LANSING, Mich. — During the day you can find Nick Leydorf in his office working. He has a pretty average job and took a pretty average path to get there.
“I'm a lawyer. I've been a lawyer for 16 years," Leydorf said. “Weirdly, I think someone told me that I couldn't be a lawyer. So I just did that out of spite. I became a lawyer. Probably wasn't the best choice to do that, but yeah, it's been a long path.”
But sometimes that average job gets a little sad.
“I've done a lot of different things," Leydorf said. "I've represented a lot of different people, I kind of transitioned into estate planning over the last few years, like helping people with wills and trusts.”
So, in his spare time you can find him doing quite the opposite.
“I like to make people laugh and I think it really helps me be a better lawyer," Leydorf said. “I've been a stand up comedian for over 10 years in July.”
It was always something Leydorf wanted to do.
“But I was kind of like, shy and I didn't want to you know, put myself out there and do that,” Leydorf said.
But thanks to a friend and a comedy night at Sir Pizza in Old Town, his dream came true.
“He actually just signed me up but he didn't really tell me at a time," Leydorf said. "He's like, 'Yeah, you're doing this tonight,' and he didn't give me enough time to prep for it....I was super nervous and I ended up moving on to the next round.”
At first, Leydorf hid who he was.
“When I started I was afraid to tell people that I was doing stand up and still being a lawyer and I had a stage name when I first started, which was Franklin Mint,” Leydorf said.
But then he realized it's okay to be himself.
“It's kind of more aligned with who I am as a person more than a stuffy person in a suit kind of thing,” Leydorf said.
He even said it can make being a lawyer easier.
“I think when you can kind of make these experiences relatable and make it a little more enjoyable too kind of, because people don't want to talk about planning their death, but how can we kind of make it, you know, an interesting, enjoyable experience,” Leydorf said.
So he goes from writing wills during the day to cracking jokes at night.
“I just like to make people laugh in general," Leydorf said. "So I can feel that kind of puts them at ease a little bit.”
As to whether Leydorf is funny, I'll leave that up to you.
“I've been married for 19 years and the secret is you got to keep things interesting," Leydorf said. "So my wife went out and got us something that has changed our entire relationship. And to be honest, I didn't think I was going to like bunk beds, but it's been pretty neat.”
Leydorf will be recording his first live album at the Robin Theater in REO Town on Saturday. His first show sold out so quick he added another show at 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased here.
You can also follow Leydorf on Instagram: @comedianatlaw.
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