Former state Supreme Court justice shares experiences with law students

Law students received encouragement and insight Wednesday from a former Indiana State Supreme Court justice.\nMyra Selby, who practices health care law with the firm Ice Miller, was the first woman and the first black appointed to Indiana's Supreme Court, serving on the court from 1995-1999. Selby spoke as part of a lecture sponsored by the Black Law Students Association.\nEach year, BLSA invites black speakers to the law school. Kareem Howell, third year law student and BLSA president, said one of BLSA's goals is to assist its members in becoming good law students and successful attorneys. \nHowell said inviting black speakers will allow members to hear what it takes to become successful in the legal study and profession.\n"There are over 50 African-American students in the law school," Howell said. "The law school is committed to ensuring that speakers of color are brought to the school."\nTavonna Harris, third year law student and BLSA treasurer, said Selby serves as a good role model for blacks.\n"Myra broke through a lot of barriers in Indiana, especially since it is a conservative state," Harris said. "She brings a different perspective to the law school."\nSelby discussed the events of the presidential election and the judiciary process it involved.\n"It is an exciting time to be a lawyer, judge, or a student of law in the United States," Selby said.\nDuring her lecture, Selby posed the question she said was on many people's minds for 45 days after the election: "What's going to happen?"\n"This excited me," Selby said about the election. "Because it genuinely seemed as if people cared and were interested."\nSelby said the job of being a justice on the Florida Supreme Court would have been challenging, exciting and interesting. \nShe said the position was difficult because of its political implications.\n"Politics is so personal, so local and the fighting gets really dirty," Selby said.\nSelby said the law was written to withstand the test of time and examination. The outcomes of cases are always going to be debated, Selby said, and the Florida Supreme Court decided the case in record time, turning it out overnight.\n"If you think it happened wrong," Selby said, "then get out there and change it and make it better."\nToday's generation has a role in the political process, she said. She said students should think of themselves as lawyers first because law is a profession that requires analytical skills. In reality, law is a business, Selby said. She said successful lawyers change as the business changes and encouraged students to understand the law to help others.\n"What struck me most was her encouragement of the law students and of people to understand and learn the legal process," said first-year law student Andrew Yoder.\nNicole Clark, a first-year law student, said Selby's accomplishments made her believe she could achieve her goals. \n"Her speech was important because her standpoint was of someone in the legal field which we could use to relate to being law students," Clark said.