Spotlight on Eric Lansing, 2L

Eric Lansing, 2L
Q. Where are you from? 
A. Dinwiddie, Virginia (where “horse,” “house,” and “hose” are all pronounced the same way).

Q. What’s the nearest city to Dinwiddie, Virginia? 
A. Richmond, Virginia (where I was born) is about an hour away from Dinwiddie.

Q. What does becoming a lawyer mean to you? 
A. Becoming a lawyer, to me, means being a servant of others, especially those who can’t stick up for themselves. I felt the calling to be a lawyer when I was eight years old when I heard from my parents about abortion and the crisis the courts had introduced through Roe v. Wade. I decided then that I wanted to fight for justice in that system.

Q. What do you wish you knew before you started law school? 
A. I wish that I knew that Regent was harder than I ever expected. I went to a college that was a very intense (sort of a law school preparatory school). It was designed so that when people came out they would already feel prepared for law school. So I went in thinking that law school would not phase me much—and it did.

Q. What surprised you most about Regent? 
A. I was very pleasantly surprised by its diversity. When I arrived, I was afraid that I would find a sheltered, culturally homogeneous campus. That isn’t what I found at all. Regent is an American school with Christian values; but it is also open to many different perspectives, and it is a home to many different cultures.

Q. How would you describe the group of your closest friends found here at Regent? 
A. Very hard working, determined people.

Q. How is law school different from your college experience? 
A. It is harder.

Q. What is your favorite class so far and why? 
A. Constitutional Law is my favorite course because it is the heart and the soul of the entire law; and I am the kind of person who always needs to have a cause.

Q. What kind of law do you hope to practice after graduation? 
A. Constitutional Law. I’m looking primarily into public interest groups.

Q. How do you prefer to study? 
A. I prefer to study in my room, locked up, where nobody can disturb me—for a very long time.

Q. What is your favorite book of all time and why? 
A. Desiring God by John Piper has influenced me more than any other book I have ever read, other than the Bible. The premise of Desiring God is that, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” The result is that we follow God not out of a legalistic sense of heartless obligation, but because it provides the truest sense of real joy. We worship what we find true joy in; and our joy should be found in God. (I actually have a personal policy about Desiring God. If I ever meet anybody who wants to read it, who hasn’t read it, and for whom the cost is a barrier, then I will buy them the book or loan them a copy.)

Q. What is your favorite Bible verse? In what way does it speak to you or inspire you? 
A. The answer to that question changes about every week. This week the answer is Psalm 16. Psalm 16 ends by saying to God, “At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” That has really meant a lot to me over the past week. Just to be contemplating that the reward of following God is an eternal one and a very serious one.

Q. If you could meet with anyone alive or dead, who would it be and why? 
A. The Apostle John fascinates me. He is known as the “apostle of love.” In his old age, he would have to be carried into church by young men, and he would be placed at the center of the church where people could hear him, because his voice was so feeble. His sermon was pretty simple: “Little children, love one another. Little children, love one another.” He would say that over and over again. He was emphasizing the essentials. We get off on so many abstract questions that just aren’t important. To him what was important was loving Jesus with all your heart and loving other people. That gives me a huge sense of admiration for him.

Q. If you could have lunch with any faculty member or administrator at Regent who would it be and why? 
A. Dean Cook, because he is really awesome. He is confident in a very humble kind of way. He knows who he is in Christ. He doesn’t really worry a lot about what other people think about him, but he loves the people around him and wants to serve them.

Q. If you had an entire weekend available, what would you do in the Hampton Roads area? 
A. Kayaking. I’ve never done that in Hampton Roads, and I’ve heard there are some great places to do it.

Q. Is there anything else you would like your peers or future law students to learn about you? 
A. I want them to learn about the Gospel and I want them to know what the Gospel truly is: that Jesus Christ loves us so much that He took the penalty for sin on our behalf. We have free access to God—a God who is more anxious to hear us than we are to speak to Him.

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