ROCK HILL 1050 College Avenue Extension Rock Hill, SC 29732 Phone: 803-324-7200 FORT MILL 852 Gold Hill Rd. Suite 102, Fort Mill, SC 29708 Phone: 803-396-5200
LANCASTER 103B South Catawba St. P.O. Box 477 Lancaster, SC 29721 Phone: 803-289-7202 UNION 209-B N. Duncan By-Pass Union, S.C. 29379 Phone: 864-466-5170
www. fcwlaw.com | (803) 324-7200
The Carolina Advocate
November 2019
I Love What I Do Reflecting on My Path to the Legal Profession
It’s always interesting to reflect on how you got to where you are. In my case, becoming an attorney was part luck, part saying yes to the right opportunities, and a lot of hard work. Joining the Marine Corps was a turning point for me. Until then, I hadn’t found my calling. I wasn’t a dedicated student in my younger years, and I joined the Corps because I knew it would force me to get my act together. It did just that. If you’re lazy going into the Marine Corps, they’ll get the lazy out of you. It teaches you to step up to the challenge and not be afraid of confrontation. At the time, I had no intention of being a lawyer. But when I joined, the Corps offered me a spot in the law program, so I took the opportunity. I got to serve as an assistant U.S. attorney and prosecutor. I served in the Marine Corps through the Gulf War, and in the drawdown after the war, I retired. By that point, I was married and had kids, so I was happy to come home, but the Corps will always remain an important part of my life. From there, I pursued my legal career. Thanks to one of my peers in the legal community, I got off to a strong start. They had a case that was to be tried in my county and asked if I wanted it. I dove in, tried the case, and got a good result for the client. Within a week, that attorney sent me 188 case files and launched me into my personal injury practice.
From the time I started, it was clear that the Marine Corps had connected me with something I could devote my life to. I love what I do, and I love trying cases, in part because I like the competition. As a kid, I played football and lacrosse and wrestled. Athletics fueled my competitive side growing up, and today, trying cases fulfills it. I love what I do because I get to help people. You have to care about people in this line of work. You can try to fool people about many things, but you can’t fool them about caring. When you sit down with your attorney, you have to feel like they’ve got your back. Their word should be their bond. We are working with people at their toughest points. We have to be able to see them and hear them, to understand what they have been through, and to relay that pain and suffering to a courtroom. I get to be an advocate who stands up and speaks for my clients. At the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is tell the truth. Today, my wife and I live in Rock Hill in the same community where I grew up. We have five amazing kids. We were lucky enough to get a bonus baby with our fourth child — twins! Our fifth baby, one of our twins, was born with heart issues, and that’s what brought us back home. We wanted to be closer to family and have the
support network I grew up with. I came home and started my practice, and I’m proud to be part of this community and to represent and fight for the people in it. I look forward to connecting with you each month in this newsletter. If you need anything, know I am here for you.
Until next time,
–Craig Wilkerson
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