Page 26 - Miami Vol 6 No 2
P. 26
2017 Miami Superstar
AALM: When did you first know you wanted to become an attorney?
Stiers: For as long as I can recall, I’ve wanted to be an attorney. Like any youngster growing up in smalltown Ala bama, “To Kill a Mockingbird” was the first real book that I ever read, so perhaps Atticus Finch inspired me. Regardless of the source of the inspiration, I distinctly recall wearing an illfitting suit and car rying my father’s briefcase to Ms. Stiff’s fifth grade career day in Wetumpka, Ala bama, and telling everyone that I wanted to be a lawyer.
AALM: Do you have any mentors or professors that encouraged you along the way?
Stiers: roughout my life, my grand father has been the single biggest in fluence on me. A child of the depres sion born in rural Tennessee to hum ble farmers, he just has this incredible work ethic and is just so unbelievably grounded in his faith and beliefs. From him I learned the value of a hard day’s work, devotion to family, and approach ing every day as a chance to be a better person and a better man. I’m so fortu nate to still have him in my life at 87 years old, and I am still learning from him.
AALM: What was the greatest lesson you learned in law school?
Stiers: Resilience. For me, law school was one of the most difficult times in my life, not necessarily because of the coursework or studies, but mainly due to some personal and family struggles that compounded the stress of an al ready challenging situation. It was a try ing time, but I learned to hunker down and rise above it through focus and de termination. Truthfully, everyone should have to deal with some adversity in their formative years as it makes you a better person.
Growing up, our family moved around a lot. It was tough being uprooted as a kid, but I always say that those experi ences taught me how to adapt, to be flex ible, to embrace new experiences and possibilities, and to have an open mind. Without those experiences, I doubt that I could have followed a career path taking me to Miami, Florida, to open my own law practice.
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L. Elijah
L. Elijah
Stiers
Stiers
‘What Good Shall I Do This Day’
