{"id":24928,"date":"2015-09-26T16:13:14","date_gmt":"2015-09-26T21:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/?p=24928"},"modified":"2017-11-08T09:16:02","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T14:16:02","slug":"forty-five-plus-years-wow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/law.marquette.edu\/facultyblog\/2015\/09\/forty-five-plus-years-wow\/","title":{"rendered":"Forty-Five Plus Years \u2013 Wow!!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"John<\/a>
John Kircher teaches a law school class, 1986<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Editor’s Note:\u00a0 This semester, Marquette University Law School students will hear the immortal words,\u00a0“I already have a\u00a0 friend,” for the last time.\u00a0 After a legendary career, Professor Jack Kircher will end his teaching duties in December.\u00a0 He has influenced and inspired\u00a0thousands of Marquette Lawyers over the past four-plus decades, and\u00a0he has graciously agreed to share some reflections on his career.\u00a0 And if you don’t understand the reference to “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” the answer can be found in John Mortimer’s delightful television series “Rumpole of the Bailey.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Someone, possibly me, once said that if you find a job you love you will never again work another day in your life. That speaks well of my time here at the Law School.\u00a0 My work here has been, with all apologies to “She Who Must Be Obeyed,” a love affair.<\/p>\n

But my goal, leaving here as a graduate, was not to become a Law Professor.\u00a0 I wanted to be a lawyer who would spend most of the time in a courtroom.\u00a0 That is how I started, but then came the phone call. \u00a0It was from Professor James D. Ghiardi, my most favorite teacher during my three student years here at the Law School.\u00a0 He asked me to join him as his assistant at the Defense Research Institute (DRI).\u00a0 It was a national think tank for lawyers who defend insurance and personal injury litigation. It involved a lot of research, writing and editing. \u00a0It was then and there I learned, for the first time, that Jim had two full-time jobs.<\/p>\n

My initial thought at his call was pride that he would seek me out to join him. I also came to the conclusion that if I did not like the new job I could always go back to the courtroom. But I did not go back to the court room.\u00a0 But how did I end up in the classroom? The first step again relates to Jim.<\/p>\n

Shortly after I began my work at DRI, Jim was elected President of the State Bar of Wisconsin.\u00a0 I believe that Jim remains the only academic lawyer ever to be elected to that position. Nevertheless, shortly after the election he came to me and asked if I would teach his Insurance class at the Law School during his term as President, because of his time constraints.\u00a0 I soon learned what having two full-time jobs was like.<\/p>\n

Jim returned from his term as president to tell me that he wanted to teach a different course and that the Dean (Bob Boden) had approved my continuing on with Insurance \u2013 step two.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t long thereafter that the Law School decided to section first year classes \u2013 from 160 students in one section to 80 in two sections.\u00a0 At that time, Torts was still a two-semester course.\u00a0 Dean Boden asked me to\u00a0teach one of the new sections, I am sure at Jim\u2019s urging \u2013 step three. Jim left DRI in the early 1970\u2019s, and I was asked to replace him.\u00a0 Now I really knew what two jobs was all about \u2013 a full load at the Law School and running a staff of twelve at DRI.\u00a0 Fortunately the two offices were only a block apart.<\/p>\n

In 1982 I decided that two full-time jobs was one too many. In addition to running the Milwaukee office, the DRI job involved a good deal of travel.\u00a0 My children were growing up quite quickly, and I wanted to be a hands-on part of the process. So ever since my sole job was teaching law.<\/p>\n

But what has caused my love affair with teaching law?\u00a0 It certainly is the interaction with law students. One Ls come to us not knowing what a source is or how to spell “collateral.”\u00a0 But to be a part of their evolution is just fantastic.\u00a0 Day by day and week by week, the students\u00a0develop into lawyers. Looking out at those fresh, young faces at that first Torts class, I can\u2019t help but wonder who will be a justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court or join me as a faculty member at the Law School one day. I have had several of each.\u00a0\u00a0One became my co-author on a two-volume book and my co-editor of a quarterly law journal. \u00a0 I have even had a student start in the local U.S. Attorney\u2019s office and end up as a radio talk show host. Many students, quite obviously, become very accomplished lawyers.<\/p>\n

To be repetitive, I truly love teaching law!!\u00a0 I would have experienced none of this without James D. Ghiardi \u2013 my teacher, my mentor, my faculty colleague, my second father, and my friend. I am only sorry that the job had to end.<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor’s Note:\u00a0 This semester, Marquette University Law School students will hear the immortal words,\u00a0“I already have a\u00a0 friend,” for the last time.\u00a0 After a legendary career, Professor Jack Kircher will end his teaching duties in December.\u00a0 He has influenced and inspired\u00a0thousands of Marquette Lawyers over the past four-plus decades, and\u00a0he has graciously agreed to share 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