When I arrived at the office, my inbox was teeming with notifications for a new commercial real estate deal. Walking to the employee lounge, I ran into a corporate partner who placed me on a management buyout closing within the next two weeks. An hour later, a real estate partner approached me, asking about the tax consequences of a non-liquidating property distribution.
As I finally settled in at my desk, I paused, asking myself a question that has guided my career path all along: How did my past, with all its unexpected turns, lead me to this exact moment? I concluded my successful clerkship convinced of the power of three guiding career principles.
My journey began on the golf course. As a collegiate and professional golfer, my focus was squarely on athletics. But while dedicating myself to the sport I loved, I was unknowingly building a foundation of discipline, resilience and ambition that would serve me far beyond the fairway. My academic pursuits in college revolved around accounting and taxation. I was fascinated by the mechanics of business — what makes a company fiscally viable and how financial statements and tax consequences inform corporate and partnership transactions. I was collecting a wide range of skills and interests, even if I couldn’t yet see how the dots would connect.
After college, I realized my professional golf aspirations would not come to fruition. It was a pivotal moment. I decided to say “yes” to a new opportunity: a professional career. With the same determination I brought to the golf course, I began self-studying the financial side of commercial real estate and earned my certified public accountant license. I then took a job at an international public accounting firm, a world away from the fairways. My life quickly shifted from the golf course to Microsoft Excel, and I couldn’t get enough of the unexpected change.
Later, in law school, I faced another fork in the road. Instead of moving to the deal table in transactional work, I received an unexpected offer to clerk for a civil litigation judge. It seemed like a jarring deviation from my long-term plan. How could a position rooted in courtroom disputes be consistent with my background? I took a leap of faith, trusting that the skills I’d honed — from the patience of putting to the precision of a balance sheet — would be transferable. It was a bet that paid off, as my judicial internship proved to be a critical step on my journey.
That background of seemingly divergent career interests has found a perfect home at my current firm. The firm’s energetic, quick-on-its-feet and ambitious culture matches the mindset I developed through my athletic training. It is filled with specialists, especially in the transactional practices where I contribute. Its partners are highly skilled, and its wide-ranging client base allows me to apply and test my foundational knowledge on major deals. Most importantly, my experience as a CPA gives me a unique perspective. Every week, I’m called upon to review a partnership agreement or research the tax consequences of a deal — proof that my understanding of accounting isn’t just an asset but an essential part of the work. As my partners often put it, tax can be the “tail that wags the dog,” and my background allows me to see how all the pieces fit together.
So, how did I find myself navigating these seemingly unsteady waters, moving from an unexpected judicial clerkship to what feels like a perfect fit? I believe it comes down to three key principles that any young professional, especially a law clerk, can use to find their ideal opportunity.
Three Guiding Principles for Your Career
Just say “yes.”
The best thing a law clerk or young attorney can do is embrace every opportunity, especially those that seem unexpected.
If I hadn’t approached my first professional opportunities in public accounting with an open mind, I would not have learned the skills I use most days in my legal practice. Because I’m well-informed on common accounting and tax matters, I can help my partners and associates understand a deal’s second- and third-order effects.
Saying yes to the unexpected can be a powerful catalyst for growth.
Expect the unexpected.
If things do not go as initially intended, remember that there is likely an opportunity right around the corner.
When my lifelong dream of professional golf didn’t work out, I turned my ambition toward a new field of interest. I used that same drive to self-study and turn my business interests into a professional career. After reevaluating my path in law school, I received an unexpected judicial internship that became an invaluable part of my professional story.
The key is to keep your head up and your eyes open, because the thing you seek might be a door you didn’t know you were supposed to knock on.
Your past informs your future.
Never see diverse interests as a liability. Instead, see them as an opportunity to live at the nexus of two or three related fields.
My experience in athletics provided me with a natural point of connection with attorneys and, eventually, with clients. My business interests became the starting point for the industries I now serve in accounting, taxation and law. My time as a CPA allows me to sit at the crossroads of transactional deal-making, its legal consequences and its financial implications.
Ultimately, a law clerk’s diverse interests and experiences can converge to create a powerful professional story. It is up to the individual to make it resonate and for the law firm to hear its value. And, sometimes, looking in the rearview mirror can tell you where you should go next.
Travis McInroe, CPA, is a law clerk with Platt Richmond, a full-service, boutique, Dallas-based law firm.
