Michael Nail ‘14 practices insurance defense and workers compensation at McAngus Goudelock & Courie in Columbia, South Carolina. If you would like to speak with Michael, please contact him at (864) 350-2193 or michael.nail@mgclaw.com. To view more alumni spotlight stories, click here.
| What is your favorite Coastal memory? | I’ll never forget the excitement, fear, anxiety, and other variety of emotions that I felt the first week of classes. However, those variety of emotions quickly turned into passion for the law and confidence that I had chose the correct career path.
Specifically, I had the privilege of participating in the spring 2013 moot court competition in Greensboro, NC. Winning second best oralist in the competition is my proudest moment in law school. However, my overall experience and participation in moot court was valuable and I highly recommend participating on moot court and any other extracurricular activities in order to enhance your legal skills and form lasting friendships. |
| What is your proudest professional moment? | At this early stage of my career, simply being able to effectively communicate with our clients and meet their needs by providing cost-effective legal and factual analysis, as well as winning the respect of my colleagues at a young age. Hopefully, I will be able to list some specific accomplishments in the years to come! |
| What advice do you have for someone considering law school? | You need to know for certain that it’s your calling to become a lawyer BEFORE signing up. So many people think that it’s about the prestigious “lawyer” status or financial gain, but if you don’t have a passion for your career, you will be miserable. I would do as much research as you possibly can (and even take personality or career tests) in order to determine your true career passion. The good news is that the law is so versatile and there are so many career paths you can choose with a legal background.
Once you are in law school, I recommend taking advantage of the variety of “skills” courses and other practical courses that FCSL has to offer. This is one of the primary reasons that I chose FCSL and it paid off. |
| What is on your bookshelf? | “One Nation” – Ben Carson “You Can’t Teach Hungry” – John Morgan “Tomorrow’s Lawyers” – Richard SusskindI read each of these books upon completion of the bar exam in July 2014. I recommend each of these books to aspiring young attorneys. I also recommend a daily reading regimen of websites such as “Wall street journal law blog,” “Above the Law,” “SCOTUS blog,” and “The Law Insider.” I believe it’s important to keep up with the ever-changing legal landscape in order to provide value to your employer and your clients. |
| Who did you call when you found out you passed the bar? | I was in the car with my wife on our way to a family gathering after waiting almost FOUR months to obtain the results. I immediately called my parents and close friends. Then, I called my future (and now current) employer to tell them the good news. The most difficult part is the long waiting process, at least in South Carolina. You have to find a way to keep your mind fresh without continually worrying about the results! |