Michael Stumo grew up on a family farm in Iowa. His first job after college was running a hog-buying station, where he lived in a trailer in a pasture. Inspired by a friend, he started studying for the LSAT (law school admission test). The University of Iowa gave him a full-ride scholarship to law school. In 1994, he earned his law degree and worked at law firms, first in Hartford, Conn., and next in Omaha, Neb. For two years between those stops, he used a grant from Ralph Nader to work on family farm and antitrust issues.