The tour concluded with an informal get together with members of the Minnehaha County Bar. You learn a lot when you mingle with lawyers on their home turf. Our time spent at the law school was particularly enjoyable. When meeting with the students, Tom Barnett gave them a dose of hard reality about the practice of law while I attempted to be more inspirational. I tried to tell the students what a lawyer is and does.
Lawyers are the great enforcers in our society.
We enforce the laws of the land and literally decide what issues the courts will handle. We make the law become a reality in people's lives. We tell people what they can and cannot do. We are constantly involved in adversary situations whether in litigation or negotiating a contract. I told the law students that once they became lawyers, that is, the great enforcers, many people would resent them and not particularly be pleased with what they do.