Brett Marshall, this week’s “Five Questions with…” feature, tells us how his childhood shaped his interest in the law.

1. What made you want to become a lawyer? I grew up in a rough area. For some reason, we all thought beating each other up was the best way to solve problems. During my years in elementary school, there was an incident where a fight broke out among some students, and I was never one to shy away from the excitement, so I joined in. One of the students involved in the fighting filed assault charges with the police against several other students including me. I remember missing school one morning for a trip to the courthouse to appear for questioning before a juvenile court judge and answer for my actions. I don’t remember much of what went on at the hearing, but I do remember how intensely curious I was about the whole process. I’d like to say that this experience turned me from a juvenile  to a jurist – that didn’t happen for many more years. But I think it was certainly the beginnings of my interest in the law.

2. What do you do for fun? I’m from Oregon and love to fish for salmon. I thought I would be doomed moving to the Midwest, but last year a friend recommended we take a trip to Lake Michigan to fish for Chinook and Coho. Although it’s not the Pacific Northwest, we had a great time and caught some good size fish.

3. Why have you chosen to focus on corporate law? I’ve heard a corporate practitioner referred to as “a Jack of all trades, master of none,” but I prefer the Latin term “ille qui mille rerum potentiam habet” meaning  “he who has power over a thousand things.” I like the variety that the corporate practice offers. I get to work on issues ranging from business formation, financing, contract drafting and review, employment, intellectual property, government regulation and compliance, real estate, mergers and acquisitions and the list goes on.

4. How do you get your news? –sites, apps, RSS, etc? I get the news from a combination of print media, online resources and my kids.

5. What is your proudest moment? I hope I haven’t had it yet.

Brett practices on our Corporate Law team where he helps clients with the full array of corporate transactions and counseling. Learn more about his work at https://l-wlaw.com/attorneys/brett-r-marshall/.