Since the Camelot days of John F. Kennedy when idealistic law school graduates asked not what their country could do for them - but what they could do for their country - public service has lost its glamour.
The lure of Big Bucks found in private law firms has replaced the selfless government service that characterized the Kennedy era, observes Utah's new solicitor general, Jan Graham.When Graham accepted Attorney General Paul Van Dam's offer to become his office's "top litigator," she gave up a lucrative position with the prestigious law firm of Jones, Waldo, Holbrook and McDonough.
After serving her first month on her
new post, Graham knows choosing public service was the right choice.
"This job is a grand opportunity to do something important that will benefit many people for a long time. That's reward enough," she said.
"Big bucks can mean traps. I prefer making career choices for reasons other than money."
Describing herself as a "public policy freak," Graham says she will assist Van Dam in creating a blueprint of legal policy that will forge the future.
With nearly 10 years experience as a litigator, Graham comes prepared to protect the state's interests in complex civil lawsuits at the appellate level - including those going all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Van Dam has broadened the solicitor general position, vacated by Dallin Jensen a year ago.
In addition to Graham's role as arbiter of appellate policy, she will supervise the divisions that investigate and prosecute white-collar crime and illicit drug trade.
A Democrat, Graham has always been active politically - but not as a candidate. "Running for office is too much aggravation," she said.
Serving as the party's legal counsel and supporting Ted Wilson's 1988 candidacy for governor, Graham watched Van Dam's race carefully. Van Dam impressed her as a man of integrity, leadership and vision. She remembers thinking: "This guy is going to change the course of things for the Attorney General's Office."
In Utah, appointing a woman can be a political liability, she said. She commends Van Dam for recognizing that hiring a woman can be the best choice.
"To rise in leadership as a woman today, you need to meet male expectations of what a female leader should be. The range for success is far too narrow. Women leaders have to thread too fine a needle."
A sense of humor about herself, courtesy, preparedness and feeling passionate about law have been the characteristics Graham believes have given her an edge in her competitive field.
As a young girl, Graham was shy. But her increasing involvement in social issues as a young woman allowed her to put her shyness behind her and become an advocate.
A native Utahn, Graham became interested in politics as a graduate student. She graduated from the University of Utah with a master's degree in psychology, going to work as a counselor of troubled teenagers.
But she missed advocacy, the challenge of persuading. She enrolled at the U. Law School. "I always wanted to be a trial lawyer and have felt at home in the courtroom - where persuasion is the name of the game."
In 1987, Graham was voted Utah Woman Lawyer of the Year.
An unfortunate result of keen competition among Utah attorneys because of their increasing numbers, she said, is a tendency for attorneys to act like schoolyard bullies.
"The real leaders in law are still the ones who take the high road and put integrity before all else."