Law professor Nicholas McGrue has taken at least three oaths: two as an attorney of the California and Washington state bars, and the other as a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

McGrue, 42, began teaching law at El Camino College in 2014. After being invited by a friend of a friend in 2018, he took classes at the exclusive Magic Castle in Hollywood and now performs tricks for his friends and family.

While McGrue swore not to reveal the secrets behind his magic, he chronicled his journey into sleight-of-hand during a sit-down interview with Warrior Life.

What inspired you to do magic?

“I think the amazement of it, especially as a lawyer, you don’t have a whole lot of magic. It allows you to kind of feel like a kid again because as an adult, you feel like you know most stuff — you don’t know everything, but you understand generally how the world works and then this thing comes and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, this blows out everything I know about the world.”

What was the first trick you did?

“I was able to turn a piece of foil into a quarter.”

What’s your favorite part about doing magic?

“It actually teaches you a whole lot about how our brains work, and teaches you about human psychology because magic is basically taking advantage of when our brain takes shortcuts.”

What about studying magic surprised you?

“As an adult, you don’t really work on motor skills a lot. With magic, it was a whole thing where ‘I’m not used to holding cards and manipulating them different ways.’ Now I’ll do something and people are like, ‘Wait, woah!’ And I’m just doing it casually.”

How does teaching help with performing tricks for others?

“Being a teacher actually helps because you’re managing a crowd and managing an audience similar to a classroom. With magic, you’re thinking about, ‘What am I doing with my hands,’ and also doing the trick, but you’re also watching the audience and making sure that they’re engaged and doing the right thing.”