Television

On The Season Premiere Of Survivor, Folks Don't Want To Admit They're Attorneys

Would you lie about your career?

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Survivor_45_logoSeason 45 of Survivor premiered last night, boasting the reemergence of opening title credits and 90-minute episodes. The first episode was a muddy affair, that featured a contestant quitting when the rigors of life on the island got to be too much.

But relevant for the Above the Law audience, among the contestants are not one, not two, but three attorneys. Julie Alley is an estate attorney who went to law school at 40 years old as a second act. Katurah Topps is a Georgetown University Law Center graduate and a civil rights attorney at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Jake O’Kane is a newly minted attorney and graduate of New England Law.

Despite three esquires in the show’s lineup, only one will admit that fact to fellow contestants. Alley is saying she’s an art teacher, her profession pre-law school. Why the lie? Because as she wryly notes, no one wants to give a million dollars to a lawyer.

Topps is claiming a generic office job, while only O’Kane is telling folks he’s a lawyer. One of the most hilarious moments of the episode was when the very experienced attorney Topps peppered O’Kane with questions about what it’s like to be a lawyer in order to maintain the ruse. Highlights of that convo were when O’Kane, a 2022 grad, said being a lawyer is “scary” and Topps lied, saying she hasn’t been around many lawyers.

All three lawyers survived the first episode, but it remains to be seen is lying about law school helps their game or hurts it.

Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.

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