“Now when you choose a law career, the moment you embark"…”
Samantha Johnson: Lawyer & Actress
On what drives her:
“To paraphrase the Desmond Tutu quote, doing my little bit of good where I can. There’s a lot of sadness in my job. People aren’t typically dealing with our office on their happiest days, so I make a point to be helpful and kind as I can be within my scope and ability.”
How She Became a Lawyer:
“I went into college with the goal of running a museum. By the time I graduated, I had every intention to be a journalist. However, it was 2010 and the gap in jobs from the near death of traditional media hadn’t quite been filled by all of the digital options that exist now. Entry level reporter jobs were going to people with decades of experience and I just didn’t have the portfolio or intern experience to really compete. So, after about a year, I reassessed my options. Just about every career path that I thought looked interested required a law degree, so I decided to take that path.”
What Her Job Looks Like Now:
“I prosecuted domestic violence cases for around 6 years and, about two years ago, made a transition to a civil position in my current office. I deal with the Public Information Act, Orders of Protective Custody, and Protective Orders.”
A Law Career Success:
“When I was in law school, I was given the opportunity to speak at the Association for Research into Crimes Against Art’s conference in Italy. I presented on the protection of cultural property that has been endangered by war or unrest. I adore both art and history so it was wonderful to spend time around fascinating people who are passionate about art and cultural preservation. It didn’t hurt that it was in a gorgeous little Italian town where the little grandmother who ran the bed and breakfast we stayed in fed us a slab of tiramisu the size of my head for breakfast.”
Background in the Arts:
“I have only been doing theater since the end of 2018, but I’ve loved it and other artsy things my entire life. My love of theater properly started in Elementary School. I had a teacher that would keep an eye out for touring productions of age-appropriate musicals and convince the administration to approve field trips to them. She’d spend the weeks leading up to the trip having us listen to the cast recordings and learning the plot and context of the shows. Regarding other arts, I am happiest in a museum and I don’t think I’ve ever taken notes for school or work that didn’t end up with sketches on the back or in the corner.”
An Artistic Success:
“Honestly, I’m thrilled anytime I get to be on the stage. I was recently in Enchanted April and was so flattered that I was given the chance to play the role I did. Also (not just saying this because of who is asking me these questions), I had so much fun playing Roxanne in Plague Mask Players’ Cyrano.”
Quick Tips For “Doing Both”:
1. Be gentle with yourself.
2. Figure out who is truly supportive.
3. Seek advice from people who seem to be doing what you do well.
Why she “does both”:
“In my legal career, I often hear and see terrible things. There are stories that people have told me and footage I’ve seen that I will never get out of my head. I have to be able to see and hear those things without being the one emotionally impacted by them, at least in front of the person that I’m supposed to be a support for. It’s a lot to keep inside, theater lets me process through those emotions and get them out. It’s truly cathartic.”
How law and the arts intersect, & the challenges they bring:
“Both require you to compartmentalize a lot and use the useful parts of whatever emotions you’re feeling. Trial is basically theater. I have a friend whose law school would actively recruit students from her undergraduate’s drama program. It can be mentally and physically exhausting. Also, not everyone is going to be excited that you’re doing both. Some people believe both careers are all or nothing and don’t believe that you can be committed to both effectively.”
Get To Know Samantha
If Your Life Were A Musical, What Would the Title Be?
Choices Were Made
If you could work in any area of law or company what/who would it be?
Some museums keep an attorney on staff whose entire job is to know and track the provenance of every piece in their collection and work on issues of repatriation and ownership disputes. I would love to have that job.
Dream Acting Role:
Fantine in Les Miserables, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Alice Murphy in Bright Star. Also, I was Beatrice in a production of Much Ado About Nothing that shut down at the end of Tech Week right at the start of the pandemic. I desperately want to get to properly play her.
Your Traditional Character Type/Preferred Genre:
I have been lucky that I’m not sure I’ve been backed into a specific “type”. That said, upon reflection, I have played quite a few anxiety-riddled “neurotic” characters.
College/Graduate School & What You Studied:
I have a degree in History with minors in Journalism and Anthropology from Texas A&M. My JD is from South Texas College of Law.
College/Graduate School & What You Studied:
I feel really fortunate that I can’t really narrow this down to three people. My family and friends really do consistently come to shows, even ones that they absolutely do not care about other than they know I’m really excited about it. My mother does draw the line at Hamlet. She’s already told me that she will not be attending should I ever get cast.
