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Legal Pioneer
Ruth Fleet Thurman Looks Back at 45-Year Career
 Stetson University’s College of Law honored Ruth Fleet Thurman this year by hanging a bronze relief of her likeness in the law library and deemed her a “legal pioneer.” |
Florida Trend: Do you consider yourself a legal pioneer?
Ruth Fleet Thurman: I guess so. I knew that I was in a profession that was almost 100% male, but it never occurred to me that I couldn’t do it. The lawyers I went to school with, I knew I was as smart as they were.
FT: How has being a woman impacted your career?
RFT: I graduated from Stetson in 1963 and hung out my shingle in January 1964. I don’t know if I can say being a woman was an advantage or a disadvantage, except that because of my gender, I did sort of stand out and become known. And I think that led to things like appointments to the Florida Board of Law Examiners.
FT: What was your style as an attorney?
RFT: I’m not sure I had a reputation for toughness. I wasn’t aggressive, but I did my homework, and I was always well-prepared. Preparation, I think that’s the key. As a professor, I was also compulsive about being well-prepared, and I expected that of my students. One class gave me a T-shirt that had ‘Be Prepared’ printed on it because they knew I was vigorous in expecting them to be prepared for class.
FT: Talk about the evolution of the students you taught during the last 34 years.
RFT: When I first started teaching, the students were dedicated to public service jobs that usually don’t pay as much as going with a private firm. A few years later, we had a group that some considered the ‘Me Generation,’ and they were motivated by what was going to make them the most money. Today, I think the pendulum might be swinging back toward the pro bono-type service. For a number of years, Stetson has had a pro bono requirement of 20 hours of public service that students must put in before graduation — and many of them are now putting in as many as 100 hours. I think the students today are more dedicated to public service and less concerned about ‘what’s in it for me?’
FT: What should the motivation be for a young person who is deciding to study law and become an attorney?
RFT: I think you have an ethical obligation to use your degree for the public good — and not be motivated by how much money you are going to make. I loved being a lawyer because I loved the client contact. I liked knowing that I was making a difference in people’s lives. The law is a helping profession.
FT: Given your reputation for preparedness, how have you prepared yourself for retirement?
RFT: I’m not sure I have. There are things I look forward to doing, although I’m not sure I’d say that I’ve prepared for them. Travel. Volunteer service. I don’t have any particular plans, but I’m excited about seeing how it all unfolds.
