The Lawyer Inquiry: William Yoder

William Yoder was born in Kansas in 1970. He works as an associate at Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin.



What was your first job?

Selling watermelons.



What was your first ever salary as a lawyer?

$54,000 (u32,300).



What would you have done if you hadn't been a lawyer?

Become an actor.



What was your most satisfying professional moment?

Winning my first jury trial.



What was your most embarrassing professional moment?

Forgetting my client's name when asked by the judge who I represented.



What do you least like about being a lawyer?

Timesheets and egocentric lawyers.



And the best thing about being a lawyer?

Meeting interesting people.



Who do you admire most, and why?

Viktor Frankl, because he transformed years of unimaginable suffering in Nazi concentration camps into insights for his lifelong study of psychotherapy and man's quest for meaning.



Which famous person or historical figure would be your ideal client, and why?

Descartes, because he would pay for the hours I sit at my desk contemplating whether the law is just a figment of my imagination.



What is your all-time favourite record?

Greatful Dead - Greatest Hits.



What is your all-time favourite book?

Homer's Iliad.



What food or drink can't you live without?

Peppermint tea.



What's your favourite restaurant?

Le Fou Frog, Kansas City.



And your favourite watering hole?

The Red Lion, Mayfair.



How do you relax?

Running.



What is your most precious possession?

My great-grandfather's rifle.



Where would you most like to be right now?

On the summit of Mount Everest.



In 10 years' time, where do you see yourself?

Opening a book shop of rare, out of print, books.