Jeremy Anderson, a former contestant on the ABC TV reality dating show "The Bachelorette," got home late on Oct. 14. No, he wasn't out partying or on a date with a supermodel -- he was at work, once again practicing law at the Dallas office of Hunton & Williams. (Anderson had worked at the firm before leaving to be on the show.) What, no fabulous, star-packed parties? No canoodling? Texas Lawyer senior reporter Jenny B. Davis caught up with Anderson, a graduate of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, to get the scoop on his life, the law, his "Bachelorette" friends and, yes, even those JCPenney catalog photos.

Texas Lawyer: How long have you been back at the firm?

Jeremy Anderson: I've been back there for a month now, about three weeks.

Are you back with your old practice group, the real estate group?

No, I'm in litigation now.

Why did you switch?

I didn't make the switch -- that was the only spot open when they rehired me.

Do you have any experience with litigation?

It's interesting. I clerked in litigation [at Gardere Wynne Sewell in Dallas] and was, originally, going to do litigation. ... [In law school], the majority of my electives were litigation, civil clinics -- I was always leaning toward litigation, but I liked the practice group [at Hunton & Williams] in real estate, so they got me to go over there.

So what are you doing at the firm now?

Getting ramped up on all the cases -- it's all discovery, all different types of discovery, mostly a lot of case-organization stuff; there's so much coming in.

Did you look around at any other firms during your downtime?

I interviewed all across the country. I was gone pretty much all week. I'd interview [in] Los Angeles, New York, Chicago -- those were some of the major cities, but I interviewed some in other parts of the country, too. Wherever a practice group had openings, I'd get out there with a firm, but nothing was a good fit.

So there was never a time when you said, "Hey, maybe I should stop trying to join a firm and just stay in show business"?

No, I worked too hard to be a lawyer. I wasn't going to give it up. I like what I am doing. I liked what I was doing before [the show]. I am a fresh attorney, so anything that I start with, I am going to hit the ground running.

Who was taking care of your dog while you were traveling around?

My dog stays with a friend of mine, up in Frisco [Texas}, who's kept him off and on. I was traveling so much; I think at one time, since the show started airing, I was gone 23 weekends in a row. Then I was back a weekend, and I've been gone the past two weekends, and I'll be gone the next two weekends -- in Austin [Texas] the next two, for the Missouri game and a birthday. Those trips are easy, because I just drive, but last weekend I was in New York. Graham [Bunn], the basketball player [on the show], launched his own brand of clothing, 46 NYC. It's a brand [whose] sole purpose is to be a conduit for raising funds for children's charities. They're creating a fund called The Brightside Fund using the brand.

Who came out for the launch?

[Graham's] girlfriend, Crishell [Stause], who plays Amanda [Dillon] on "All My Children," a couple buddies who were on the show ... Jason Williams, who was on the Duke [University] national championship team. It was awesome. It was a good crowd -- on a Sunday night, [the bar] was packed.

Did being at a celebrity-packed event make you sort of wish you'd chosen that path, too?

[Laughs.] You know what, I kind of live vicariously through those guys for that kind of stuff. That's not me. The offers have been there, but I have not wanted anything to do with them. I can honestly say ["The Bachelorette"] was a one-time thing. I wanted to have fun with it and throw caution to the wind. I tried entertainment stuff years and years ago in college. It was fun, but I didn't have any desire to stick with it. It was a whim. I've been in a different spot, but now I have a career that I'm trying to build, and I would not ever want to go back. It's not what I was built to do. I can see why other people are attracted to it. It looks fun, but being on the other side of the fence for a very limited time, it's not something I'd want to build a life around. It doesn't suit me.

So is this a good time to ask about those JCPenney modeling shoots that were posted [Oct. 9] on Above the Law?

I am just fascinated by that. I've been doing stuff for JCPenney for years. I work for a [talent] agency here in Dallas. I've been with the agency for 11 years. ... I've modeled in Milan, London -- I've been through that whole fiasco and back. It's something I don't do anymore, but I have maintained a relationship with JCPenney. They're a great group of people.

