Be bold, the universe will definitely reward you
My first career was as an aspiring recording artist based in Los Angeles. After seven adventurous years, I relocated to my hometown of NYC to study for the LSAT. What drew me to the law was partly obvious (I have always loved debate and writing) and partly dormant until adulthood: as an adoptee, I developed strong convictions about the right to obtain original birth certificates and medical records without legal barriers. I went to Syracuse University College of Law to become a family law attorney, but after interning with a family advocacy group following my first year of law school, I realized I was too emotionally invested in the hardships of family court.
Throughout law school, I learned how to write briefs, enjoyed mock trials, and published a Note in the Syracuse Law Review titled Glorious Bastards: The Legal and Civil Birthright of Adoptees to Access Their Medical Records in Search of Genetic Identity. The Note won a Burton Award for Distinguished Legal Writing, and my family joined me at the Library of Congress, where I received the award and met US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
I began my legal career at Arnold & Porter LLP as a litigation associate, where I made lifelong friendships and learned from brilliant lawyers who still mentor me today. During my time at the firm, I took a one-year sabbatical to clerk for the Honorable Theodore A. McKee of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Drafting opinions for him was my greatest professional experience. US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor sat by designation during my clerkship, and I had the honor of meeting her as well. Years later, I would meet US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg when she attended a musical show in New York in which I performed honoring her life and legacy. I am proud to have met three Supreme Court Justices along the way.
After eight years at Arnold & Porter LLP, I transitioned to boutique firm Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, where I honed my trial advocacy skills, managed my own cases, and came into my own as an in-the-trenches litigator, rising from associate to counsel to partner.
To broaden my practice, I recently lateraled to Moses & Singer LLP, a mid-size firm I consider my “Goldilocks” firm – somewhere between Biglaw and boutique – where I am a commercial litigation partner. Although I did not ultimately pursue a career in family law, I bring a personal and attentive approach to every client matter. I enjoy getting to know the people I represent, understanding their problems, and helping them chart the best path forward. Every major pivot in my life has taught me the same lesson: if you commit to a bold decision, the universe will reward the leap.
