“It’s Going to Prepare You for the Real World, Something That You Can’t Get out of a Classroom.”
I am Mohammed Tavakoli. I am from Toronto, Canada. I am a student at New York Law School. My career goal is to open up a law firm one day to compete with Adam Leitman Bailey.
Did you get the experience you wanted out of this internship?
Absolutely. I am interested in transactional real estate work. I was given an opportunity to attend many closings with attorneys at first and then and as I got more comfortable with it, I would attend closings on my own to the point that they became free so absolutely I got the experience to get out of this internship.
What practice areas did you get close to the most?
Landlord-Tenant Law and Transactional work but the good thing about working here and having so many different fields of practice is that there are a lot of attorneys who will give you assignments and you get exposure to a lot of different fields which is great because I discovered a few interest that I didn’t know I had specifically landlord-tenant work.
In general what was your experience like?
Absolutely positive. The attorneys who I work with were incredibly helpful, very thorough. I got to work closely with Adam on a project on an article that is hopefully going to be published soon. The experience was great. I was exposed to an office environment, very fast, busy, office environment which is something you cannot learn in school and I really value that aspect of it. Probably the most.
I know we went through it a little bit briefly, but can you describe some of the different tasks that you performed here?
Sure, so I would get assignments specifically to research legal issues. I draft a Memorandum of Law on legal issues. I prepared closing documents, welcome packages for coop closings. I would attend closings individually representing lenders and I would get to attend closings with attorneys representing buyers or sellers as well.
How did Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. prepare you for these tasks?
Well, it is a fast paced firm so when I got here, there was some training and they did sit down and talk to me once about how to do certain tasks. Its not like they just throw you in but it is a fast paced firm and you have to pick up things as you go. Definitely, the attorneys sat down, the partners sat down and explained what they wanted from me which made it a lot easier.
Which task did you enjoy the most?
I am really into Transactional Real Estate so going to closings and representing Lenders especially on my own gave me a sense of responsibility here. I really had a lot of fun here seeing buyers and sellers complete deals. Sometimes there were issues that you never even think of so the Transactional work was probably the most enjoyable for me.
Did you get to work with Adam directly?
Absolutely. So Adam and I worked together, are still working together on an article on integrated mortgage disclosures. Adam and I also worked together on landlord and tenant issues that were being heard in court. I was in Adam’s office probably about once a week to sit and chat with him and it was absolutely beneficial.
What is the most memorable moment that you had with Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C.?
Most memorable moment would probably be my first closing by myself. I was given checks and documents for millions and millions of dollars. You know, it gave me a sense of responsibility and made me feel pretty important in the deal and just the nervousness and overcoming that nervousness was probably the most memorable moment.
Do you have any comments for future interns or about working here in general?
Absolutely, it is a great experience. You get exposed to a lot of different fields with a lot of different parts of the real estate field. If you are interested in real estate I would absolutely take an extra internship or internship here. You get exposed to a fast pace, very busy working environment which you can’t learn in school and that office culture is huge in my opinion. Not being able to be a part of that and learning from it is something that is going to prepare you for the real world something that you can’t get out of a classroom.