Publisher's Notebook

Hoagy Carmichael was one of America’s great songwriters of the 20th century. He penned “Stardust,” “Georgia on My Mind” and “Heart and Soul,” just to name a few.

But Carmichael (right) also was a guy who earned a law degree from the Indiana University law school in 1926. He got a job with a law firm in Miami, but failed the Florida bar exam. He moved back to the Hoosier State and took a job with a firm there. He took and passed the Indiana bar, but he spent a lot of time on music.

So much time that he got fired, giving him a chance to be a full-time songwriter. His career took off in the early 1930s after Louis Armstrong and others started recording his songs. Bing Crosby gets credit for the first recording of “Stardust” in 1931.

Thanks to Dawn Chase of the Virginia State Bar for the tip.

Last month we featured a “VLW Quick 10″ column on “Lawyer Could’ve-Beens,” that is, people who earned a law degree but moved on to different work. Our examples included St. Louis Cardinals Manager Tony LaRussa and William Sanderson, “Larry” of “Larry, Darryl and Darryl” fame.

Then there are Lawyer Once-Weres, people who earned a law degree, practiced for a while then moved on to different work. (I admit this is a category that is dear to my own heart). 

Today’s Once-Were is Stephan Pastis, the guy who draws the comic strip, “Pearls Before Swine.” Pastis earned a law degree from UCLA and was a litigator in San Francisco for about 10 years while waiting to get his break as a cartoonist. “Pearls” features the angry Rat, the sweet-but-dumb Pig, the bookish Goat and poor Zebra, who spends his time fighting off the crocs next door.

Pastis maintains an official Pearls blog, sometimes telling stories about his days in law practice. Like the time his firm allowed employees to wear Halloween costumes. Pastis himself showed up in a Power Rangers costume…one that had been made to fit a 12-year-old. It was the firm’s last dress-up Halloween, he noted.