On this episode, I chat with Marc Minor, who is a busy man—he is founder and president of CJM Consulting; serves as Marstone, Inc.’s Chief Compliance Officer; and is also an adjunct professor at Seton Hall’s law school! Marc is currently teaching a course that covers everything FinTech: robo-advisors, big data, AI, digital currency, cybersecurity, and more.

We discuss Marc’s pivot from investigative journalism to law (thanks to a helpful journalism advisor) and his discovery that the law is “maybe the best tool ever” to “cast light” and “root out injustice.” To some degree, almost every role Marc has chosen has served to protect the individual and “root out injustice”—as well as develop his experience in “business shenanigan” lawyering, as he calls it (!).

Marc first discovered his love of "business shenanigans" when he served as an associate in private practice at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. From that point, Marc has worked to protect the investing public in a variety of roles: from bureau chief for the New York and New Jersey Attorney General’s offices, to enforcement director with the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, to senior counsel with FINRA, to Assistant Attorney General for the New York Attorney General. And before that, Marc specialized in criminal law at both the Ohio Attorney General’s office and the Ohio Public Defender’s office—whew!

Marc and I chat about the transition from advising a client, to becoming the client (Marc likens it to “being shot out of a cannon”!). Marc also explains the process he used as a regulator to weigh enforcement actions, and the delicate balance involved between protecting the investing public—while ensuring continued market innovation.

And what about when Marc is not wearing his “law hat”? Well, he turns on WBGO and get some creative writing in during the late night hours. (In fact, Marc wrote a children’s book in law school—between classes! Color me impressed.) We talk about how writing can be an “act of catharsis” and how, as writers, we decide what might “make the cut”; the slow road to improvement; and the necessity of developing humility (and a thick skin!) in the editing process.

And since you’re listening to Entering the Bar, of course, Marc answers the most dangerous question of all—with diplomacy. Apparently after the bar, you should always “take your revelry to Dayton!” (Evidently, what happens in Dayton, stays in Dayton—at least during post-bar celebrations.)

Marc also imparts some sage advice for would-be lawyers: don’t wake up your study partners in the middle of the night to talk about exams! And finally—and even more importantly: don’t be afraid to take opportunities that might initially appear to be “outside of your lane.”

The music featured on this week's episode is “Entering the Bar Theme Music,” composed by Sam Carden for Entering the Bar®.