Across the street from our law school’s campus, there is
a small church with a parking lot for parishioners and those conducting church
business during the week. For the past few years, I have decided to park in
this lot rather than in the law school lot.
On the first day that I parked in the church lot, I walked up to the
main office, and introduced myself to the pastor when he answered the door. I
asked if I might pay a fee to be allowed to park in the church lot. He smiled
wryly and explained that the church lawyer had once told him that if he took
money for parking that the church would be responsible for any damage to my car
during the time that it was in the lot. Ah, the law being applied to a real
life situation in a little church parking lot.
He quickly smiled again -- this time somewhat
mischievously -- and told me that the church had developed a policy not to take
money for parking. As he was saying this, he raised his right arm and pointed
to a parking space nodded his head and winked. He then turned and walked back
into the church turned around one last time and told me – winking, smiling and
nodding:
“Remember the church’s formal policy is that
you can’t park here.”
I have parked in his church lot from that day forth,
dropping my parking “tithe” anonymously into the church main box on a regular
basis.
From the onset, there were a few law students who,
amongst others, parked in the lot. However, as campus parking increased in
price, so did the number of law students who started parking in the church lot.
As I parked with each passing day, I grew alarmed at the
ever growing number of cars parking in the pastor’s lot each day. I wondered if
the students had also asked for permission. One morning I arrived at the lot at
the same time as did the pastor and he invited me for a cup of coffee and
accompanying “chit-chat.” During our musings, I asked him if any of our students had
inquired about their ability to park in the lot.
“Not a one.”
The pastor said this with absolutely no malice or
resentment whatsoever in his voice. He even chortled to himself as if he were
the only one in the room. Frankly, I was not surprised at his answer, though I
had hoped that a lease a few of our
students had just asked! The pastor
then went on to explain that there were only a few days in the year when he
really needed all the parking spaces in the church lot during the year.
Moreover, he had wanted to stay on good terms with the university as many of
the students participated in an “open mike” night sponsored by the church every
Thursday evening, an evening of fellowship frank discussions. He wanted to be
there for our students. I finished my
coffee and thanked the pastor for his generosity, telling him that if he experienced
any problems regarding the growing numbers of students parking in his lot, to
please let me know. No problems so far.
Fingers crossed.
This whole episode has gotten me thinking. . . The law is
not something that is taught in a vacuum. It is not to be memorized and pulled
out in answer to a difficult law school exam question.
The law is to be applied to every day life!
That’s what makes it exciting and challenging! No two situations are the same.
The same set of facts –applied in two entirely different scenarios – may result
in two different conclusions of law. We all see everyday applications of the
law in everything that we do: . . . .
Why do we get a “ticket” when we drop off our dry cleaning? Why does a baseball team have a disclaimer
about being hit by a ball on the back of a ticket? Why does a mechanic require
your signature before he will work on your car following his written (oh, did I not tell you that it needs
to be on paper?) estimate. Get the picture?
Then why had no law student asked for permission to park in the church lot (hey, law student
reader: would you have?). Law students
learn such terms as “trespassing,” and “private property,” in the classroom,
but –in this instance anyway – failed to apply these legal definitions to real
life situations. Thankfully, due to a most gracious pastor, there really is no
problem here and I’m really not railing at the students. I’m just concerned
that law students everywhere need to realize that putting into place the
legal concepts that they are learning in the classroom starts right from Day
One!! The law is is not lived in a vacuum, it is part of everyday. . the
air we breath. . the things that we do to get through our day. Law students:
please remember that you don’t get a “pass” in applying the law to life as you
live it. In fact, I would argue the direct opposite; you know better now that
you are in law school!
As a law student, you are learning the law, living the
law inside of your law school building and classrooms. Never forget that you
need to apply what you are learning
in real life. Soon, clients will be paying you to do that very thing. If that
is so, start practicing your trade while in school.
Look for and apply the law everywhere you are, in
everything that you do. Don’t let your legal career get “towed” even before it
gets started.
Phil Guzman
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