花季传媒

His grandfather was a state legislator, his father a prosecutor and a judge. So is it any wonder that Matthew Kincaid 鈥�92 would enter the law?

Well, yes.

鈥淢y grandfather鈥檚 story is interesting because there were some aspects about his career that I think maybe gave me some initial pause about pursuing something like this,鈥� said Kincaid, a Boone Superior Court judge in Lebanon, Indiana. 鈥淗e had the experience of losing an election somewhat surprisingly. 鈥� It was a real setback to him personally.鈥�

So, as a 花季传媒 student and Rector scholar, Kincaid majored in economics and, upon graduation, followed through with a plan to go into commercial banking. He was working as a credit analyst in a large Chicago bank when, at a meeting one day, he heard a bank lawyer who 鈥渉ad a way of making things as simple as they could be without making them simpler than they are. I was just impressed with him.鈥� And, Kincaid said, he realized that maybe the law was right for him after all.听

He went to Loyola University Chicago School of Law and practiced for five years before running successfully in 2002 for the judge鈥檚 seat from which his father, Ora A. Kincaid III, was retiring.

鈥淭he opportunity to be a judge was just too good to pass up,鈥� the younger Kincaid said. His goal as a judge is fairness, and 鈥淚 just hope that people pray for public servants and give them the benefit of the doubt. Nobody鈥檚 perfect. 鈥�

鈥淲hatever we鈥檙e doing, we鈥檙e all really trying hard. There鈥檚 a lot of criticism out there in the world. I鈥檇 ask for grace and prayers for all who have to make these kind of decisions, but it鈥檚 a great privilege and a great honor. We do the best we can with our abilities and try to do what鈥檚 right.鈥�

Kincaid, who won the Indiana State Bar Association鈥檚 Civility Award in 2017, has the rare distinction of having twice, in 2016 and 2017, been among the three finalists recommended by the Indiana Judicial Nominating Committee for a Supreme Court seat. Both times, the governor selected another candidate.

鈥淚鈥檇 be being disingenuous to say it wasn鈥檛 disappointing, but since then I feel like I鈥檝e continued to do the work that I鈥檓 good at, and I鈥檝e been grateful to do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 never have thought that not being a Boone County judge is something I ought to strive for. I got some really good advice from somebody before I even got into the process of applying for these. He said, well, you know it鈥檚 tough; there are a lot of good people. But 诲辞苍鈥檛 let what you think you want make you think that you 诲辞苍鈥檛 like the job that you already have.鈥�

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