Visiting Lawyer Discusses “The Pros and Cons of Law”

Students at Thomas Aquinas College, California, learned about the pros and cons of a legal career last Saturday from Robert Miller, a friend of the College with years of professional and academic experience in the legal field. 

In his talk, Prof. Miller described his background and the course of his career, both of which resonated with students. After years of working as a Wall Street attorney focusing on mergers and acquisitions, he now holds the F. Arnold Daum Chair of Corporate Finance and Law at the University of Iowa School of Law and is a fellow at the Classical Liberal Institute at New York University School of Law. 

But long before he practiced, taught, or even considered law, Prof. Miller told students, he was himself a student of philosophy and mathematics. He brought that love of the broader intellectual life to law school at Columbia and Yale — and beyond. He read philosophy between negotiating billion-dollar mergers, and once he pivoted to the professor’s life, he taught classical subjects alongside courses in law. 

Seasoning his insights with anecdotes, Prof. Miller fielded questions and dispensed advice about applying to law school — “The best thing undergraduates can do is practice taking the LSAT. It has a big effect on where you get accepted” — as well as seeking clerkships and navigating the occasional moral ambiguities of the legal profession. “He was really insightful,” remarked Noah Arredondo (’26). “He shared a lot about what you need to do to get into law school, and how you can thrive afterwards.”