A few weeks ago we reported that Marque Lawyers were advertising a position for a seasonal clerkship. The ad was written by Michael Bradley; the former Managing Partner of Gadens who left the firm to go it alone, later starting Marque Lawyers.

Applicants were asked to submit an original piece of writing, no longer than 500 words on the topic “Humanity in the nth degree”.

Ludicrously, the application also provided “ If you include the word “jazzy” in your piece without being too obvious about it, you get bonus points”.

Applications were due yesterday and so as not to prejudice law students clamouring for one of the few clerkships presently on offer, we decided to wait until today to publish the Firm Spy’s application.

HUMANITY IN THE NTH DEGREE

By Firm Spy

Willard Christopher Smith probably never anticipated the fame, wealth and international adoration to which he would later become accustomed, as he sat ‘beat-boxing’ with his mate on a dangerous Philadelphian street corner in the late 1980’s. Much like his rapper buddy, Smith was probably worried about his next meal and concerned about the attention of increasingly curious cops.

But luck is an incredible thing and at some point in 1989, lady luck visited Will Smith on that dangerous street corner. What followed was the kind of ascension to fame and notoriety traditionally reserved for those with a royal birthright.

It all started with Smith’s role as the protagonist of the American cult TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel Air; broadcast on NBC and synducated internationally from 10/10/1990 to 20/05/1996. A total of 148 episodes were produced over six seasons.

who the hell is this guy?

But Will Smith’s success on the Fresh Prince would soon be dwarfed by his international acclaim as a rapper and actor. After leading roles in Bad Boys, I Am Legend, Hancock and many others Newsweek coined Will Smith ‘the most powerful actor on the planet’. Ironically, Smith is reported to be presently filimg The Last Pharaoh; something he may very well be.

It is great that Will Smith is now living large, but what about his poor rapping brother who beatboxed his lungs out on the same Philadelphian street corner all those years ago? What happened to him?

Alas, the ties of ‘brotherhood’ forged in these early, perilous years were not soon forgotten by Smith. This brotherhood, analogous to a modern day law firm partnership, was a very powerful thing. Smith decided to ‘split the profits’ by assisting his friend establish his own famous profile.

He landed his mate Jeffrey a recurring role on the Fresh Prince. Smith then thought ‘why dont we try to build a rapping partnership?’ And so, the iconic rapping partnership DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince was born. The unforgettable single Boom Shake The Room reached number 1 across the world, including here in Australia and together they became rapping royalty.

But while Smith then made a successful foray into acting, what happened to DJ Jazzy Jeff? What happened to this (rapping) partnership?

Well, on the back of the very limited success of Boom Shake The Room, DJ Jazzy Jeff apparently overestimated the strength of his rappng talents and his notoriety. He decided to go it alone. Very soon after making this bold decision to de-equitize and cash-out his partnership share with Smith, DJ Jazzy Jeff descended into obscurity. Jeffrey Townes is virtually unknown today and has none of the wealth of his former partner Will Smith.

The demise of Jazzy Jeff’s career is a fitting account of how humans, when placed in the “nth degree” of fame and fortune, can overestimate their own ability and hoodwink the partners who helped them achieve that fame and fortune in exchange for a life of hardship and obscurity.

Seasonal clerks can learn from this.

Firm Spy.

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