KAPPA NEWS: LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
Journal: What do you like most about your job? Judd: Truly, helping others with their financial situations and figuring out financial solutions to improve their quality of life. Judd: How has Kappa Alpha Psi played a role in your legal or educa- tional career? Journal: The bond played a major role in my education and professional success. While I was an undergrad, graduate brothers inspired me when they visited my chapter meetings and community service project events in their business suits and gave us words of encouragement. My Personal while I was on line was Henry Flowers. He took me in at his DC area apart- ment during my first few weeks of law school and mentored me throughout my first year of law school. Brother Donald Remy, who was one year above me in law school, picked me up and drove me to school regularly. On one occasion, he sat me down in the library and showed me how to use a PC to do my papers. That mentorship helped me to succeed in law school and through the rest of my career. My first boss out of law school, Brother Robert Bell, showed me the true meaning of being a social engineer in the real world, as espoused by the late Charles Hamilton Houston. And, as I continue to evolve in the law and elevate in leadership, countless Kappas are in my life, encouraging and helping me lift our people up. Journal: How has the NBA played a role in your legal career? Judd: Significantly. I have been a mem- ber since law school. I remember read- ing their quarterly magazine, envisioning myself doing great work for our commu- nities as those in the pages of the maga- zine were doing. Once I went to my first NBA convention three years after law school, I was hooked. I saw the special bond among those lawyers, teaching, mentoring one another and looking out for one another. The dedication and
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Journal: Can you talk about the skillsets needed to be an effective bankruptcy/ commercial lawyer? Judd: An effective bankruptcy/com- mercial lawyer must be financially astute and possess tremendous organizational skills too keep on top of the considerable paperwork involved in that practice area. Journal: Please discuss the importance of a lawyer’s credibility before the court? Judd: Credibility is perhaps an attor- ney’s greatest asset. No amount of legal training or skill can make up for a bad reputation. As such, lawyers have an interest in preserving their credibility in their professional and personal lives. Cultivating a good reputation among peers and before the court is a key to success that shouldn’t be underesti- mated. Beyond being good for business, lawyers have a higher obligation to up- hold moral and ethical standards in and out of the legal community. Journal: What would you say is the pur- pose of the law from your vantage point? Judd: The importance of rule of law cannot be overlooked in maintaining an orderly society. The law provides a forum for disputes to be settled amica- bly and in a civilized manner. The law provides stability in society, since indi- viduals and legal entities know they have an apparatus they can trust to efficiently and equitably adjudicate disputes. Journal: Given the myriad organizations in which you have served, what respon- sibility do you think a lawyer has to be involved in the community? Judd: In my mind, a lawyer does have a substantial obligation to help his or her community. It is my belief that those with means have an obligation to aid those without. Given the higher than average educa- tional and professional experience, most attorneys are in an elevated position to help those in need, and have a duty to rise to that obligation in some man- ner, be it through their legal services or otherwise.
the affinity the members have for the organization and their members help el- evate my career. A month after my first convention, I was happily shocked when I was asked to serve on their board and to chair the organization’s bankruptcy law section. Journal: Talk about what it means to be the president of the NBA. Judd: It is a big responsibility, lots of pressure, scary at times, but very reward- ing. To be President you must act as a CEO to work with the Executive Direc- tor and Board of Governors to ensure that the organization is financially stable, running at a high and efficient capacity. On top of that enormous task, you are expected to not just be a spokesperson for the organization, but also the go to spokesperson for all African Americans, whose legal rights are being violated. Journal: What is your focus for the organization? /What role should/does the organization play in society? Judd: I have presented a robust, ag- gressive social justice plan. The plan included tackling police misconduct and criminal justice reform, economic jus- tice/empowerment, human trafficking,
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