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		Who: Ray Whitty From: Jacksonville, Florida What: Counsel at Turner Broadcasting Where: Atlanta, Georgia   Interview

1. What city and state did you grow up in?
      Jacksonville, Florida

 

2. Where did you go to undergrad?
      I attended Florida State University.

 

3. What did you major in?
      Chemical Engineering

 

4. If you didn’t enter law school directly after undergraduate school, what did you do prior to law school?
      I entered law School directly.

 

5. When did you realize you wanted to become an attorney?
      Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer, but my want was reinforced in the 11th grade when I served as a United States Congressional Page. I was actually in the House of Representatives when the Congressmen voted to go to war in the Persian Gulf.

 

6. Describe your practice group?
      I serve as Counsel at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta, Ga. Our companies include CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network and TruTv. My representation of Turner involves varying media, entertainment and sports transactions across all of Turner’s networks. I’m also the designated Counsel responsible for all of Turner’s New Products. My background is in Intellectual Property, so I have strong technology background having experience with Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks. Intellectual Property is probably the most tangible part of the media and entertainment industry, as almost every major media deal has an IP component. I also manage all of Turner’s Patent Portfolio.

 

7. Looking back at your time at UM Law what are some of your most memorable moments?
      The most memorable times are the countless activities with my fellow law students like Law School Intramural Basketball and the Law Student Government Elections. I also enjoyed the beautiful campus and atmosphere at the law school.

 

8. Who were your favorite professors at UM Law
      Professor Waters, Professor Massey and Professor Jones. All of these professors are great lecturers.

 

9. Describe the path you took after graduating from UM Law that led to your current position.
      I practiced as an IP attorney for six years before coming in house at Turner Broadcasting. My law firm legal experience included work in IP, licensing and technology, which was great experience for my current role. I’ve always wanted to practice law in the entertainment/media/sports industry and Turner gave me an opportunity to utilize my IP legal experience in the broadest capacity. The media industry is very interesting and constantly changes so it makes my daily job as an attorney very dynamic.

 

10. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding? The most challenging part of my job is also the most rewarding aspect of my job.
       Turner Broadcasting is constantly launching new products and businesses in the media industry which requires my role as an attorney to constantly adapt to the needs of the business venture. Thus, I constantly learn the intricacies of different products and businesses that eventually may or may not make it to market. However, it is very rewarding to launch a product (such as a new digital website or broadband Sports TV program) that you were apart of from its incubation period. Also, I get to learn about a vast number of areas in the media, entertainment and technology industry.

 

11. How do you juggle family, work, sanity?
       I truly believe that time management and efficiency is the key to balancing your work and family, but yet and still this is an ever challenging task.

 

12. How did the city of Miami play into your decision to attend UM Law?
       It wasn’t too difficult to fall in love with the 70-80 degree weather year round, but I really enjoyed the overall atmosphere and vibe that I had when I visited the law school’s campus.

 

13. How have you seen the law evolve since you first started practicing?
       As the technology of our society develops in the digital world we currently live, many laws are adapting to keep up with the vast changes occurring in our society. For example, the areas of electronic safety and security will continue to develop as our lives transform and adapt to the internet age where many of our daily and mundane transactions will occur electronically.

 

14. What advice do you have for people who are not sure about going to law school?
       I think a law degree is a degree that can benefit you in any field outside of law regardless if you choose to practice law or not. Ideally, obtaining a law degree teaches you a way of rationale thinking that is beneficial in all aspects of life.

 

15. What advice do you have for 3L’s just about to graduate?
       Enjoy your last year of school because once you start billing hours you will realize how much free time you really had while you were in law school.

 

16. What was the last movie you saw? What was the last book you read?
       The last movie I saw was 3:10 to Yuma, and the last book I read was the Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama.

 

17. What do you think the best thing about living in South Florida was?
       The weather, the culture and the great food from around the world.

 

18. If you were not a lawyer what would you be?
       I would be an engineer or athlete (lol).

 

19. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
       Still enjoying the practice of law.

 

20. What do you think the best thing about having a law degree is?
       Having a Law Degree gives you the ability to analyze and understand any problem.

 

21. List any other comments or bits of information about yourself that you think are interesting (e.g., hobbies, volunteer work, etc.).
       I enjoy working out, running, and music. I’m currently training for a marathon in three weeks. Wish me luck!!