OFF THE RECORD

Law and The Blues

By VIJAY D’CRUZ

I am one of those avid music fans who possesses neither the talent nor the time to stop listening to music and pick up an actual instrument. Though I rarely miss a concert, I have resigned myself to the fact that Houston is a much better place with me in the audience and not on the stage. As a fan, I am fascinated by those who are able to balance both musical and legal careers. Maybe my selection of the musical genre for this article was influenced by the fact that I had to review thousands of documents over the weekend, but for some reason the practice of law seemed naturally coupled with the blues. I set out to interview two lawyers, each with disparate practices, to see how each coped with a life of the blues.
I began by sitting down with my friend and colleague, Charlie San Miguel. Charlie is a 2002 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center who practices in Locke Liddell & Sapp LLP’s Houston office. Charlie’s practice focuses on transactional work but, quite fittingly, a portion of this bluesman’s docket is devoted to bankruptcy. Most people that know Charlie professionally have no idea that this Alice, Texas native has been playing drums for over 15 years. Charlie first became interested in the blues during college where he regularly saw local Austin acts such as Guy Forsyth and E.R. Shorts, and he has been hooked ever since. When Charlie decided that it was time to start playing the blues, he began to participate in various jams around Austin. Over the last ten years, Charlie has played for several bands in Austin, Houston and San Antonio, the most recent of which have included Albert Storo & the Soul Hustlers, Trudy Lynn and the Back Door Blues Band. “My involvement in the Houston blues community and with some great local bands has afforded me some terrific opportunities,” says Charlie. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play some unforgettable gigs even while in law school, including shows with B.B. King and Son Seals, two of my favorite artists.”
Like many of us in our first years of practice, Charlie is still adjusting to balancing his lifelong social interests within the pace of a law firm. For Charlie, the most difficult aspect of performing has been finding band mates who similarly share focus between work and music. Initially, Charlie found that his fellow musicians either placed too much priority on playing music (and imposed impractical rehearsal and touring schedules) or failed to take the music seriously enough. But finding an environment in which one can balance both the law and the blues has been well worth the effort for Charlie. “Music is a very important part of my life,” he says. “Fortunately, I’ve learned that playing music and practicing law do not have to be mutually exclusive.”
I also had an opportunity to visit with Rick Lee, a revered member of Houston’s blues community. While Rick has received press for his ethnicity and his accompanying signature tune, “Even a Chinese Man Can Play the Blues,” I suspect few of those who watch Rick wail on his guitar also realize that he is an attorney. In fact, Rick has been a solo practitioner since he graduated from the University of Houston Law Center in 1986. His legal practice focuses primarily upon transactional work, family law and immigration matters. Rick’s musical career began shortly after college, when Rick began to teach himself the guitar as a hobby and a means to meet fellow law students. Rick fondly recalls the moment he realized he was born to be a bluesman; all it took was one listen to the original Otis Rush version of “All Your Love” (a track made popular by Eric Clapton and the Bluesbreakers). Over the past seven years, Rick has become a fixture at Houston blues events. He has been critically acclaimed and has hosted weekly blues jam sessions at a variety of locations. Rick’s current band, Rick Lee and the Night Owls, hosts a blues jam at the Hideaway (3122 Dunvale Street) every Tuesday night from 9:30 to 1:30. Any fellow blues fans (or attorneys for that matter) who yearn for a moment in the spotlight are invited to participate.
Though the lines between lawyer and musician sometimes blur when reviewing fellow artist’s contracts or when meeting clients at gigs, Rick strives to keep his legal practice separate from his music. Rick takes his legal work very seriously and passionately, yet he brings a different level of passion to his music. It is clear that Rick does not want either of the interests in his life to stigmatize his performance in the other. Rick’s concern is reflected in his lyrics, “People look at me funny/They don’t know what to expect/They dis me before they know me/Lord, I get no respect.” Rick downplays his law degree in music circles because he never wants to bear the caveat among his fellow blues musicians that he is a good guitarist for a lawyer. By separating these two aspects of his life, Rick is able to focus his energy entirely on one or the other and maintain the esteem of his peers in both.
Despite their disparate practices, it is clear that both Charlie San Miguel and Rick Lee share passion for both the law and the blues. They have both found a healthy balance between their enthusiasm for playing music and their practice of law that makes each of them successful.
Who would have thought one could ever escape from the law through the blues?

Vijay D’Cruz is a fourth year associate at Locke Liddell & Sapp, LLP whose practice focuses on construction litigation.

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