I failed my legal career, but God... #1

October 16, 2017 was my first day of work as an attorney, and October 15, 2020 was my last. Can you believe it? After hours of studying and hard work, my legal career lasted exactly three years, no more and no less! You might say it’s just a coincidence that it lasted exactly three years. Well, I can assure you, (it might be a cliché but) – nothing is coincidence! As I look back, I now know that God had planned every single detail of my legal career and more.

During my college years, I dedicated myself to campus ministry. It was so much fun! I truly enjoyed learning, growing, and living together with my friends on campus. I still look back now and naturally say, “ahh, good old days.” However, at the same time, I experienced how difficult campus ministry can be, especially without a pastor, mentor, and mature believer who can look after college students. There were some people and adults around my group, helping out our ministry here and there, but no one truly connected with us as a group. I remember I envied other college students from UVA and V-Tech where they received (or at least they appear to be) full support from a local/student church. This unique experience fully convinced me that God needed me in college campus ministry even after I graduate from college. I decided that I should become a college professor to fulfill my calling to campus ministry. If I become a college professor, I thought, I can stay with college students, mentoring and encouraging their ministry. Students can avoid what I experienced on campus.

To become a college professor, I naturally decided to go to a graduate school. At the end, I decided to go to Liberty University because I learned that it would be easier and cheaper to do professional studies and seminary at one school, rather than doing two degrees separately at two different schools. So, I went to law school, thinking that one day, I will become a law professor.

I know not many people can say this, but I truly enjoyed law school. Studying law was not easy and sometimes excruciatingly painful (especially whenever I opened the student portal to check grades) but overall, it was fun. However, in the midst of busy studying, I lost my purpose, the reason why I went to law school. The idea of becoming a law professor quickly left me as I realized becoming a law professor was not so practical. The road to become a law professor required extraordinary efforts, long years of legal career, and even some luck. I just could not finish the school without knowing why I was studying. I needed to have a new purpose. I earnestly prayed and looked for the reason why God sent me to law school.

At that moment, God showed me Jeremiah 22:16. It says, “‘He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord.” The verse struck me hard. Until then, I really never thought about helping “the poor and needy.” As I researched more about public interest law (providing legal services to the poor and needy), I learned that there was a great need in the American society for public interest law. Only a few attorneys actually worked in the field when the demand for free or low-cost legal services skyrocketed. Following the new calling, I started a student organization. I wanted other students to share my vision that Christian attorneys should be known for helping the poor and needy by working in a non-profit organization or government and also by doing pro bono (free) works for the people.

With this new purpose found and with the creation of the new student organization, I was hopeful that I could accomplish something great. With the great hope in my heart, I bravely (and also probably naively) requested the law school to join a para-school organization that promotes public interest law. I explained to the school that it was God’s calling for all Christian attorneys to promote directly or indirectly public interest law. However, the law school denied my request. Not just once but twice, the school denied my request. That was the end of my first two years of law school, being a bit lost because I did not know what to do with the school's denial and rejection.

To be continued.

Taeho