Local Law Firm Making A Difference Norma Lea Beasley Entrance ...

transcript
by Yvette Scorse
Steven S. Zega, ’93
Davis and Zega, P.C.
Lincoln, Ark.
Justice of the Peace
Washington County Quorum Court
Major, 142 nd Fires Brigade
Army National Guard
When did you decide to be a lawyer?
Steve Zega was born in New Jersey,
but now he’s an Arkansan, living
a satisfying small-town life. He left
for Iraq in 2004 as a judge advocate
general (JAG) in the Army National
Guard and spent more than nine
months there. Now, Zega enjoys days
as a partner in his small firm, Davis
and Zega, P.C., and cherishes time
with his family.
My math grades made me realize that my aspirations of being an
Air Force pilot were going out the window. Plus, I wanted to be a
politician, and most politicians at the time were lawyers.
Was your deployment to Iraq a surprise? Will you
go again?
Since Sept. 11, 2001, they expected I would get the call sooner or later.
I hadn’t been deployed before, and I don’t know what is in the future.
What did you miss most while in Iraq?
My family primarily. I have an 11-year-old daughter. She was eight
when I left.
Explain your mission in Iraq:
My job was to be trial counsel and a military prosecutor with the
39 th Infantry Brigade of the Army National Guard. As a prosecutor, I
advised commanders on issues of military justice from the government’s
side, including searches and seizures, nonjudicial punishment, all kinds
of things like that, and I conducted court martial.
How was your day-to-day life
different?
Everything was different. I don’t get shot at in my
regular job (in Lincoln). I don’t go to work in a
helmet and body armor. I don’t carry a weapon into
court. In Iraq, I wore a pistol in court, as did the
judge, as did everyone in the courtroom except for
the accused. It was kind of a mindblower to me, but
that’s how we did our business. I live in a house in
Fayetteville; I was in one-third of a trailer in Iraq.
It made me realize how much better things are in
America.
What is the difference between being
a military lawyer and practicing in a
small town?
It was a completely different world. One of the
cool things about being a country lawyer is when
you practice in a different town or state,
you see the difference in legal cultures.
I was looking at the legal culture of the
Army. Professionally, it helped me grow.
It’s made me a better client counselor,
advocate and adversarial lawyer. As a
partner in a small firm, my clients tell
me what to do to some extent, and
judges tell me what to do to some extent,
but I have a lot of independence. The
military is everything you think it is in
terms of discipline. I had a lot of people
to answer to directly for what I did or
didn’t do. One thing that was different
was counseling clients. Usually when a
military officer asks a military lawyer a
question or poses a problem, they follow
your advice. That’s not always true in the
civilian world.
Are you glad to be back at your
Arkansas firm?
I probably could get better financial
rewards somewhere else, but there’s a
whole lot of freedom that goes along with
a small-town practice. I’m happy to be
here. I love it, and that’s why I do it.
How was life when you returned?
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It was like I had only been away for a weekend.
Any experience like that is bound to change you,
but I came home, drank a few beers, cooked a few
steaks, got back into my life and went back to work.
I love my practice, and I love my family.
Do you have any advice for students
considering military service?
A judge advocate career is one way to get
experience you won’t get in the civilian world.
There’s no break-in period for an Army lawyer.
You get cases and clients immediately. But in the
current circumstances, be prepared to be away
from America on deployed tours. Go in with
your eyes open about that. It’s a challenge, but
people with the right skills and mindset can find it
professionally and personally gratifying.