Alumnus James Minick is committed to the truth. CEO of Minick Law, the 2006 philosophy major works hard daily to bring the truth to light and to defend his clients. And yet, he sees as well as anyone the abandonment of the truth that is sweeping across the country, from the highest levels of government to the family dinner table. Minick wants to change that and encourage tomorrow’s young leaders to stand up for the truth — a mission that led him to founding the Thomas More Scholarship, exclusively for high school seniors who are willing and able to speak and defend truth, both today and in the future.
Minick, one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the United States according to the National Trial Lawyer’s Association, credits his philosophy degree from Christendom for teaching him the skills needed to both succeed in law school and become the successful lawyer he is today. In the classroom, he learned what the truth is and why it is so important, something that he has carried into every aspect of his life since. Minick wants the next generation to get the same appreciation for the truth that he developed, which led him to creating the Minick Law Thomas More Scholarship this past summer.
“In an age where our political leaders have gone from bending the truth to completely abandoning it, and our media is constantly on trial for pushing fake news, we need young leaders who are willing to stand up for and speak the truth,” says Minick. “Thomas More is the patron saint of lawyers and a defender of the truth. He was put to death because he would not acknowledge King Henry VIII as the head of the Church of England. His conscience would not allow him to state what he believed to be false — the truth was more important to Thomas More than life itself. We need young leaders who have a moral compass which points always toward the truth.”
St. Thomas More is a perfect example of someone who stood up for the truth no matter what, making him an easy choice for Minick as the inspiration and namesake of the scholarship. To win the $500 scholarship, Minick asked high school students to submit a video where they answer the question: “why is truth important?” Minick received the first submissions over the summer, and was impressed by the amount and the quality of submissions his firm received, eventually awarding the scholarship to a high school senior heading to a Catholic college before he goes to seminary.
Minick plans on giving out the scholarship annually, rewarding students for their commitment to the truth and desire to learn more about how to defend it in college, just as Minick did at Christendom. The world needs defenders of the truth, and Minick hopes to inspire the next generation, one student at a time, to be the leaders the world desperately needs.