Week Seven, Part 6 - Aspirations

After Torts, I introduce myself to Dr. Thomas L. Hauck, M.D., and ask what other classes he has. I’m curious because I’ve never seen him around Notre Dame Law School, either in the library or student lounge.

“Just Torts,” he says. “The last two years I’ve been taking one class per semester. Plus some correspondence work.”

“Interesting,” I say. "But I thought part-timers were verboten at Notre Dame!”

Tom nods. “I’m in the slow learner section... move my lips when I read.” It’s a favorite line of Professor Rice.

“No, really,” I press him, “how’d you get in?”

Tom says ND Law made an exception for him. "I’m buddies with Dean Link's best friend – who happened to give the school eleven million dollars."

"No way! What's his name?"

"Art Decio."

I smile. Decio is chairman of the board and CEO of Skyline Corporation in nearby Elkhart. In the telecom wars for AT&T, Terri has spent months trying to win Skyline’s long-distance traffic of $1.2 million a year.

Changing the subject, Tom asks what kind of law I want to practice.

I joke, “Dunno, maybe hairdresser law.”

He laughs. “At a boutique firm?”

Tom says that if he finishes his J.D., he'd like to retire early and do consulting.

Wouldn’t we all, I think. Wouldn’t we all.

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