Dave Johnson's rock 'n' roll law school

Dave Johnson has been rock 'n' roll lifer since high school, working day and night on a string of bands with, let's say, inconsistent financial returns and too many nights spent sleeping on floors.

Most of his time and effort has been dedicated to The Glasspack, a hard-rock band with psychedelic tendencies that has released five full-length albums, a couple of EPs, and toured the nation roughly 300,000 times. He has led The Glasspack since 1998 and recently joined a Louisville punk supergroup called The Decline Effect.

It's a legacy that left him in debt, living at the poverty level, and the proud owner of exactly one pair of shoes.

Four years ago, Johnson decided that a change was imperative. He was wrapping up a philosophy degree from the University of Louisville and loved the process but questioned the degree's ultimate value as a force for change. His studies had, however, opened his eyes to social injustice and to the fact that he had been "stuck in my white privilege," he said.

So, already in debt from music and college, he decided to be a lawyer.

"Maybe it was my age. Maybe I just grew up, but all of a sudden I wanted to make things better," said Johnson, who is slated to graduate May 14 from U of L's Brandeis School of Law. "I guess I was used to people listening to me when I played music, so, obviously, they might listen to me when I have something important to say, not that music's not important, but on a more social level."

Johnson has been working with attorney Joseph Gaines for four years. Gaines and Johnson met when they both worked at Mike Linning's and had kept in touch. Johnson worked in Gaines' office in preparation for law school, and Gaines' boss, Jeff Gorski, will help Johnson get started by setting him up with a small office once he passes the bar exam.

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"I think he's going to do great because one of the best things going he's got going for him is that he's used to the struggle," Gaines said. "He doesn't need to come out with 100 clients to put food on his table. He can be fine with three."

Johnson plans to focus on family law, criminal law, civil rights, law enforcement conduct, discrimination and employment law.

"People trust me and they know my work ethic when it comes to rock 'n' roll, and I suppose they assume that'll transfer over into being a lawyer. I think I'm very relatable to the normal person. I don't want to work for the government and I don't want to work for big business. I want to work for the people and the community. There's a lot of rampant inequality going on right now."

Sounds like that second pair of shoes just might happen.

Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160 and jpuckett@courier-journal.com.