In the latest of a string of lunch talks, the Office of Public Interest Advising, affectionately dubbed OPIA, hosted Director of the National State Attorney General Program at Columbia Law School and former Attorney General of Maine James Tierney. After a room full of voracious law students devoured the pizza offered (ah, the pleasures of free lunch), Tierney got down to business, candidly answering student questions. Why work at a state attorney general’s office as opposed to at the federal level? What do attorney generals actually do? What is the lifestyle of someone working in an AG’s office? Taking it all in stride, Tierney opined on the value of working with excellent, committed people and shared some of his favorite cases–including one where one prominent member of government accused another of attempting to run him over with his car. No stranger to tricky situations, Tierney has held a variety of special appointments, including serving as Special Counsel to the Attorney General of Florida during the contested 2000 Presidential election.
What most impressed students, however, was Tierney’s intimate knowledge of AG’s offices across the country. When asked which offices were the best to work in, Tierney responded, “Well, let’s go east to west…” and proceeded to comment upon nearly every state’s office, sharing personal anecdotes along the way. He also commented on the hot button issues affecting state attorney general offices around the country, not forgetting to throw in a few jokes about recent elections. Tierney emphasized in closing the value of doing good work with integrity regardless of your ideological and political background and of finding a position and a place that fits you.
That day and the next, OPIA offered one-on-one advising appointments with Tierney to ask more detailed questions and talk about whatever students wanted. During his last appointment of the day, Tierney advised me on the strengths and weaknesses of different AG’s offices, and even departments within those offices, before regaling me with stories and pictures of his grandchildren. Leaning comfortably in his chair, Tierney flashed a wide smile and told me about how one office required “sharp elbows” while another was “more research and writing work.” Like many OPIA appointments, the meeting evolved from a meet-and-greet into an intimate conversation about the advisor’s story and my interests, seeing where the two intersected.
In parting, Tierney took on the role of sage, directing me on how to make the most of law school. “What you need to do while you’re here,” Tierney advised, “is expose yourself to the brilliant people around you as much as possible. Go to talks by professors, ask questions afterward, find out what these people are thinking about.” With that, Tierney headed out to see his grandkids, promising to keep coming back to HLS, “as long as they let me!”
– Allison Ray
