you’re going to have to be able to tell the partner hey yes I can do this for you however I’m busy with this
Project one right now and I’ll get with you and get to your project after if that’s okay if it’s not if you have a deadline I understand maybe I won’t be able to do it so understanding your limits that’s number one number two getting involved don’t just be at your
Desk 247 don’t be in your office 24/7 if they have events outside of work go make yourself known yep smile even when you don’t want to tell them funny jokes even if it’s not funny uh the lawyer Coury lawyer jokes learn Game of Thrones learn these shows like
Learn them you know what I’m saying because you have to be able to not just be a office work you have to be able to move that outside of being in an office and you have to relate to them because if you’re on the track for partner if
They don’t know you personally or they don’t know who you are outside of just who you what you put on a piece of paper working they’re never going to promote you a partner they’re never going to promote you to anything they’re going to say oh yeah you a good
Attorney and then lastly yeah join the bar association committees join different diversity committees make yourself stand out I know when I was at my uh at my last firm I just moved for another firm now but I was on my last firm and I was vice chair of the
Diversity committee that was something that me as a you know as a Young attorney that never happened and I was the first black man that even hold that position so you have to be able to get yourself in these positions these committees not only as your firm but
Bars Association wide because you want to be recognized I’m very big on prono work I did that a lot in law school and I continued it into my uh my practice now and that’s some of the stuff that gets you recognized and that’s some of
The stuff that gets you on that track to become a partner awesome so how do you how do you stay true to who you are because you say like learn the jokes learn the lingo how do you still stay true to who you are though and not compromise your own
Personality and your own values while also playing the game you have to set a limit and when I say that is yeah I can tell the jokes this in the third but I’m not going to be disrespected while I’m playing the game and if that means the passive aggressiveness that needs to be
Addressed or if that means that you know my work is getting graded a little bit harder with a lot more red marks that I don’t think they feel or if that’s you trying to change who I am as a writer because you want to see something that
In as a writer but that’s not something I say it as a writer you have to have those conversations and I think that you know if if the conversations don’t ever you know go toward a solution that might not be the place for you because every firm needs to respect their boundaries
With you like you respect your boundaries with them and trying to change you as a person could never be a thing what firm is supposed to do um because who you are is who you are now let me tell you something I they call me a rebel CU I’m gonna have a Martin
Luther King Malcolm X in my in my office you know what I’m saying that’s just who I am as a person big poster I’m always represent for my people but however you got to know your link with that right and then you can’t just do go overboard and have Malcolm X
Faron and then have you know a big poster of black Jesus and don’t think people are going to get offended you know you got to have a you got to have a boundary that in your office as soon as they come in has there has to be a boundary
Somewhere but you have to all always yeah make sure that you’re staying true to yourself by making sure that you set a boundary on what you’re going to accept and not going to accept and make sure you have a conversation after that got you got you so to take it back a little
Bit give me a uh welcome to the to the legal field moment we passed the bar first time at the doj what’s a moment where you’re like this is real man so I would have to say it was my first motion for Su judgement hearing on a case on a 1983
Claim in federal court and I was going against a seasoned attorney he was practicing I think 10 years my argument was solid my exhibits to my motions for summary judgment was intact a to eat every exhibit possible I got there the judge called my name and this the first time I ever been
Attorney Williams who is that me oh I’m here that’s me that’s me is that me um I got there I got in front of the judge and I froze I couldn’t like she was asking Mr Williams are you okay yes ma’am can you give me a second please
Like my hand started to sweat my body started to shake cuz I’m like I’m really out here representing a whole doj and I’m don’t know what I’m about to say and I don’t know what I’m saying my paper right here and I can’t say anything I’m
Frozen and so you know I got through my argument and I thank God I did you know it was little hiccups there little hiccups here but I got through it when I tell you that opposing attorney wiped the floor with me and that’s because I just that practical thing like like that
That practical aspect but actually it and not even that it’s just going and seeing how it’s done if you’ve never been like a first chair second chair on anything like I would advise people even watching this man go and and and even if it’s like you not doing anything but
