Benjeman Nichols (JD ’07)

Hometown: Charlotte, North Carolina. Currently lives in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, IL 
Undergraduate Institution: Valparaiso University 
Current Employer: I currently work at Cavanagh Law Group where I’m a trial lawyer who focuses on cases where people have been hurt. I handle a lot of medical malpractice cases, federal civil rights cases, and car accidents, construction, etc. 

In what ways has your work and/or career evolved over the last few years? 
I started off doing something really different.  I had gone to law school thinking I would do international law. But after my first year, I applied for The Corboy Trial Team Advocacy Fellowship and I ended up getting it and it ended up completely changing the direction of my life at the point. By the end of school, I was prime for going into trial law and got a job doing medical malpractice work for a defense firm. It was a great experience but I knew I really wanted to represent people who were hurt, as opposed to corporations on the other side. Over the years, I’ve also been getting more involved in the legal community. I’m on the Board of Directors for the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago and so I’ve been able to help represent part of the legal community in some different areas. 

What do you envision for the next few years? 
I want to keep developing my skills and establish myself here in Chicago as a strong, qualified lawyer. I want it to be that when people are injured and need an attorney, I’m the first person they think of. 

What would be one piece of advice for young lawyers?
I would say one piece of advice is to work really, really hard. Law school teaches you critical thinking that helps you adapt to a legal career, but you don’t graduate with all the tools you need to be a successful attorney. It takes hours and hours of hard work to be able to figure it out. Jump into that career with both feet, spend the hours, and work hard to perfect and challenge yourself to do better and shine among your peers. Beyond this, I think that the relationship that you cultivate in the legal community are just as important. Get to know people, become someone that other lawyers trust, and want to work with. 

Why did you choose to attend Loyola?
I thought Chicago was a fantastic city and I wanted to practice law here. Being from somewhere else, I thought it’d be great to go to school here. I knew I would thrive in an environment where there was a sense of community, one that fosters strong academics while maintaining a camaraderie between student and I thought I would find that at Loyola. Loyola went out of its way to show its students that’s possible.