“You’re not here to make an agreement!” These somewhat unusual words seem out of place in the usually calm and reasonable Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, but they’re right at home in Scott Colom’s new debate class.  “You’re here to defend your position.”

Debate has not been taught at MSMS in several years, and this year there’s a new spin on it. For the first time, MSMS’s Mock Trial Club has been disbanded and the pursuit of excellence in competition will be through a classroom structure. This class will be for ½ a credit for the entire year, and joins Journalism in meeting at a strange time: 5:00-6:30 p.m. once a week.

A Columbus lawyer, Colom has advised the MSMS Mock Trial Team for five years running.  Colom was all but raised in the courtroom as the son of a lawyer and judge. Unexpectedly they didn’t want to make a family business of law. He recalls, “they didn’t want me to become a lawyer.” However, his parents couldn’t stop him from following their footsteps as he claims, “It’s where my passion is.”

He pursued this passion without hesitation. After graduating from Columbus High School, Colom attended Millsaps where he received a Bachelors of the Arts in History and English in 2005. He left the warm of the South to attend the University of Wisconsin Law School, graduating cum laude. Colom taught in rural Guyana in South America through World Teach. Teaching English in Guyana showed him an important lesson: teaching is one of the most difficult jobs. How then did Colom end up teaching a class at the MSMS? It began with his sponsorship of the team while it was still lead by the recently retired Claudia Carter.

The club became a class this year when Mrs. Carter retired and Colom wanted to push the teams harder than ever before. While MSMS has performed at a high level for years, Colom wants to push the students to a higher level, nationals. While MSMS has made it to state every year with Colom guiding the way, he is hoping that the structure of a class will allow the students to go further. “I feel the students will be forced to do more themselves and learn more themselves about practicing law,” he said.

He describes how a failing with mock trial in the past has been accountability. In the past, when a student gets too busy to prepare or too late to practice, the only threat has been a removal from the team. Too late in the season, and that’s a scary threat for the whole team. Now, though, there’s a grade riding on it, something Colom expects to push the school that one last step.

So what does Colom do when he’s not teaching a class? In the past he’s spent most of his time out of class in the court room. He practices law at Colom Law, a firm started by his father Wilbur Colom. He represents people who have been wronged, usually against corporations. As he phrases it, “I practice the type where I represent people…I’m their advocate.”

Now, though, Colom has even more responsibilities to balance as he runs for District Attorney. “I’m running for DA because I think we need to be tough on violent crimes,” he said. He believes in cracking down on violent crimes but smartening up on nonviolent crimes.  “Our prisons aren’t meant for rehabilitation… I want to get them off the taxpayers dime and make them taxpayers themselves.” However, Colom is no stranger to a full plate and is willing to take on this challenge.

So what does Colom have to say to hopeful lawyers? “Don’t do it,” he says, mirroring his parents’ advice to him. He talks about the challenges of working in law. “With being a Doctor, you are certained a certain level of income. Being a lawyer is different… there’s some lawyers out there struggling. That’s why I dissuade people from law.” He continues, “It’s a very difficult job, not the “Law & Order” glamour… It’s a hard profession.”

When asked if Colom has found his work in law satisfying, he gives a split answer: “Yes and no. Some cases are very meaningful, but practicing law is too much of a business. I wish I could focus on the practice part and not the business part.” However, it is clear from his campaign for District Attorney that he is far from giving up on the practice of law. Still, he says, “If I can convince you not to be a lawyer, you definitely shouldn’t do it.”

However, Colom teaches some of the most argumentative and stubborn students in the class. Looking around at the students debating over the relevance of a testimony, it’s clear that he might have some trouble convincing them.