Lawyers Weekly

November 11, 2009

Amazing Race’ is amazing experience for Salem lawyer
by Mass. Lawyers Weekly Staff

BOSTON, MA -- An amazing 15 minutes

As a lawyer who built a solo practice directly out of law school, Lance I. Layne says he's always been an "aggressive type of guy." As a contestant on the CBS reality show "The Amazing Race," Layne's aggression may have been his biggest asset and his sharpest shortcoming.

 "I've had my own practice for 12 years, and it takes a lot of time and hard work to build up your practice," Layne, of Salem, says. "Being on a reality show was another challenge that I put on my plate."

 Layne and his then-girlfriend, now-wife, Keri Morrione, were the fifth couple knocked from the reality show in which teams of two compete in a worldwide race composed of several legs that take them to destinations like Tokyo, Vietnam, Cambodia and Dubai.

 Layne earned a reputation as an aggressive, even pushy contestant who was not a fan favorite. Part of that, he says, is the consequence of being a lawyer.

 "Some people out there just don't like lawyers, but I wasn't going to hide it. I'm proud of what I do," he says. While he didn't detect any animosity from other teams, he did see it in fan feedback.

 "I definitely put myself out there as an aggressive individual. Everyone thinks lawyers are rich and [that] they are too smart for everybody. That's what the general public perceives. I knew I wouldn't be the hero, and I wound up being more like the villain," he says.

 Layne graduated from Boston University in 1990 and earned his law degree in 1997 from the Massachusetts School of Law.

 "I went up the hard road, worked and went to school at night. Coming out of that school, there weren't a lot of people banging down your door from the big firms, so I had to go out on my own," he says. "I've been doing this for 12 years. I'd say the first half, I didn't make any money; the second half, things clicked. You get a reputation for doing certain things well, and that reputation is not something you can market - you just have to earn it."

 Getting a spot on "The Amazing Race" was the same kind of road, he says, competing against 12,000 to 15,000 other potential contestants. Being a lawyer helped, he adds, allowing him to relax during the stressful interview process. "It's no different than being in front of jury," he says.

 "Just getting on the show was the high point," Layne says. "Running up to the [finish line] the first time, and seeing [show host] Phil Keoghan there, that was a big thrill, knowing that this was your time and you had an opportunity to win a million dollars and it was in your hands. I loved that pressure and the stress. It's the same type of pressure and stress in legal work."

 Now back in practice in Salem, Layne says he hears comments about his appearance on the show from people in the courthouse and on the street. His dollop of fame has given him a taste for more: He and his wife are contemplating "other projects" for TV, he says.

 Would he appear on "The Amazing Race" all over again?

 "One hundred percent," he says. "It was the most unique experience I have had in my life up to this point. I would do things differently strategy-wise if I did, but it was just an awesome show, and I got to go to unbelievable places that I never would have visited, plus I got to compete."