Pursuing a Career in Litigation

by Melanie McCormick, GGU 1L

Editor’s Note: Thank you to 1L Melanie McCormick for sharing her impressions of last week’s panel on Pursuing a Career In Litigation. If you missed the program, you can watch a video recording here. A special thank you to the ABA Section on Litigation for sponsoring the event. You can learn more about the Litigation Section here.

When you hear the word “Attorney,” it conjures for me an impassioned trial advocate emphatically arguing the guilt or innocence of their client, like that scene in A Few Good Men, where Lt. Dan Kaffee attacks Jack Nicholson’s Col. Jessup, “I want the truth!” The reality is that many attorneys do not practice in a courtroom (and many try to avoid it). Those that do, the real life litigators, do not resemble the crazed, you-can’t-handle-the-truth types. As was made very apparent at last week’s panel on “Pursuing a Career in Litigation,” real litigators are poised, calm, and clear. Their arguments are planned and organized. The panelists helped clarify a few things about the nature and philosophy of the world of litigation, and the path I, and other future litigators, need to go to reach it.



1. The Cover Letter

According to panelist Zesara Chan from Shartsis Friese LLP, attorneys looking for interns really do read our cover letters. A re-used cover letter lacks the personalization necessary to stand out. In contrast, a cover letter that shows that you have done your research on the employer makes a strong impression. Chan says she looks for a resume that shows a track record of achievement and hard work. The recruiting attorneys often sift through thousands of resumes and cover letters, and the panelists admitted to us that a typo can very easily remove someone from consideration.

2. The Interview

Again, do your research. GGU alumnus Robert L. “Buzz” Hines of Farella Braun-Martell LLP says that doing research on the company you are interviewing with provides the knowledge you need to be dynamic in an interview. It is the interviewee who can make that personal connection with the interviewer that will stand out. Zesara Chan says that she likes to ask unexpected questions. “I want to see the wheels turn,” says Chan, “something that will allow your multi-dimensional self to shine through.”

3. The Internship

As we all know, making a good impression is so important. Paul Henderson, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Public Safety from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office, says that he works with hundreds of interns a year. The interns that stand out to him are those who are independently responsible, and are always looking to do more than what is required. “Proactive engagement defines opportunities,” says Henderson. He recommends finding out who handles the long-term hiring and making sure they know who you are. “I had an intern that came and asked me the process of how to get hired two weeks before the end of his six month internship,” says Henderson, “I thought, you have been working here for almost six months, and you don’t know who is on the hiring committee?”

Robert Hines says, “You have clients inside the firm as well as outside the firm.” The other attorneys you work with should be treated similar to your billable clients. Each attorney has a specific work styles that should be noticed and considered.

Zesara Chan also advises students to “understand the assignment.” Every assignment given may have a different use, and understanding what the attorney is looking for will allow you to be more effective. 

4. High Impact Career Advice

Robert Hines encourages students to get involved in professional associations. “There are only 24 hours in a day, so spend as much time as you can with like-minded folks.” Associations like the ABA Litigation Section can be used to identify groups of people to whom you have a lot in common.

Zesara Chan recommends that you “Build your Brand.” Craft how you want others to perceive you and then be consistent with the brand you have created. Chan decided she would ask at least one question at every meeting. This was a way for her, in a room full of male attorneys, to stand out and it successfully branded her in the firm as someone who was engaged and asked intelligent questions.

Paul Henderson developed his career by seeking any opportunity that would get him into a courtroom. He stated that by the time he was looking for a post-law school job, he had been inside a courtroom about 200 times. “I had a marked measurement of skill at communicating in a courtroom,” says Henderson. He recommends that you get to court and practice!