The road this Norwich graduate traveled to get to where he is today has taken him across the state, across the nation and abroad.
Nate Guinn spent his childhood in Norwich. He participated in various school and community events such as varsity tennis, he was the vice president of the student body and an Eagle Scout. He says he tried to stay involved in the local community as much as he could through a variety of ways.
After graduating high school in 2000, Guinn went to college in Oswego to study history. “I wanted to become a history teacher,” he said. “That only lasted about one semester.”
Once Guinn realized becoming a history teacher was not what he anticipated it would be, he began to do some public interest law work. “I thought that it was rewarding and I really liked it,” he said. He then changed his major to pre-law and took a lot of political science courses. Although he was studying law throughout his four years at Oswego, he didn’t make the final decision to go to law school until his last semester.
Needing a break, Nate says he came back home and took some time off. While home, he worked at NBT in their legal department. “I found I liked that a lot too,” he said.
Guinn began to look into law schools that would let him start courses in the spring semester. “I realized I wanted to go somewhere new and different than anywhere I had been before,” he said. Guinn found a college that sparked his interest and traveled to California. He began his two and half year law degree at Whittier College in the spring and says the entire experience was great. “I surfed a lot, the weather was always nice and warm ... it was great,” he said.
In preparation for getting his law degree, Nate studied abroad in Spain for a summer, where he says he learned a lot about their legal system and about his own. “I would suggest that anyone studying law should experience what other legal systems are like,” he said. He also says he feels the United States has the best legal system, although, while studying abroad, he could then see and explore the intricacies that the system may have.
While in California, Guinn worked to represent children with disabilities and their families against school systems that were not providing them with the right resources and education. He said he enjoyed the work, but soon realized he missed his family and friends and decided to come back to New York.
Before taking the bar exam, Guinn explains he traveled across the country and went to many baseball games as a way to get his mind ready to take the test. “After that I came home and studied for my bar exam, a lot,” he said.
Guinn took the bar in July, and just last month, received word he passed.
Meanwhile, between taking the exam and getting the results, Nate has seen his fair share of court cases in Chenango County. He interned with Chenango County Court Judge Howard Sullivan. “He taught me a lot about what he does and about the law,” said Guinn.
While interning with the judge, Guinn received another golden opportunity to aid his career. District Attorney Joseph McBride asked Nate to intern with him as well. He explains the opportunity was great because he would get time inside the court room and some hands-on experience. Throughout both of his internships, Guinn says it is apparent that what judges and lawyers do in the community is irreplaceable.
Guinn is currently still interning with the DA and says the experience so far has been great. “McBride has a real passion for his position and that is exactly what I aspire to do with my own career,” he said.
Editor’s Note: “Chenango Stories” puts the spotlight on those people whose compelling stories you might not otherwise hear. If you know someone who is interested in telling their “Chenango Story,” contact Jill Kraft at 337-3075 or e-mail: jkraft@evesun.com.