Kurt Spurgeon and I sat down for this week’s “Five Questions” feature. Kurt is a former Academic All-Big 10 basketball player for the Iowa Hawkeyes and still makes time to hit the court when not practicing law.

1. What was your favorite class in law school?  In general, my favorite classes were those related to business law, property, and tax; however, one class I found particularly interesting was a class called Intro to Public International Law.  I enjoy following foreign affairs, and the class provided a good background on how countries interact with each other.

2. Why did you decide to become a lawyer? I always knew that I wanted to pursue an advanced degree. I was a business undergrad and I’m very close with an uncle who is a business attorney. That’s what motivated me to pursue law school.

3. What advice would you give to young people aspiring to be lawyers? Focus on developing your writing skills. In the collective imagination of what a lawyer does, compelling public speaking is probably top of mind, and that is important. But good writing skills are equally, if not more, important.

4. What book are you reading right now?  I am not reading a book at the moment, but I am open to suggestions!  I enjoy reading The Economist on a weekly basis.

5. What do you do before 7 am every day? Read the news, make breakfast and have a cup of coffee.

Kurt practices corporate and transactional law at Lane & Waterman. Learn more about his work at https://l-wlaw.com/attorneys/kurt-p-spurgeon/.