In the media, lawyers are often portrayed as workaholic, heartless, money-grubbing individuals who have pretty much fed their humanity to the dogs. "Lawyers get a lot of bad press," explains Eric Hall '91, a civil litigator at Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP in Colorado Springs, Colo. "But I love being one."
If there is, in fact, a stereotypical lawyer, Hall proves that he is anything but. At first glance Hall spends much of his day like any lawyer: making phone calls, writing e-mails, negotiating settlements. One of his major specialty areas is church property rights. "I look at some pretty tough questions regarding litigation in the realm of religion," explains Hall. It comes down to, 'What is the proper role of government and church in our democratic republic?'" Several years ago, for example, he successfully argued a case before the Colorado Supreme Court on behalf of the Catholic Diocese of Denver, overturning a local city ordinance restricting parking on church property.
However, unlike many lawyers, Hall remains in every sense of the word a family man. "I come into work at 8 a.m. and I leave by 5:15 p.m. so that I can have dinner with my family," Hall explains. Married with four kids ages 1 to 9 years old, he manages both a rich family life and a demanding career. Hall's identity as a family man runs even through the heart of his casework.
For Hall, a particularly memorable case involved defending a student who was both pregnant and going to veterinary school. "At a dinner party I spoke with a friend whose daughter-in-law was having trouble at veterinary school and being asked to leave," he says. Hall found the news unsettling. "I said, 'That's discrimination. You can't do that, there are laws against that.'"
The school was concerned that certain laboratory chemicals used in the program would affect the student's unborn child. "There was a definite risk," says Hall. "The school had a legal and moral duty to protect its students and we were testing that." Fortunately, Hall never turns away a risky case. "What's most rewarding about being a lawyer is helping other people solve problems that are difficult, that are disconcerting, that keep them up at night." He knew the student had a legal right to continue her studies under Colorado law and assurance from her doctor to continue the veterinary program. All he needed was a go-ahead from the student herself to pursue the case. "She was married with one child already and needed to go to school," says Hall. "She wanted to finish for her family."
In the end, Hall and his client were victorious. "I was able to convince the school to allow her to continue the program with the appropriate medical care," he says.
Although the legal battle had been won, Hall remained uncertain. As a parent, he worried for the health of his client's unborn child. "I'm no doctor," he says. "I didn't know how it was all going to turn out." It wasn't until later when a very special letter arrived in the mail that Hall knew he had made the right decision. "She sent me a thank you card in the mail with a picture of her holding a healthy baby," he says. "That was just great."
"Integrating all of your identities into one person is a challenge," Hall says. For a litigator as deeply dedicated to judicial service and family life as Hall is, this challenge has been met gracefully.
