Q and A with Alex Mendoza, Jr.
What has been the most valuable experience you have had as a lawyer?
It may be that the most valuable experience was serving as a judge pro tempore in the Superior Court. From about 1995 to about 2005, I would serve, maybe once a month, as a judge in the Superior Court. It is an eye-opening experience. Sitting on the bench, one realizes the difficult decisions judges must make every day. I found it especially challenging to make credibility calls. After my service as a judge pro tempore (they are called temporary judges now) I rarely rant about the decisions of a judge. Now, maybe the better term would be “fume.”
What life lessons do you think are important in your practice?
Well, first and foremost, my father taught me always to be honest. He also taught me the “golden rule”: to treat others as you would have them treat you. I think we in the firm have that as a core value. Finally Dad, who served in the United States Marine Corps in Korea, instilled in me a pride of service to the country, whether it be as an officer of the court, or as a private citizen.
What do you think is the most difficult task a criminal defense lawyer faces?
My father-in-law, who was also a criminal defense lawyer, taught me very early on that professional objectivity is the most valuable characteristic of the criminal defense practice. It is one thing to live and breathe a client’s case (which I do when I am in trial); it is another to become personally involved – this can blind you. It is a trap defense lawyers (or prosecutors, for that matter) must avoid at all cost.
You attended a prestigious law school at the University of Notre Dame. What was the most important lesson you took away from your training there?
The University stresses ethics, in life and practice, more than any other precept or rule. If one handles all matters within ethical bounds, the rest sort of takes care of itself, or dovetails into place. But the most valuable courses I took (and every class was a tremendous experience taught by renowned professors) would be Criminal Law with G. Robert Blakey (influential author of the federal RICO statutes) and Trial Advocacy. The Trial Advocacy professors were also National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA) faculty and used NITA materials with us. We came out trained well enough to jump right into trial because the National Institute of Trial Advocacy annually trains hundreds of practicing lawyers throughout the country in the art and craft of trial advocacy. After the many, many trials I have had, I would say my success has stemmed from that solid foundation.
What is most important in your life?
The first thing that came to mind was family. But I should say faith first, though my family is ever-present in my thoughts. My wife Tamara and I have been married 19 years. We have two teenage daughters. They keep me in line. They make pretty tough mock jurors too!
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