“I was doing the exact type of work that the attorneys were doing.”
Interviewer:
“Hello, can you introduce yourself?”
John:
“My name is John Guccione, and I am a rising 3L at Brooklyn Law School.”
Interviewer:
“What are your career goals?”
John:
“I have an interest in transactional law, including real estate, trusts and estates, entertainment, and some other fields.”
Interviewer:
“Did you get the experience you wanted out of this internship?”
John:
“Absolutely, I had a fantastic experience. I wanted to get insight into the world of transactional real estate law and was fortunate enough to receive a very complete, hands-on experience. I got to actually do the everyday work that I see the attorneys I was working for doing.”
Interviewer:
“Can you tell us a little bit more about your specific role?”
John:
“Sure! I worked with the transactional side of the firm, which is a smaller part of the firm. I worked primarily for one attorney and one paralegal. The majority of my time was spent doing administrative work, such as filing UCC documents, requesting agreements, Seamas copies, lien searches, and title reports. About three to four times a week, sometimes five days, I would attend at least one closing as a settlement agent for either a real property or co-op closing.”
Interviewer:
“What practice area did you get exposed to while working?”
John:
“I worked primarily for an attorney who handled bank closings. She was the lender’s attorney working for a variety of different banks, so I was primarily working with her.”
Interviewer:
“Can you tell us a little bit about what your experience was like on a personal level?”
John:
“I had a great experience. I’ve worked at a variety of other firms where the experience was primarily legal research or disconnected from the actual lawyer’s work. That wasn’t the case here. I was doing the exact type of work the attorneys were doing. I attended closings by myself, representing the lenders. It was great doing hands-on administrative work in addition to legal work. I learned a great deal about the process and the documentation involved.”
Interviewer:
“Did the firm help you prepare for the tasks that you performed?”
John:
“Absolutely. The firm did a great job of mixing in a little bit of ‘throw you into the deep end and see if you can swim.’ I was given great instruction and guidance whenever I requested it. If I had any questions, the attorneys or paralegals were more than happy to take their time to explain things to me. At the same time, I was given enough responsibility to really immerse myself in the experience.”
Interviewer:
“Which tasks did you enjoy the most?”
John:
“Hands down, going to closings. It was a fantastic experience to not only see the end results of the files I had worked on but also to meet the various parties involved – buyers, sellers, their attorneys, title closers, coop corporation members, brokers, and bank attorneys. It was great to be part of a process that is often a happy one where someone is selling their home and someone else is buying.”
Interviewer:
“What was your most memorable moment at Adam Leitman Bailey?”
John:
“I had a lot of good memories. The people I worked with were absolutely fantastic. However, the most memorable moment was my first closing. It was a bit hectic. The firm had a lot of work, and I was asked to go to a closing at the Empire State Building, on the 55th floor. I was asked to do the closing with only a basic understanding of what was going on in the documents. But I managed to get through it with great instruction from the paralegal and attorney I was working with. Despite being a bit stressed on the inside, everything went smoothly, and I was able to get everything I needed from the closing.”
Interviewer:
“Can you tell us one key thing that you specifically learned?”
John:
“I hadn’t taken a real estate course in law school, and I had no prior experience in real estate. But I learned a lot about the entire process of buying a home, obtaining financing from a bank, the documentation needed by the bank to close on the files, and more. It was a great learning experience.”
Interviewer:
“Do you have any final thoughts or comments for future legal associates or about working here in general?”
John:
“Again, I had a fantastic experience. Everyone here is really great, and I learned a great deal. This wasn’t an ivory tower type of summer associate program where I just did legal research and didn’t really get a taste of what real attorneys do. I felt like I was doing something important at all times, something that helped the firm and the attorneys. Every time I worked on a task, I knew it had a direct impact.”