Many clients ask me whether I always wanted to be an attorney. The truth is that I considered many professions growing up until deciding on law school while I was in college. As with most kids, the first profession that I planned for was “super hero.” I had it all worked out: I’d have a cool car with all kinds of gadgets, a secret base hidden in the Pebble Beach woods, and of course, a costume with a flowing cape.
In pre-school, I was Superman for Halloween. My mother made me the Halloween costume and I wore it for years afterward. Sometimes I’d just wear it around the house. Other times I would wear it to the grocery school or to restaurants for dinner. Occasionally, I’d even take it a step further and wear it under my regular clothes like Clark Kent just in case a super hero was needed while I was out and about. The cape was my favorite part of the costume.
The Pixar cartoon movie, The Incredibles, points out the dangers of super heroes wearing capes. In a scene where the protagonist is working with his tailor to design a new super hero costume, his tailor recounts several previous super hero accidents involving capes and then declares: “no capes.” As much as I like capes, the movie makes a good argument against super heroes implementing the fashion. However, capes can still be appropriate for a certain kind of profession, at least according to a popular television sitcom from the 1990s.
An episode of Seinfeld features George and Jerry spotting George’s dad talking to a man in a 19th century cape. They decide not to approach him because they can’t make any sense of the situation. Later, George’s dad reveals that the man in the cape was his lawyer. George asks: “Why does your lawyer wear a cape?” His father responds that his lawyer is very independent-minded. The episode ends with the lawyer saving a man’s life on the Brooklyn Bridge and when asked who he was, he responds: “I’m Frank Costanza’s lawyer.”
I’m not saying that I decided against a career as a super hero and for a career in the practice of law based solely on the cape issue, but I can’t say for sure whether the fashion accessory was at least a sub-conscious motivation. However, as a young lawyer, I noticed that contrary to what I learned from Seinfeld, none of my colleagues wore capes. I mused that maybe not just any lawyer could get away with wearing a cape; perhaps it would have to be a special kind of lawyer. I wondered what it would take and I soon discovered the answer when I received my first copy of the annual publication, Super Lawyers Magazine.
According to the Super Lawyers website: “Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. This selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations.” Each year, a magazine is published featuring the updated list of “Super Lawyers.” I imagined that if I ever landed on the cover of Super Lawyers Magazine, it would be appropriate for me to stand in a Superman pose while wearing a long, bright cape!
Although I have yet to achieve the dream of posing on the cover of Super Lawyers Magazine, I am honored to have been named by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for the fourth year in a row. The “Rising Star” category is reserved for lawyers who are under the age of 40 and only 2.5% of attorneys are selected to the “Rising Stars” category. I’ll probably have to reserve the cape for the possibility of attaining the “Super Lawyer” status after attaining age 40! In the meantime, I’ll have to find something else to represent the “Rising Star” category. Perhaps a special ascot?
KRASA LAW, Inc. is located at 704-D Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, California and Kyle may be reached at 831-920-0205.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. Reading this article does not establish an attorney-client relationship. Before acting on any of the information presented in this article, you should consult a competent attorney who is licensed to practice law in your community.