You’re just sitting there in that atmosphere you get that feeling of how it is because that feeling that adrenaline is rushing and that’s when you first start it’s like what am I doing you know now go up there without paper in my hand work like this is what
It is this what’s not they lying this why you know what I’m saying they lying and this is why but you know when you first start it’s it’s all that adrenaline russing and you don’t know what to say yes no I don’t know my
Name is Gary is it you know that kind of thing so that was my come to Jesus meeting when it first started yeah yeah that’s a good one I feel like a lot of people have those stories too just like just not being able to speak and I think
It takes the pressure off to hear those stories because like we all want to do so well going into our our first moment and it’s like you’re human it’s okay like and and this is a it’s a practice it’s a skill that you learn you’re going
To do this 100 times over so it’s okay that the first five are terrible so you’re gonna get better at um so so I want to take it to how I not met you but how I interact with you from Twitter and just just follow you on Twitter and
Seeing your tweets be me being inspired um as a law student becoming a lawyer and and seeing you you you’re encouraging tweets and funny tweets and all of it um and which is why I wanted you on a podcast because being able to be on Twitter in that space and we all
Know there’s law Twitter there’s a whole legal community on Twitter speak to me about why Twitter like when did you get into tweeting specifically like consistent legal tweets and talk about law tell so Twitter is it’s funny that you bring that Twitter is we met through
Twitter and uh and and Twitter is one of those places sometimes I get a little overboard because I like to I like to inspire I like to make sure go and and sometimes it’s it’s the it’s intentional because I make sure Black Law students black young
Attorneys like I make sure I I talk very direct and it’s the crowd knows who I’m talking to right good you you can’t miss um I I I started that probably three four years ago because when I’m thinking and I was talking to my mentor about
Mentorship uh I talked to him about why there’s such a lack of mentors and how can we reach more people right how can we go out and because I felt like mentors at the time only thought oh I’m G give you some law school outlines oh I’mma give you some information about a
Job but you’re not gonna call the people to help me with the job oh I’mma give you what you need for the theet but you’re not giving me no material or sitting with me and talking to me about how to get to the next get to law
School or just like One initial call minutes r with them yeah so when I started tweeting about law students and black law students I got people started coming to me in my inbox or coming to me on my tweets and actually asking me about you know information about either
Law school or how to get through law school or how to take the ball and it just really started going from there and it’s been such a overwhelming overwhelmingly positive response because I’ve gotten so many people a lot of of my mes three of them met me through Twitter that’s
What’s crazy and we still talk to this day and it’s crazy because two of them are coming to my wedding that’s how that’s how we close we’ve become and so and and that’s awesome that space for me has been a space where I’ve been able to touch people that I normally wouldn’t
Touch and I tell people all the time social media has become such a powerful tool and so sometimes I just have to I tweet things or I type them up and I delete them because you have to know who you are in that space and everyone has a following everybody
Has an influence no matter if it’s big or small and so sometimes I have to pull back because sometimes I I want to tweet some things about some things happening I’m like you know you got you don’t want to give them the negative aspect of and
Sometimes I don’t give a damn and I just tweet anyway and it just just go from it just go from there you know what I’m saying factu the truth needs to so why did you tweet Tweed private all this other stuff but uh but you know
It’s it’s been inspiring and and I thank you for your words I’m so glad been able to inspire people in that in that space because that’s what that’s what that’s what I always want to do you know and just inspire people and tell people it doesn’t come from you know being well
Connected I’m a person that just you know out is out here just doing it on my own and being in spaces and networking with people and growing from there so if I can do it you can do it you know and and that’s always what I want people to understand yeah in that
Space no that’s real and I think it like I said it it’s good that you speak the truth because I feel like a lot of people the things you say may not have been like some Epiphany is something that a lot of people say but nobody
Wants to put it on social media nobody wants to say it out loud things that people need to hear especially in that space not it’s been definitely helpful so talk about the law Twitter space legal Twitter like law Twitter is not for us I said and and and it is for us
