I met the wonderful Michelle Marquez back when we were studying law in our first year of university. I could see from an early stage how much passion she had for the law, especially when we were studying topics like the stock market and securities law, arbitration and fraud, hardly the most exciting of topics for most of us, but she absolutely loved it. I caught up with Michelle recently who is now an attorney and I wanted to pick her brain about what it is about the law that she loved so much. For any budding lawyers out there, here is what her thoughts are on why she is so passionate about the law.
Cornerstone
Michelle believes that the law and the legal system is the cornerstone to any great society and this is why it should be cared for and protected. She spoke to me at length about the ancient civilizations in Mexico, Greece and China, and how the reason that they were able to run themselves as a society in the first place was because of the limits that they had put in place by way of the law. As Michelle mentions, the things which we have in the modern world may be very different, but our ideas as to how to run a civilization really aren’t.
Justice
When Michelle was younger a close family friend was terribly wounded after a drunk driver crashed into their car, and the person driving was only given a suspended sentence despite admission of guilt. Michelle tells me that she would find it difficult to find the words to express her outrage at this, and from that moment on she knew that she wanted to work in bringing people like this to justice. Michelle tells me that from the age of 11 she knew that she wanted to be an attorney and that she would look into all aspects of the law as a hobby, now that is some commitment to your dream!
Protecting
Many people may see the law as a nuisance and something which they need to get around but Michelle is not in agreement with this at all and believes that when it is properly upheld, the law is there to protect the citizens and ensure that their lives are safer places. She does concede that the law is not always in the right, but generally it is an intrinsic part of protecting our civil rights and making sure that we live the safest lives possible.
Ever Changing
Something else which Michelle loves about the law is its ever-changing nature and how it is vital that it is constantly in tune with what is happening in society. The law is something which is always seeking to improve in order to best protect citizens and bring criminals to boot and this is an aspect which she is particularly passionate about, and even chairs a group which forms to discuss new laws and legislation.
