When I graduated, I thought that I was headed for a career at a university or museum. Life’s road took a different turn and I ended up in law.
As surprising as it sounds (and it surprised me), there is no better foundation for a career in law than a major in the history of art. The practice of law requires comparing fact situations and concepts and then explaining why the similarities and differences matter. That’s the skill that’s at the base of the study of art. Whether you’re deciding whether a painting is a Giorgione to a Titian or which of two laws applies to the mistake your client just made, the intellectual process that leads to the answer is virtually the same. And, as with Giorgione and Titian, the answer isn’t always clear.
Being a lawyer doesn’t mean that you have to give up the joys of art. I’m privileged to represent the Regional Arts and Culture Council, the steward of public investment in the arts and culture in the Portland area.