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Personal Injury & Criminal Defense Attorney feat. Sean Villery-Samuel (Part 2)
99 Plays1 year ago
Today’s guest is Sean Villery-Samuel, an attorney practicing Personal Injury Law with experience in Criminal Law. He is a native of Beaumont, Texas, and in May 2009, he earned his law degree from Texas Southern University, Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
Sean was inspired to pursue a legal career by his father, who is an attorney in Beaumont, and a role model for the impact that Sean wanted to have with his career. He grew up watching his father help people, and knew that he wanted to help people in the same way.
Part of his motivation for coming onto the show is to bring awareness to an enriching career like law, that is sorely lacking minority representation.
He’s here to share his unique journey and encourage others. Building a successful legal career requires significant time, resources and energy, but he believes in the power of serving your community through law as a worthwhile endeavor.
Helping others in need is the foundation for his work ethic. And his favorite motivational quote, "The legacy you leave is the life that you live", underscores the importance of making the most of each day and leaving a positive impact.
He was recently promoted to non-Equity Partner at Provost Umphrey Law Firm, where he focuses on fighting for the legal rights of individuals and families, and balancing justice for the working man.
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Transcript
Introduction and Listener Engagement
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back for part two of Take Your Homeboy to Work Day podcast. We'll pick up where we left off. But before you go, we need your help to spread our message. So please subscribe, like, and rate five stars wherever you get your podcast and on LinkedIn at Take Your Homeboy to Work Day podcast. Thank you, enjoy.
Realistic Legal Portrayals in Media
00:00:22
Speaker
clearly you love what you do. And I imagine, you know, maybe you're watching a TV show or a movie and it's about lawyers doing their work. Is there a show that you think did the best job of representing the work that you do? And is there a show that you think is got it totally wrong?
00:00:42
Speaker
That's a very, very good question.
Personal Experiences of Racism in Law
00:00:45
Speaker
Obviously, what we see on TV is very sensationalized. Otherwise, we wouldn't be watching it. I'm thinking of, well, I can say this. There was a movie. I can't think of the name of it at this time. It was, god, Lee, I can't recall it. But nonetheless, the premise is somebody was wrongfully convicted.
00:01:12
Speaker
Oh, it's based upon Bryan Stevenson, who's a civil rights attorney out of Alabama. Just Mercy. Just Mercy, you're exactly right. That's the story that resonated with me because there were some experiences in that movie that I
00:01:33
Speaker
have very vivid memories of, you know, because I'm from Texas, live in Texas, practice in Texas, practice in Southeast Texas in a place that on the other side of the bridge, when CNN did a story about racism still in America, they were talking about that place, but they filmed it in Beaumont. So being in the South, there are real experiences. And then being a attorney of color,
00:02:03
Speaker
We're still, there's still not a lot of us. So there have been courtrooms that I've gone over, gone into throughout the state of Texas, where I was the only black person that was not a defendant, criminal defendant, from the people in the jury, to the judge, to the DA's, to the other criminal defense attorneys, to the bailiff, to the staff. I've walked in those types of situations. I've had situations where after a trial,
00:02:31
Speaker
uh, the district attorney that I was trying the case again against didn't want to shake my hands. Um, I've been in situations where I've walked in a courtroom and as I'm getting ready to walk where the other attorneys are, I'm asked, are you an attorney? Um, I've been in courtrooms where judges have treated me differently and it was obvious to everyone to the extent where after the trial, the district attorneys have walked up to me and apologize.
00:03:00
Speaker
So those, while it seems far-fetched, and we're not talking about in the 60s, we're talking about in the 2010s. And these are real experiences. And that movie resonated with me because I've represented people that, in my heart, I really do believe did not commit the offense they were accused of.
00:03:25
Speaker
It was patently clear to me that, unfortunately, race played a role in that. And so when asked about movies such as that, is that sensationalized? No, that's the reality for a lot of people, unfortunately. But obviously, there are those those shows that are fun.
00:03:46
Speaker
that, you know, I enjoy watching, but I really honestly don't watch many lawyer shows. I just, I never really, never really have. Yeah, that's just my experience. That's fair. Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. And just in case you need security next time, you know, some of these court rules and they want to act crazy, just call us. I will, you know I will.
Entertainment vs. Reality in Court Dramas
00:04:16
Speaker
Well, speaking of sensationalism, have you ever seen Diary of a Mad Black Woman? Yes and no. I've seen Parks.
00:04:31
Speaker
Well, that to me is what sticks out as the most sensationalized case of a court gone wild. But I don't know if you remember it, but basically when the defendant was found guilty, he somehow escaped from the securities grasps, grabbed the gun and shot his attorney that didn't get him off.
