This week’s episode of Entering the Bar® is with Alex Pergament, a career law clerk at the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Alex, who is New Jersey-based, also moonlights on the side as a musician, photographer, and artist.

On this episode, we chat about improvisation as an “affirmation of faith,” and collaboration in law and in art, as well as how, at its base, both art and law seek to help people “see” better—just in different ways.

We also talk about NaNoWrimo (and the Artist’s Way!), the act of channeling energy through “acts of restriction” (i.e., rules and laws), allowing yourself the freedom to “follow your own muse,” and, in a nod to listening law students, how social norms play into the legal concept of the “reasonable person.”

We also chat about some of Alex’s past and current projects, such as Helga + Carl, a collaborative project exploring the intersection of law and art, as well as his ongoing musical improvisational groups After School Orchestra and Yuuge, and why you should always “trust your own value system” when it comes to creating your own career path in the law.

And of course, since you’re listening to “Entering the Bar,” we talk about the Thirsty Thursday kegs in law school (which is maybe why he enjoyed it so much—just kidding, Alex!).

You can find out more about National Novel Writing Month (“NaNoWrimo”) here; and about Yuuge, here. You can find out more about After School Orchestra, here; watch a video recording of the Orchestra at work in the studio, here (or just listen, here); and listen to the Orchestra’s sister group, After School Activities, here.

The music featured on this week's episode (and all future episodes) is called “Entering the Bar Theme Music,” composed by Sam Carden for Entering the Bar®.