For the Aspiring Lawyer

3 Tips from Paul Ray, ’08

Interview by Sarah Chavey

Hillsdale Alumnus Paul Ray clerked for Justice Alito in the Supreme Court for a year. He provides three pieces of advice to students interested in a law career.

  1. Read Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper. It emphasizes the significance of a contemplative, receptive, and unhurried attitude—vital components in a lawyer.
  2. Don’t go to law school unless you’re committed. It’s a lot of money and school if you’re going to back out.
  3. Don’t spend undergraduate years committed to law. Think deeply about poetry, history, and theology, because while they are all important to law, you might not get a chance to think about them so deeply once in the career.

Read about Paul Ray’s experience clerking for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

Sarah ChaveySarah Chavey is a music major from Ann Arbor, Michigan. She hopes to pursue journalism when she graduates in 2017.