00:04:59
Speaker
Clearly that was very sensationalized, a Tyler Perry film, if you will. But what has been the most shocking or unpredictable experience that you've had as an attorney?
Emotional Challenges in Legal Cases
00:05:13
Speaker
Oh, good question. I've had, yeah, I've had quite a few. One that sticks out to me the most.
00:05:29
Speaker
wasn't because it was a funny situation. I mean, there's been situations where not long after I left
00:05:39
Speaker
somebody was found guilty and they ran and jumped over from the second floor. Those are crazy situations. But the one that sticks out to me, they are came to mind, should I say, I was trying a very difficult case. Some years ago, this was probably the first case where it got a lot of media attention. It was almost like a coming out party in the legal world out here for me in some regards. It surround or the circumstances around it was that
00:06:08
Speaker
It was a kid in middle school, had called one of his friends from middle school, a young lady, to just hang out. My guy's mom was out of town. So the little brother asked the big brother, who was actually my client, would he pick him up just to hang out? So the big brother, little brother, they go get the little sister, and she asked her big sister to go. So they go out, hang it out. They're drinking.
00:06:37
Speaker
doing the most is what kids do. And as we're driving around, the government asserted that my client was intoxicated and he got into an accident. Our position was that there was a vehicle that came in their way. They had to swerve out of the way. And when they swerved out of the way, they hit a curb. And if you have seen those wires that are connected to telephone poles, like those metal wires that go into the ground,
00:07:06
Speaker
Yeah, the vehicle hit that, it shattered the window and after the window shattered, they hit a tree in somebody's front yard. At that point, Big Brother backs up, drives back onto the street, goes to the end of the block, makes a left, goes down two blocks, makes a left, and now he gets to the stop sign of a major street.
00:07:28
Speaker
After this happened, obviously, big brother driving, little brothers in a passenger seat, big sisters in the back seat behind a little brother, and the little sister is behind the driver in the back seat. They're like a suburban.
00:07:44
Speaker
get to the street, the young lady, the little sister's kind of, the big sister's hanging out the window. They're trying to pull her in, little sister's trying to pull her in, can't come in, she's not responding. Because of the accident, the side mirror on the passenger side is knocked off. Little brother, when they have to stop sign, gets out the car to try to help get her in the car. When he gets out, he sees that half of big sister's head is gone, literally.
00:08:11
Speaker
So little brother sees this, little sister gets out the back driver's side, comes around the car, sees her sister. Little brother, middle school kid, doesn't know what to do, pulls the big sister out of the window onto the roadway, jumps in a car, big brother, little brother leave, big sister and little sister right there on the road. They go park under a bridge and, you know,
00:08:40
Speaker
Try to figure out what they do. Mom is not in town. Don't know what to do. That's what happened. So now we're fast forwarding to trial. Obviously, you can, from what I told you, circumstances are very difficult. You know, the, I was asked one of the things that I talked to the jury about and I think anybody would have to think about. In that situation, everybody said, oh, I can't believe they did that. I would have did this or did that.
00:09:08
Speaker
One, I believe you don't know what you would do in that situation unless you're in that situation. Two, we're talking about this from the standpoint of grown adults, but we're talking about kids.
00:09:21
Speaker
What, what are they supposed to do as a kid? If you were a kid, what would you have done? So that's, it was a very difficult trial. And there was a point in this trial where the little sister, uh, she was on the stand and she had to identify her sister after the accident, meaning she had to look at a picture of her big sister, uh, with half of her head gone.
00:09:43
Speaker
And as this is going on, she's on the stand. The district attorney is wanting her to look at the photo. She's crying. I can't. I can't. The district attorney is crying by this time. People in the audience are crying. Some of the jurors are crying and the judge ends up taking a recess.
00:10:02
Speaker
And at that moment, you know, you know, we went to the back. I went to the back of the chambers and I'm in an area where they had coffee and the moment of it all, the weight of it all, you know, I started feeling it, you know, because at the end of the day, we're still people, you know, this just happens to be my job. I still have feelings, even though I believe I do a very good job of being able to compartmentalize to a certain extent. I also recognize that I am a very,
00:10:32
Speaker
Vulnerable person. I'm very in tune with how I feel with how other others feel To the extent where I can watch a good commercial and I'm gonna get teary-eyed and I'm gonna look away But male she knows what's going on a shield pick with me, but nonetheless it was moments where I was feeling it and I you know not I felt like I was starting to well up and They there was a bell of who I respect
00:10:55
Speaker
a lot. And in that moment, a black gentleman who used to be an officer for 40 plus years, he saw me and he was like, he said, Sean, stop. He said, tighten up. He said, never let him see you like that. And from that day, you know, I'm
00:11:11
Speaker
I control my emotions in many situations. Even when I'm getting a verdict, whether it's guilty or not guilty, I'm not gonna show any emotion. I've been taught triumph and disaster are one and the same. I'ma do it that way. I'm not gonna get too high, not get too low. I'ma act like I've been there. And it's because of that type of experience is that I now have that ability to do that.
