Advice from the Top

State Supreme Court justice gives students tips on finding a job

“You have to be creative,” Waller said. “Don’t sit in your room with your door closed and send an e-mail. Go up there and get your foot in the door.”

Waller spoke with law students Sept. 29 to explain the inner mechanisms of the state judicial system and to advise them on how to navigate the job market after graduation. The 50-minute presentation was part of the “A Conversation with...” series sponsored by the National Center for Justice and the Rule of Law.

“Everybody in this room can get a job if they are just willing to look for one,” Waller said. “You can’t be an introvert when you’re looking for a job.”

A native of Jackson, Waller practiced law with the firm of Waller & Waller in Jackson for more than 20 years and served as a municipal judge for the city of Jackson. He was elected to the Mississippi Supreme Court in November 1996 and re-elected in November 2004. He served as a presiding justice from January 2004 until December 2008, and assumed the position of chief justice in January 2009.

Waller has actively sought to bring various reforms to the legal system. He supported the adoption of mediation rules for civil litigation and served as chairman of the Mississippi Public Defender Task Force from 2000-05. He also was the principal architect of legislation that created the Office of Capital Post Conviction Counsel, the Office of Indigent Appeals and the Comprehensive Electronic Court Systems Fund.

During his tenure on the Mississippi Supreme Court, Waller has been recognized by numerous organizations. He was the recipient of the Judicial Innovation Award for 2003-04 by the Hinds County Bar Association and the Jackson Young Lawyers Association. He received the Chief Justice Award in 2005 for his work as chairman of a special study committee to develop a statewide e-filing and docket-management system. Waller serves on the adjunct faculty of the Mississippi College School of Law. He is currently a member of the Stennis Institute Advisory Board at Mississippi State University.

Third-year student Greg Holcomb especially appreciated the information Waller gave about applying for a job as a law clerk. “As far as career paths go, it really helps to have more direction,” Holcomb said. “It’s helpful to know about the job options you have, especially the way the economy is right now. Becoming a law clerk sounds like a really good opportunity after law school.” Waller applauded the excellent preparation law students get at UM’s law school.

“I want you to know that law graduates from Ole Miss are every bit as good as graduates from an Ivy League school,” he said to students. “You are just as good as anybody walking around at Harvard, Yale or Princeton. I can tell you that because I’ve seen it firsthand.”

—Erin Parsons