Mike Farris:
Today I'm talking to David McKennett, who's a student at George Mason University School of Law who graduated from Patrick Henry College in 2002. David, when did you become interested in the field of law?
David McKennett:
Probably because my parents were very involved in politics, and it seemed like a similar field that I could use in politics and it would also be enjoyable. And I had a chance to do some fun things with Montana Boys State that involved prosecution, and so that's probably where I first started thinking about it.
Mike:
David, how did you start preparing for a law career while you were in high school and in college?
David:
Well, high school—it's a little bit early to actually be preparing for law school; it's more preparing for college. So once you get to college, the biggest thing is getting good grades, of course, in your classes. But also, you can do other things, like debate, which I was very involved in. It's very useful; it helps more than anything to develop your analytical skills, just because the way you have to think in debate is very structured, it's very much like a legal case. And so it's very useful as far as developing those skills. Also, it helps you learn how to speak, which will be useful if you're going to be a litigator of any kind. So it was very helpful for preparing me for law school and also for jobs in the future.
Mike:
David, thanks so much. I look forward to talking to you again tomorrow. I'm Mike Farris.
