Discovery with Cheryl L. Behymer
The Fisher & Phillips employment attorney, dedicated to promoting inclusion in the workplace, discusses Atticus, The Princess Bride, and her desire to be a race car driver.
Published in 2016 South Carolina Super Lawyers magazine
By Cheryl L. Behymer on April 22, 2016
I can’t go a day without … just one little piece of chocolate–OK, maybe not always just one.
My colleagues would be surprised to know that … I have always wanted to be in a Grand Prix race, unless they have ridden with me when I was driving.
The lawyer I most admire is … Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, and I know in my heart of hearts that he exists. (I haven’t read the new Go Set a Watchman book, which I have been told might impact my answer.)
If I weren’t a lawyer, I’d be … a race car driver.
My pre-trial routine is … to not sleep, which is helped by lots of caffeine, so that I am way over-prepared.
When I win a case, I celebrate by … drinking champagne, but not while driving a race car, or any other vehicle. Just to be clear.
The SCOTUS decision I’d overturn is … McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, just for fun, because that is cited in every labor and employment case and maybe it’s time to shake things up a bit.
A different practice area that intrigues me is … copyright law.
I can’t believe more people haven’t read … A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.
I can do a pretty good impersonation of … a valley girl.
My real life hero is … my mother, who raised me when my father died when I was 6.
On weekends I … sit on my deck and gaze out to the mud flat where my lake used to be before the 1,000-year flood in October 2015.
My most bizarre talint talent is … a nerdy fascination with grammar.
The talent I wish I had is … singing, but not having the talent doesn’t keep me from doing it.
The most fascinating person I ever met is … Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. I was asked to help with a fundraiser dinner and she spoke at it. We had a chance to chat because she was passionate about education and I was a teacher for 12 years. She also gave me a signed copy of her biography, which is fascinating.
The craziest thing I witnessed in a courtroom is … a pro se plaintiff thanking the judge who granted the summary judgment motion filed against him. The judge courteously asked the plaintiff what he really wanted. The plaintiff said he just wanted the case to go away, and the judge said he could help with that.
The movie line I quote most often is … “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die;” from The Princess Bride, of course. Actually, I have a lot of favorite lines from that movie: “No more rhymes now, I mean it!” “Anybody want a peanut?” “Inconceivable!” “As you wish.”
I wish I had invented … the Internet, but Al Gore beat me to it, I guess.
The book I just don’t get is … Moby-Dick. And now it’s a movie? Again?!
The last TV show I binge-watched was … The Blacklist.
Nothing cheers me up like … seeing my dog’s excitement when I come home.
The most annoying thing about my job is … tracking billable hours.
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