Carl Buck
Law School: Where do you work?
Buck: I work in Plainfield, IL, Will, Grundy, DuPage & Cook Counties.
Law School: How long have you been working in these areas?
Buck: Since 1997
Law School: What is your main practice area?
Buck: My main practice is area is in business/chancery litigation.
Law School: What do you find most rewarding about your work?
Buck: Meeting the clients and learning about their different businesses.
Law School: How did you get your job?
Buck: Meeting people and making connections as a prosecutor – I started as a prosecutor then after two years I joined the firm I am still with today.
Law School: How often are you in the courtroom?
Buck: I’m in court almost every day.
Law School: Does what you learned at JMLS affect how you try a case?
Buck: Yes, JMLS was a practical school with a lot of experienced teachers who were always willing to mentor. The most important thing I learned from them was credibility – with the court, with your opponent, with your client – never lose it.
Law School: If you had to sum up your career at JMLS in one sentence, what would you say?
Buck: You never stop learning and growing; when you reach one plateau it gives a new view to see what you can explore and conquer next.
Law School: Who was your favorite professor while at JMLS?
Buck: The then Dean Johnston, he gave me my diploma! Those I still reflect on today: Professors Carr, Cunniff, Kandaras, Fisher, Lousin, and O’Neill – all fantastic and fun.
Law School: Did you know you wanted to be a litigator when you were a student? If not, what practice area did you see yourself in?
Buck: Yes, my Dad was a lawyer and I worked for him in high school. He passed away when I was in the Army so we didn’t get to practice together which would have been great.
Law School: What is your advice to law students interested in civil litigation?
Buck: Take every opportunity to do trials – free government jobs, competitions, whatever it takes. The only way to learn it is to do it- and like running, you have to keep doing it to stay in shape – there are no part-time trial lawyers in my opinion.