In his short memoir, Res Ipsa Loquitur: My Difficult and Humorous Quest Becoming an Attorney Who Made a Difference, former Florida Bar attorney Robert Morgan takes readers through his journey of becoming a lawyer. As law students quickly learn, the term “res ipsa loquitur” is Latin for “the thing speaks for itself.” Morgan connects the phrase to what became an obvious way for him to fulfill his life’s purpose, highlighting the altruistic reason of helping others as the impetus for his decision to go to law school.
Morgan shares a nostalgic trip through the momentous moments of his high school, college, and law school years, followed by highlights of his days as a practicing lawyer, and into his later years during which health conditions prevented him from practicing law full-time. Divided into three main parts with multiple short chapters in each, one can breeze through this light-hearted, quick read. Crediting an early volunteer experience with Big Brothers/Big Sisters as the seed that blossomed within him a deep desire to help others, Morgan begins his story with the results of a high school aptitude test that revealed he was not “college material” but rather likely to become a professional athlete, farmer, or actor. Morgan revealed that he later used the acting aptitude while teaching as an adjunct law professor, bad jokes and all. In spite of his high school guidance counselor’s predictions, Morgan majored in business administration at Arizona State University, destined to run the family furniture business. Yet, after it was unexpectedly sold, Morgan was forced to research new career options. Viewing life’s hiccups, twists, and turns as a necessary part of the journey to getting where you are meant to be, Morgan kept his goal of helping others in mind and settled on becoming a lawyer — speaking to those of us who went to law school because we didn’t know what we wanted to do with our lives.
Morgan went to Mississippi College School of Law (not to be confused with Ole Miss), an unexpected surprise to this reviewer, who attended first year of law school there (as Morgan might quip, “oh, the connections you can make”). From Jackson to Jacksonville, Morgan recounts his transition into a real estate practice, his career “war stories,” and how an estate planning experience with a client dying from cancer ultimately led to his niche as an elder law attorney. Quirky anecdotes welcome the reader into Morgan’s trip down memory lane, recounting his quest to become a lawyer so that he could help others. Along the way, he shares little tidbits of advice and musings on topics like his view of legal books in law offices. Enlightening for a mixed audience, Morgan’s story may prove useful for someone thinking about law school and a legal career, and equally valuable for a person unfamiliar with the path to becoming a lawyer. Morgan’s life’s mission of helping others will also resonate with practitioners; a reminder of the positive impact we can make.
Lyndsey E. Siara of St. Petersburg is a member of The Florida Bar.