But it’s not and the reason I say that is because you see so many people look some people don’t want to go to big law and that’s okay I feel like law Twitter put you in a space where you feel like you’re under overwhelmingly unachieved and it’s not that it’s just people that
Are boasting and bragging about where they are what they do and this that the third and it’s no advice that’s being given that can actually be correlated to someone being a better attorney it’s just people going in there talking nonsense yeah and you know I I have been
Known to uh quab with a few people we go back and forth because it just foolishness that they talk about I’ve learned to you know push back a little bit and not do as much but it it law Twitter is one of spes where you have to
Be careful how you get wrapped in that because it can get you so wrapped in law Twitter that you think that Twitter is going to be your real life and you got to think about that is right yeah be mindful what you put on there and be mindful who you’re arguing with because
You never know who’s connected to who and even though they might not know where you work at your face is there they can find where you work at because Twitter has a thing that they people uh that goes wrong but so I really mess with people go to
Twitter up some do I don’t know man this um law Twitter can be good as far as you know helping people with job placement employment and stuff like that and maybe you know different ideas like that or different things like that but it just it could be drama field as
Well that’s real and it does depend on who you follow and there’s always like certain threads that get started on Twitter like the the black lawyer thread and those are always so exciting to see because you could just tell how we don’t see enough black attorneys by how
Refreshing that is and it’s and it specifically in the the social media space this is why I started the podcast because in the content space we don’t have black lawyers speaking we don’t have black voices in this space so that’s why I was so refreshing um to see
You other people in that space as well that’s a great point because people think that you see you there’s so many black attorneys in this world but there’s so few of us we only see what we around yeah and what we’re around is very in between because the majority
Controls this profession and I want people to stop thinking that we out here you know getting all these numbers we’re out here in in droves yes but they’re very small droves that’s why we got to get more people into law school get more people into these spaces because we’re
We’re outnumbered and and please come exactly please man come Prof so how do you where do you see the future of your Twitter where do you when do you want to take this do you have any future plans or you just Twitter is a space where I I use
Twitter more than I use any uh social media platform um Twitter is a place I’ll always be at um but I always tweet I say this regular regular conversation if I’m ever up for a nomination L it always to be I think I always want to encourage people yeah you know I I
Always tell people I always tweet about this I’m a person outside outside of the law so I tweet about regular things I’m a sports fanatic so I tweet about games I tweet about happy hours hey got to check this out everything because the world is filled with so much hate and so
Much anger and so much you know animosity sometimes you just need to laugh or sometimes you just need to go on these social media sites and just figure something me and my fiance send other stuff that we laugh at all the time just from stuff on Twitter or
Instagramu like away from all the anger and stuff that’s happening in the world um I hope that my Twitter can continue and continue inspiring people um and continue to just you know I’m able to touch people and send people into law school or send people into those spaces
That they don’t think they they they can be at but with my help they’re able to do that and they’re able to help me too because you’re helping me be a better person while I’m helping you get to where you want to be um so hopefully in a couple years my Twitter
Helping people more from there right that’s do you want to flex real quick say how much how much followers you got I I have I have more than 4,000 followers and and and and you know we’ve grown that in the last year substantially and I’m grateful for that
And and and we’re able to touch people with that with that following of course it could be more and we’re going to try to grow it more and we’re going to try to continue to to to encourage and do all that but yeah four 4,000 is where for
Sure hey no that’s great no it’s great and it’s definitely gonna grow it’s definitely gonna grow um so you said something about you’re more than just the law so who are you outside of the laws dive into who’s Gary outside of me legal profession I am fun guy man like I
Talked about about this whole session I have a fiance she’s uh she she and I always out having fun together um we’re always doing things just enjoyable with each other you know trying to just you know become a union and and be happy happily ever after right um travel you know I I’m
