COVER STORY
Even with his exit from football, Justin
still entered his second year of college
as a C-plus student. “It seemed like the
sciences were getting harder and harder,”
he said. Looking at the bigger picture, he
switched his major to something that he
knew he could succeed in. He went on
to graduate Morehouse College in 2004
with a degree in psychology.
“It was time for my next step and I
thought, what about law school?” Justin
reflected. Although a career in law might
have been expected for the son of a
judge, it was still not an easy decision for
him. As he put it, “I hadn’t considered
law before because my dad was just so
well respected that I was intimidated by
the thought of having to fill his shoes.”
Those years of going to court with his
father and working in his father's law firm
began to play a huge role in his decision.
“I remember saying to myself, ‘Hey, this
law thing might be good for me.’”
“I had to sit down and have a talk with
my father about my decision to study
law,” said Justin. “He said to me, ‘Son,
you don't have to be like me. All you have
to do is be your own man.’” And with that
encouragement, Justin went on to attend
Loyola University College of Law in New
Orleans.
Not surprisingly, Justin had a natural
talent for the legal field. “I wasn’t a
perfect law student, but I was good
when it came to being in the courtroom.
I won mock trial competitions, including
the National Criminal Mock Trial
Competition,” he said.
Justin’s initial focus was criminal law.
However, after participating in a difficult
trial during his last year of law school he
thought, “You know what, the prosecutor
thing is not for me.” Having that sort
of power over other people's lives was
something that did not sit well with him.
“After that trial, I thought, ‘If I have to
put innocent people in jail, I certainly
don't want to be in this type of law.’”
In 2008, Justin completed his Juris
Doctor (J.D.) from Loyola. After
graduation, he took his passion for
litigation to the Beasley School of Law at
Temple University, where he received an
L.L.M. in trial advocacy. But the timing
for his specialty area was not a good one.
“I graduated at the height of the job
market crash,” he recalled. He applied
to law firm after law firm, but the legal
profession, like so many others had hit
an economic decline. “Not only were
firms not hiring but several of them were
laying lawyers off,” he added.
Knowing that criminal law wasn’t his
only option, Justin had to rethink and
reconsider his career plan. “The one
issue that was not affected in law by the
economy was personal injury,” he said.
Fortunately for Justin, his father ran
into an old lawyer friend who was in
need of extra lawyers at his firm. Shortly
after that, one of his college jobs was
also looking for a lawyer. At the end of
it all, Justin went from looking for work
to having three offers placed in front of
him.
“As soon as I switched to personal
injury, many doors opened up. Some
things dry up, but injuries are ongoing,”
he noted.
The catch was that all three offers were
in New Orleans. “I really didn't want to
come back at first,” said Justin. “But,
everything happens like it’s supposed to."
Justin is currently part of the
dynamic cast of Bravo’s new reality
show “Southern Charm New Orleans.”
Alongside a dynamic group of successful
and well-known New Orleans socialites,
Justin is showing the world what it’s like
to live the good life in the Big Easy.
When he is not filming, he is
practicing at the King Law Firm as one
of the most talked-about lawyers in the
city of New Orleans. He splits much of
his time as a lobbyist and a sports agent
representing NFL athletes. According
to Justin, he hasn't reached his biggest
accomplishment, but he has many other
accomplishments to hold him over until
he gets there. In the meantime, he finds
it important to do good for others.
“For me, more than anything, my goal
is to continue to grow in both my legal
and sports practice,” Justin said. As a
more personal goal, he closes by saying,
“At the end of the day, if people speak
about me, I hope they will say that I was
good and that I did right by them.”
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