5Q is your way to get more acquainted with the local legal community. Submissions come from lawyers, paralegals, judges and law professors alike. In 5Q, you’ll discover insights on the profession while learning more about the people behind the practice. Responses are edited for clarity and length.
Want to be featured in our next 5Q? Respond to the survey today.
This week, we heard from Clarissa Collier, partner at Wheeler Trigg O’Donnell. Collier “defends her clients in high-stakes medical malpractice, professional liability, products liability and commercial litigation matters.” Read more about her practice and experience in her online biography.
Question 1
If you could choose to master a musical instrument that you don’t already know how to play, which one would it be and why?
A: The piano — because it is versatile. You can play all styles, from blues to rock to R&B. I played the clarinet and it was far more limited to certain styles and accompaniments.
Question 2
What is your favorite clause of the Constitution and why?
A: The 14th Amendment. If it didn’t exist, I very well may not be here. My father is Black and my mother is white. They got married in Virginia just five years after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Loving v. Virginia, in which the court struck down Virginia’s antimiscegenation law because it violated the 14th Amendment.
Question 3
If you could travel back in time and talk to any historical figure about the law, who would you talk to and what would you say to them?
A: I want to ask the Founding Fathers, “Did you intend the Constitution to be a static document or something that evolved over time?” With so many disputes in this country revolving around how to interpret the Constitution, the answer to that question would be incredibly helpful.
Question 4
What’s your favorite book and why?
A: “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker. It unapologetically brings to light issues that people don’t like to talk about, particularly in African American families, including domestic violence, sexual assault, sexuality, racism and gender equality. Society is now starting to accept that these conversations need to be had, but in 1982 when the book was published, it was revolutionary.
Question 5
What’s your favorite movie or TV show?
A: “The Wizard of Oz” promotes believing in yourself without relying on outside validation. Every character in the story is looking outward for something — courage, a heart, a brain — without realizing they already have it. There can be a tendency to seek approval from other people, and the movie reminds us that often all we need to do is look inside ourselves to find what we need.