00:11:41
Speaker
When we're talking about those made-for-TV moments, that was one of those moments. And it's a real moment. And there have been others. But that is one that came to mind when you posed that question.
00:11:55
Speaker
Wow. Damn.
Career Aspirations and Inspirations
00:11:57
Speaker
Yeah. Damn. You know, man, I really appreciate this conversation because you brought a lot of humanity to this job, whereas people think it is all about just finding the next dollar bill, finding the next client. So I love that you bring in humanity to this career and sharing your journey. And so with this next question, I think it's going to be even more interesting getting your insight because I want you to think abstractly.
00:12:22
Speaker
And imagine we've hired a painter for you and, you know, we want to commemorate your career, what you do into a scene or a picture. How would you describe that to the painter? How would you describe your career to the painter? Wow. Bye.
00:12:42
Speaker
Good question. And then I like this question even more because I think by nature, I'm an artist. That's hence my theater background. And you've been to my house, you know, Mel and I, we are collectors ourselves. There's art in my office. There's art in my home. So I'm inspired. So
00:13:05
Speaker
If there was a moment, it would have to be something aspirational. As we're talking now, I'm looking out of my window in my office, looking over downtown. I believe the perspective would definitely be something important. But whatever that picture is, it would have to be
00:13:31
Speaker
from the perspective of looking at me as I'm looking at something. Because I like to believe that I'm always looking forward to what I can do to help others, what I can do next to make whatever community I'm in better. The best way I can describe is just looking forward.
00:13:53
Speaker
You know, looking forward, that can mean a lot of different things at different times in your life. And it doesn't necessarily mean you're looking forward, right? Because in looking forward, sometimes we have to go back and change some things or repair some things or mend some things. And sometimes in looking forward, that means we have to go back and let go of some things. But in trying to encapsulate what I believe that image, that piece of art would be, it would definitely be something of me looking forward over the horizon,
00:14:25
Speaker
hopeful, definitely some color. I can see a orangish sunset of sorts, something similar to what we saw in Destin during that time we were together. But it's those type of moments that makes me, that makes this all make sense. If that makes sense. Yeah. Yeah. That's very vivid. That's great.
00:14:49
Speaker
Awesome. Well, man, this has been an amazing conversation from starting us off with the breakdown of law school and what each year is like all the way up to some of the, I guess, memorable, if that's the right word. It's challenging. Challenging experiences. So I appreciate everything you shared. And we've come to the last question.
Dream Musical Collaboration
00:15:17
Speaker
And I hope you're ready for this. It's a surprise question I didn't prepare you for, but are you ready? Yep. All right. You have just been hired as an ANR executive at a music label, and you've been given an unlimited budget, and you get to create your favorite song.
00:15:38
Speaker
which three musical artists and which one producer would you gather into the studio to make this song? That's easy. That's easy. Especially you coming from Texas, I really want to hear this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so as I give this, I'm going to preface it by saying is that
00:16:04
Speaker
Even though I'm from Texas, Southeast Texas, you know, UGK is literally the neighborhood, the city next door. Houston, you know, some of the greats that came from there that we consider greats, the little key keys, those type of folks that are that are special and near and dear to our heart. My exposure to music has always been so much more vast. Growing up
00:16:28
Speaker
Uh, you know, one of my favorite artists of, you know, growing up was cannabis. Uh, you know, grew up on goodie mob outcast, grew up on Nas, grew up on Jay-Z grew up on all of those things from this little pocket, uh, in Beaumont in Southeast Texas. Uh, and then when I went to FAM.
00:16:44
Speaker
I was opened up to a whole other world and that's when I was introduced into jazz and I'm really really really into jazz right now and a lot of soulful music because I just believe that's where a lot of the roots of what we listen to now and I and I can appreciate the freestyle found in jazz
00:17:01
Speaker
as much as I can in hip-hop because they're very similar. Those feelings of expression that we have that we can express ourselves in these moments where for many of us, people of color, those were the only spaces we can be free. And that's how I see music in a lot of ways. It's a space for us to be free and express, and it's okay to feel how we feel. So with all that being said, the producer is Jay Dilla. I love Jay Dilla.
