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James Jordan, BJ '78

Best professional lesson learned at the J-School?
Put the important stuff in the first paragraph. It's still an important lesson I follow in everything I do in business and law. The writing skills I practiced and fine-tuned at the J-School have been very valuable to me in my career pursuits.

Describe your line of work? What's the most interesting part of your job?
I work as a commercial litigator and serve as Chairman and CEO of Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, a 100-attorney law firm. As a commercial litigator, I handle cases involving disputes between companies. The most interesting aspect of my job is that I work as a practicing attorney and as the top executive of the firm. I spend about half of my time managing the business aspects of our firm and half practicing law. I enjoy the variety that my dual role provides.

What would be your best advice to current students?
It's the personal relationships with people that help you in your career pursuits, and the best place to start building those relationships is in school. Get to know your classmates and take an interest in them. Cultivate and maintain those relationships over the years.

What makes you good at your job?
The ability to evaluate the fundamental aspects of a problem and figure out a solution. I also like to think that I communicate well with a wide variety of people.

What do you consider your greatest professional achievement?
The Dallas Business Journal named me one of the six most influential leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth legal community.

What is something about you that might surprise people?
That I've written a novel. It's called Something That Lasts. It's about a family that struggles with faith in God and with each other after the father's adultery leads to suicide and scandal. It's something I've always thought I could do, so instead of just sitting around and blabbing about doing it, I did it. It was a five-year project from start to finish. It will debut in bookstores this fall.

What is one thing you wished you could have done in life?
I would have liked to have played shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals. But, like so many others, I just couldn't hit. That's obviously a significant problem in baseball.

What is your secret to success?
I would say don't be afraid to fail. The fear of failure keeps you from doing so many things. I've seen so many people I know not attempt things they could've possibly accomplished because they feared failure.