My Experiences at my Summer Job

by: Andrew Bruskin

Director, Media Publications, All About Business (AAB)

It was May 7^th and it was my first day of work.  I was on the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) heading to a law office, located in downtown Brooklyn.  I had no clue what to expect.

“Andrew, close the door.”  These were the first words my boss told me as the door slowly closed and I took a seat.  “Andrew, I run a very tight business here.  Don’t mess up my cases.”

And so started my summer internship at a law office in downtown Brooklyn.

I learned much at this summer job, including things I never knew at law school.  Here are just some of those things…

#1—Law School Teaches You Little About The Working World

Law School teaches you theory.  It teaches you how to research and how to look up the law.  I hate to break this to my readers, but research comprises only one percent of my job.  Even for my boss, research is not a heavy part of his duties. Maybe it is because he has been practicing law for the past twenty-five years and knows the ins and outs of the legal field?  I don’t know.  So far I am still trying to find out where the twenty-five page memos we have to write are.  Also, instead of saying “interrogatories” for a list of questions we may ask during the discovery period, they are known as a “bill of particulars” in New York State.

Another thing law school does not teach is conflict resolution.  I was on the phone with an attorney who was being very combative.  She was upset that our process-server tried to serve the defendant (i.e. her client) at his work because he had either avoided or ignored all attempts in the past.  I was able to maintain a cool head and bring her state of mind to a calmer level.  The one thing our classes do not teach us is how to handle a snarky client (or attorney!)

#2—What Is That—Chinese?

“It is a very slow learning curve for all new attorney’s” my boss lamented one day when I did not understand a word he was saying.  Actually, this is nothing new—most days I have no clue what he is talking about.  Normally, he darts into the office, ingests his sandwich in one gulp, says “I got to go to court!  I got to meet with a client!  I got to answer the phone!” and then throws me fifty pages worth of reading material and leaves, with legal papers all over the place.

Don’t get me wrong—my boss is quite the character.  I would like to make a movie out of this someday.

When I do not understand something, he says “Andrew, it is not your fault.  Your education (and that of your colleagues) stink.  It took me about ten years to master all of this stuff.”

#3—Judges Are Your Best Friend.

Yes, Judges are your best friend.  They are the ones who decide whether a law suit survives a 12 B (6) motion to dismiss or summary judgment.  They may even decide which side wins if a jury is not involved.  Overall, judges are very powerful people.

The Justice System, for better or for worse, is really a game of wits between two opposing parties.  Both sides try to advocate for their client and the Judge is the deciding factor, especially in pre-trial motions when a Jury hasn’t even been selected.  Does it pay to know a Judge?  Yes.     

#4—You Did What??

“Andrew, I want you to go down to a Manhattan firm and conduct a 50-H deposition hearing against the City of New York.  I then want you to draft the complaint.  Oh and BTW, your client barely knows English, so god help you.”

This was on my second day of work.

“Are you of counsel?” the opposing attorney asked me when I arrived at the 50-H hearing later that afternoon.

“No, I am a law school student.”

“TELL YOUR BOSS NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN!!” was her reply.

Was it wrong for him to send me?  No, you can be a law school student and still sit in on a 50-H deposition hearing to ensure the client’s rights are not trampled on.  I could even conduct a cross-examination or a direct examination under the supervision of an attorney.

So, why did she react that way?  Your guess is as good as mine.

Conclusion

Will this job really make me more prepared for the legal world?  Yes and no.  I have learned that I still have a long way to go if I wish to become an experienced attorney (i.e. roughly another 9 years and 9 months according to my boss.)  Overall, I feel that I have learned some things, such as how to draft a subpoena, an affirmation of engagement, an order to show cause, a motion to restore to court calendar (don’t ask) and how to sweet talk a client when I have no clue what is going on with a case, such as this one example…

Paralegal: We received a call from Dela Rose regarding a bill we need to pay…

My Boss: No, that is moot.  Apparently, Andrew is just being Mr. Friendly to everyone he speaks with because these cases are five years old and he has no clue what is going on with them so the insurance carrier thinks we are finally going to pay.

I feel bad for the insurance carrier.

Andrew Bruskin is the Editor-in-Chief for All About Business (AAB) newsletter publication, a global organization geared towards the spread of ‘empowerment’ through social movement and grassroots advocacy. He was the elected president of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), a national honor society comprised of 230 chapters in all 50 states of the U.S. with over 650,000 members. Currently attending the College of William and Mary School of Law, Andrew is a contributing editor for the Constitutional Law Society and the founder and co-president of the Northeast Legal Society. He can be reached at Andrew.Bruskin@gmail.com