Add RSS RSS

Other Uses for the Law Degree: Megyn Kelly

13_61_kelly_megyn_2007_320.jpgThe story of a lawyer-turned-journalist is a familiar one. See, e.g., Jeffrey Toobin, of the New Yorker and CNN; Jan Crawford Greenburg, of ABC News; Adam Liptak, of the New York Times (recently anointed as successor to Linda Greenhouse on the SCOTUS beat); and ATL’s very own David Lat.

Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz penned an interesting profile last week of Megyn Kelly, Biglaw attorney turned national Fox News anchor:

Four years ago, Kelly was a Washington lawyer pleading with WJLA-TV for part-time work. Now she’s the co-anchor of two Fox shows, including a new 5 p.m. hour on the presidential campaign.

“When I was practicing law and had to do these 13-, 14-, 16-hour days, I was miserable,” she says. Now, “you get off the set, you have that post-show high.”

What about the high you get from 10 hours of document review? C’mon, you know you miss it…

Megyn Kelly Megyn Kendall Above the Law blog.jpgAccording to her Wiki bio, Kelly got her law degree from Albany Law School, then worked for Jones Day before joining the Fox team.

“Here is this woman who was strikingly attractive but has tremendous air presence and a very strong voice,” [Fox’s Washington managing editor, Brit Hume] says. “We were knocked out. It was screamingly obvious that this was someone with tremendous potential.”

What’s more, says Hume, “she seemed to get what we’ve talked about with ‘fair and balanced news’ … She came in believing there was a left bias in the news. That’s not common.” He quickly created an opening for her.

The lesson to be taken from Kelly’s story: if you’re a hot, conservative attorney with a strong voice, Fox may have a place for you.

For more on Megyn Kelly, check out this incredibly random interview on Mediabistro’s Fishbowl DC. Apparently, her favorite letter is “x” and her favorite American Idol candidate is Taylor Hicks.

Update: We have updated this post with Megyn Kelly’s law school facebook photo.

Megyn Kelly, Fox News’s Fast-Rising Anchor [Washington Post]
Megyn Kendall: The Fishbowl DC Interview [Mediabistro]

Comments

Comments hidden for your protection. Show them anyway!

Post Your Comment