Click Here to Find Law Student Jobs on LawCrossing
Jonathan was born in Sedalia, Missouri, which is located about 30 miles south of the Missouri River in Pettis County, Missouri. He was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. Jonathan grew up with his parents and one brother. His father is a Southern Baptist Minister. The recent grad revealed his top priority outside of school is his family.
In December 2004, Jonathan earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Missouri. While at University of Central Missouri, the recent grad made the Dean's list two semesters. He was part of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, which assisted the Special Olympics every year. Jonathan and his wife both support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The couple is also involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
When Jonathan isn't at school, he enjoys traveling, sports, fitness, family and church. The recent grad is a Notre Dame fanatic, who loves the movie Rudy. The film is about Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who wanted to play football at the University of Notre Dame ever since he was a little boy. Jonathan and his wife have been to two Notre Dame home games.
Jonathan and his wife also love to travel. They recently went to Australia, where Jonathan fell in love with the “people, culture, and beautiful landscape.” He noted that the “Sydney Opera House was amazing.” Jonathan and his wife will return to Australia in May 2013.
When the recent grad has free time, he reads anything written by Michael Connelly, an American author known for his detective novels and other crime fiction. Jonathan is a frequent visitor at Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue.
Jonathan's Academic Law Career and Future Aspirations
The recent grad was asked why he went into the law. He replied, “I love real estate and much of real estate is law and knowing how the laws apply to all the different facets of a real estate transaction. Also, with my criminal justice background, law has always been something that fascinated me.”
The recent grad shared his goals and aspirations. He stated, “My aspiration is to be a successful real estate attorney or involved in the healthcare industry. I am very interested in real estate and the healthcare field and would love the opportunity to learn more about either.”
When asked what do you think are your key accomplishments or achievements, Jonathan answered, “I have experienced three severe recurring bouts of viral encephalitis, a virus that attacks the lining of your brain, that have left me in a coma fighting for my life. The most recent of these occurred my first semester of law school. After suffering a grand mal seizure and multiple other seizures the doctors prepared my new wife and family for the worst.”
Click Here to Find Summer Associate Jobs on LawCrossing
The recent grad continued to say, “However, I managed to pull through, but the summer before I went back to law school was very touch and go. I had to learn to walk, talk, and read again and while doctors gave me cognition tests and IQ tests there was no way of knowing if I would be able to meet the demands of law school. However, with many prayers and a lot of hard work and determination I managed to get through.” After he overcame the illness, the student appreciates law school more today than when he was healthy and getting straight A's.
So what are Jonathan's key strengths and skills that he would like to leverage upon to advance his career goals? The recent grad said, “I would say my key strengths are my personality and people skills. I have always been a natural leader, I rarely seek leadership positions but they always have a way of finding me and once in them I always excel. As far as people go, I have always been told that I have never met a stranger and that is probably true. I am very good at reading people and assessing the best way to communicate with them and make them feel comfortable.”
The future attorney spoke about his weakness. He declared, “Reading comprehension is one weakness that I would like to work on. Sometimes I have to read something three or four times before I comprehend it, and it can be very frustrating.”
Many readers are probably wondering how Jonathan handles new assignments. The recent grad shared his process. He claimed, “I think that the best way to handle new assignments is to evaluate how they fit into your present workload. To me prioritizing your workload and staying ahead of the game as much as possible are keys to success. There will be times that something must be done that instant, but more often than not those emergencies can be easily handled if a person is aware of everything else they have and when it needs to be done.”
Where does Jonathan derive his confidence? The recent grad asserted, “I derive my confidence from my family and faith.” The recent grad also revealed his personal philosophy, which is “do your best and let God do the rest!”
Three Whishes to Live By, Dealing with Fear and Stress Management Tactics
If Jonathan had three wishes, he would ask for a job, financial security, and the ability to give his wife everything she has ever wanted.
The recent grad explained how he would deal with fear if faced with it. He proclaimed, “I find that the best way to deal with fear is to confront it. Often you are afraid of something because you are being irrational and facing that fear allows you to better understand it and hopefully overcome it.” The recent grad used snakes as an example. He said he hasn't been around them, but knows he is afraid of the reptiles.
Since law school can add a tremendous amount of stress onto students, does Jonathan have any stress management tactics? He explained, “I find relaxation techniques like taking [time for] deep breathing and exercising regularly really help me deal with stress.”
Legal Role Models, Personal Philosophy, People You Want to Surround Yourself With, and Favorite Quote
Jonathan mentioned two legal role models he respects greatly. The recent grad admires Justice Clarence Thomas and attorney Mark Levin. He pointed out that Thomas “sticks closely to the constitution” in his interpretation of law and believes that the power of the Court should be limited by the Constitution. Levin is a constant voice for limiting the power of the Supreme Court and overturning decisions that are unconstitutional. Jonathan respects and agrees with both men's views.
What kind of situations and people is Jonathan attracted to? What kind of situations and people does the recent grad avoid? Jonathan stated, “Negative situations and people I try to avoid. Life is too short to put yourself in situations and surround yourself with people that bring you down.”
The recent grad is “attracted to strong people and difficult situations. I feel that strong people usually make good leaders and overcoming difficult obstacles makes you better as a person and employee.” Jonathan emphasized he prefers to be around people, but he is just as comfortable when working alone.
Jonathan's favorite quote is by Vincent Thomas “Vince” Lombardi: “I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle.” The recent graduate acknowledged that the quote “can be applied to anything you are going through in your life.” Jonathan said the quote doesn't just apply to football; it is a good reminder to always give everything you have and to never stop fighting for what you believe in.
Search health care lawyer jobs on LawCrossing.
Click Here to View the 2015 LawCrossing Salary Survey of Lawyer Salaries in the Best Law Firms