Did you know the photos were going to come out?

It's not like I am going to a shoot and they tell me the details. They've got the current clothing, and you don't know whether it's the store or the outlet. ... There's so much stuff [professional modeling photos] out there floating around; I did an Abercrombie & Fitch national campaign in '99. I was 20 years old, 21 years old -- you don't ever really see your work. You shoot it, you collect your paycheck and you just keep working with the people you're working with. As to where the film goes, it's not my concern. They may bring in 15 models and use two of them; they might not use any of it.

Are you actively modeling now?

No, I don't actively pursue anything. If the agent calls and says, "I have you booked," yes, but I don't go to castings or go-sees. I can't leave work to do that! My priorities are my legal job, not my modeling. It was kind of something to do on the side, when I wasn't working. ... In this economy, heck, if you can get paid to do catalog work, take it.

Are you still under contract with the network?

My contract ... is up as of Oct. 1. So I can cut my hair [laughs]; it's OK for me to gain weight if I want to. But just to touch on that, I've actually lost a bit of weight, because I was running.

Was it weird going back to the office after everything that happened?

I got more hugs and handshakes [on the first day]. Everyone came by my office and congratulated me that I was back. It was really cool. Everyone in IT and HR, all the attorneys and staff, everyone's been really, really great.

Are you disappointed even a little bit that you didn't get to be the next "Bachelor"?

It was a good decision [to choose Jason Mesnick from Seattle]; that was the best for everyone.

How do they even decide who gets to do it?

They call you and say, "Hey are you interested? What do you have going on?" ... They keep up with you, and they make their decision based on who's at the right point and if they're wanting to use someone as a repeat. Through the seasons, there were people who would have been great to have cast as the bachelor, like Charlie from the Trista-and-Ryan season, but he was dating someone. ... When people [from the production company] asked me if I would consider doing it, [I said] it would depend on where I was personally and professionally. And when it came around to them getting more serious with their questions, it was the same time that law firms were getting more serious about hiring me, so I went ahead and made the best decision for me at the time -- to stay in law. With this economy, it's scary. But I am busy, I am working, I am wanted and needed in my position.

Was your family relieved?

My family? [Laughs.] Going on a TV show that doesn't pay you isn't such a great fiscal decision, so they were supportive of me doing whatever I could do to be financially stable. My brothers talked about it at length -- ad nauseam. The thing with people who go on the show, they said they rarely make them look better the second time. ... I kind of got out of there easy, with a clean getaway. I thought that maybe I shouldn't press my luck.

So what's happened since the show? Do you go out a lot?

I don't really go out that much in Dallas any more; it was kind of rough for a while. My house was broken into, they took my electronics.

Do you think it was because of the show?

It's just coincidental, I am sure, but it didn't help me sleep at night. I had people come up to me -- random strangers. People were sending me packages in the mail with no return address.

What kind of stuff did you get?

I'd get dog food for Chemo, and I'd get random ties, housewarming gifts, bottles of wine -- some of it was cool stuff. It's really nice and really sweet, and everyone who did it, I want to thank. There was some thoughtful stuff, but for the most part there were no return addresses. You know, ABC showed the front of my house, so people were leaving articles of clothing on my doorstep. ... People were running ads on Craigslist, paying for personal information like my e-mail and my phone number, and people were giving it to them. I didn't change my number or anything. I have too many friends I wanted to keep in touch with.

How's all of this affected you personally?

It's been heck on my dating life, that's for sure. But it's tough to date right now. You walk up to someone, and they feel like they already know you; they already think they know you and have opinions. You're dealing with an unfair opinion, a biased opinion you can't overcome.

You have to find someone who doesn't watch TV!

Yeah, someone who just watches movies. I am not in movies.

Click here to read an interview with Anderson just after his final segment on "The Bachelorette" aired, in which he discusses his experience on the show and waiting for his bar exam results.