00:17:30
Speaker
I was introduced to him at FAM, and I just thought he was a brilliant, brilliant person that was doing things that the remnants and the influence of his contributions to society, to culture, to music, is still felt to this day. So that's easy. Now, when it comes to artists, it gets a little bit more difficult simply because now I'm trying to figure out how do I sonically try to do this? Do I take from the past and the old?
00:17:59
Speaker
First artist that came to mind is Kendrick Lamar. He's definitely on it. I think he's ahead of his time. When I'm thinking of my three albums in no particular arrangement of all times that I can listen to if I can only listen to three pieces of music for the rest of my life, Kendrick, Lamar's, Mr. Morrell and the Big Steppers is in there. I think it was a very, very
00:18:29
Speaker
courageous and bold record. Uh, it was, I've never heard anything like it where he truly, truly, um, allow black men to be okay with understanding you're not the only one with trauma and you can get through it. Uh, and I think it's brilliant for that reason. The other album I think is brilliant is Marvin Gaye's what's going on.
00:18:52
Speaker
for very similar reasons. I think both of those albums are timeless. You can listen to it today. You can listen to it 20 years from now. It's still going to resonate, unfortunately, or fortunately. And the last album is John Coltrane's The Love Supreme. The emotion and the reverence in that album
00:19:11
Speaker
I think it's something that connects with me definitely spiritually and the sonic aspect of it from the jazz background for me. That's my core if I need to listen to just a one jazz album. So with all that being said, as I said, Kendrick Lamar is definitely in it. J. Cole is my other artist. I love J. Cole.
00:19:33
Speaker
from when he first came on to the scene because I felt like he was speaking from the space that we came from. We were college educated black men, came from middle class experiences. So what he was talking about were things that I understood. But he also had the ability to reach folks that didn't come from those backgrounds simply because that was the same experience that I had. I come from a background, a family that is on one side is all college,
00:20:02
Speaker
college-educated. To the other side of the family, I was the first college graduate. So it's definitely a J. Cole on there because of the substance, and I appreciate his sonic ear. And the last person is someone that I've always loved, loved, loved, and I think this would create an interesting dynamic to this particular arrangement would be Erika Badu. I would love to hear that type of record.
00:20:31
Speaker
I can, yeah, and I know I went a lot further than what you asked for, but I think that would be it. Erykah Badu, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, produced by J. Dilla. That is a powerhouse record. Yes. Respect, respect. From all regions of the country, too. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep.
Closing Remarks and Career Advice
00:20:50
Speaker
Awesome. Well, you know, we've come to the point where we're going to round out the show. I've given my closing thoughts. I once again, appreciate you coming on and sharing your journey, man. And I know that the listeners are going to find value in this. So I especially want people to go back and listen to some of the earlier parts. We talk about things you can do. If you know you want to go to law school and dedicate yourself to helping your community and others through law, some of the early things you could do, such as challenging courses, participating in my team trial,
00:21:17
Speaker
and listen to the early part of this recording again. Stephanie, as my first ever guest host, what closing thoughts do you have? Well, I have just thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. And yeah, just like you said, the hard work that you have to have and the determination is really important.
00:21:39
Speaker
So I'm so grateful that you came on the show, Sean, to share your journey and hopefully encourage lots of other people that are listening to this to pursue their dreams. And one final thought, I mean, I know you picked three amazing people, but the fact that you could have gone to high school with Beyonce, I just... We could have been on the Renaissance tour right now. I'm sorry.
00:22:08
Speaker
You picked a great path. So, we're so proud of you and happy that you were able to share your story with us today. Thank you. Thank you. And again, I'm so proud of y'all. I love this concept. I love this podcast. I appreciate you.
00:22:26
Speaker
for giving many people the platform to exchange and express their experiences so that others know they can do it. Because regardless of the hard work that it takes, this is something anybody can do. I'm not the brightest, I'm not the smartest, but I was willing to work. And if you're willing to work, this can be a very fulfilling
00:22:48
Speaker
and life-changing career and experience for anyone. So again, I thank you all for having me, and I look forward to the next guest you have, because now you've got another listener. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Well, respect. We wish you all the best as your career grows, man. And have a very rest of the day.
00:23:07
Speaker
Hey, before you go, we need your help to spread our message. So please subscribe, like, and rate five stars wherever you get your podcast and on LinkedIn at Take Your Homeboy to Work Day podcast. Thank you.