Actually on a show called law and crime I do legal analysis on that show yeah man do that I’m picking that back up in a few weeks so I’ll be back on this stre so basically’s that the new uh legal crimes that are happening the trials that are happening cover
The big Amber Her Tri versus Johnny de I was on there talking about that so know it’s just different things that we do different topics and and that show has got me to a place where I’m comfortable speaking because being on TV you don’t really you know you you see TV but you
Don’t know TV until you’re on it and so we have production meetings we have lights camera action you have somebody in your ear talking 247 saying okay we’re going to break and so you’re able to multitask doing that wow all that makeup put the makeup on
BL no it’s it’s been show has has got me out my comfort zone yeah I’m also wow I’m an advisor I advise Collegian 100 now I’m the Collegian 100 adviser from Louisiana State University so I have 15 Knuckleheads that I we actually just got from meeting before I started with you
Go in the community and do community service work and we do that I’m a member of Al Al eternity in corpor so we go out and we do community service there as well and then you know I’m just overall good guy man I just like traveling I like eating I’m Foody eat a
Lot oh yeah yeah I wanted to ask how do you practice on Louisiana bro how do you make it back from lunch I’ve been to New Orleans twice and bro the food is oh my gosh here insane if you let it we’ll get you big as a house and I’m telling you
If you let it the fool here would get it would get you it get you right but it’s so good man and and and it’s it’s crazy because me and my fiance end up in Dallas and that’s our that’s our that’s our next move but we said leave here
It’s like we gonna miss food because you can’t get this food anywhere else you know that’s not something you can do uh man we do go to lunch a lot uh me and my my firm and it’s like work you know yeah exactly I’m supposed after it’s the food down here
Is I everybody watching please come to New Orleans actually Marty is this weend going into Fat Tuesday we’re going to have a good time it is if you have never experienced New Orleans please come down yeah man that’s so dope that’s so I don’t know I mean and it’s beautiful
City General I don’t know how you focus yeah man that’s so dope That’s So Dope all right so to close out the podcast okay I got put you on a spot it’s called the closing closing argument and you basically leave the the conversate audience with a final words but is
Encouragement whatever you want to leave them with but has to be in closing argument form and you have to use the word of the day you have to incorporate the word of the day into it okay and you obviously can’t look it up either if you
Use use it uh the word of the day is pejorative pejorative and you have to use it in your closing argument the best way you can and I’ll let you know if you use it correctly or not okay so oh yeah I gotta get my guest on
The spot so leave the audience with something any gems you want to leave yeah um to close out um I hope today has been or tonight I hope tonight has been informational um I hope tonight has given you inspiration to not only go to law school uh but to become an attorney
Because some people take the bar I mean some some people go to law school and don’t take the bar um I hope that you can do both um um I hope that the portive of your mindset is is is going to be uh black attorneys matter you can
Be a black attorney and you can matter as well um and I think that being in these spaces where we’re talking amongst each other uh is going to be very important so thank you for this podcast thank you for being here and in this space because like you said there’s not
Enough black attorneys that are doing this uh for for for this content so I appreciate you for that uh thank you Apple for having us I mean we’re we’re on Apple we’re everywhere I I don’t even know where all we are but Spotify Apple everywhere Spotify yeah yeah yeah be encouraged
Don’t let anybody dim your light don’t let anybody tell you what space and what what box you’re supposed to be in uh break the damn box down every time speak your mind and and don’t let anybody tell you that you’re not enough or don’t make anybody feel you that you’re not worthy
Enough you are worthy you are enough and uh you’re going to break glass ceilings and take some people with you thank you hey amazing amazing Mr Gary Williams so pejorative means expressing contempt or disapproval so exactly like I love the way you it in there was like what right right right listen man
Language is made up it could it could be whatever you want to but thank you so much for being on the podcast this was amazing and like you said I know people are going to gain something from this um hearing your story hearing your background hearing
The work that you do the mentorship is GNA be definitely impactful and do you want to drop your Twitter handle let know where can find Twitter YZ winning you follow me on there I amation list I’m going give you a good morning every morning so you’re going to get good
Morning from me matter what you do every morning and you’re G to like it um and so uh that’s my Twitter handle follow me thank you for this space again thank you for having me awesome doing this of course
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