Jim Harbaugh Was A Law Clerk -- It's Good To Have A Fallback Career

Coach Harbaugh's quest to expand access to justice continues.

Jim Harbaugh (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

When Jim Harbaugh first signed on as the public face of legal aid funding, it seemed an odd marriage at best. Harbaugh, best known for playing Screech’s cousin on Saved by the Bell, could take up any number of causes as Michigan’s football coach, but chose to join the Legal Service Corporation’s Leader’s Council, and advocate for access to justice. It’s an admirable move on his part — it’s really easy to tell people you’re saving puppies or curing Greyscale and soak up the accolades, but most Americans don’t even understand the access to justice crisis, let alone shower praise on those fighting to address it. The guy is in this fight for the right reasons.

And he’s committed to getting his hands dirty for the cause instead of just giving lip service. He wanted to be able to speak with first-hand authority about the real consequences of people forced into the court system without legal representation. Now Coach can scratch “clerking for a judge” off his list of accomplishments.

ESPN reported on Harbaugh’s star turn as a law clerk in Flint:

It was an understandable question. For four hours, Harbaugh performed clerical duties while the probate court mowed through a full slate of restraining order requests, divorce filings and child support claims. These aren’t the type of legal proceedings that inspire silver-screen courtroom dramas or even an episode of the coach’s beloved “Judge Judy” television show. He listened intently to each one, taking notes on a yellow legal pad and asking the judge follow-up questions when court adjourned for the day.

“It’s really important,” Harbaugh said. “It should be important to all of us. … There was a time when I would say I support no cause foreign or domestic other than the greatness of Michigan football.”

On that subject, here’s the ending of the 2015 Michigan-Michigan State game.

“If you’ll allow me the football analogy, it’s like 80 percent of your team gets to go out and play with helmets,” Harbaugh said. “The rest of the team, ‘We can’t afford a helmet for you, but go out there and play anyway.'”

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That’s… actually the best analogy for legal aid funding ever. God, this guy’s really good at this whole public outreach thing.

That time Jim Harbaugh became Michigan’s most famous law clerk [ESPN]


HeadshotJoe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.

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