A Law Journal for Morehouse
August 5, 2013
August 5, 2013 The Daily Journal Meredith Hobbs
"Francis, who grew up in Los Angeles, said he decided to be a lawyer as a child, though he didn't know any lawyers.
'I come from a very modest background,' he said. His parents immigrated from Belize to Los Angeles, where his father opened an auto-electric and mechanic shop. His mother went to college when Francis and his brother were young, so he spent a lot of time at his father's shop, watching television.
'There were always several judge shows playing,' he said, including Judge Judy and Judge Joe Brown.
When a teacher asked his elementary school class what they wanted to be when they grew up, 'everybody was saying astronaut and firefighter,' he said. 'I needed something, so I yelled out that I wanted to be a lawyer, even though I had no idea what that meant.'
'People let me cling to that idea. They never shot it down and instead encouraged me on it. As time went on, I found out they were serious about providing me with opportunities.'"