Last March I sat in the school cafeteria jobless. Fall recruitment was a distant memory, and the big firms had long since conducted their interviews. Symplicity? Sorry, but a legal internship at the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission did not exactly stir my loins. Still, I wasn’t the least bit deterred. None of the cookie cutter internships appealed to me. Perhaps I was too idealistic, but I took pride in railing against convention by avoiding the pull of legal-world collectivism. Was I rationalizing my inability to land a summer job? Perhaps. Or was there something out there more evocative that was neither a big law firm nor government job nor altruistic non-profit work?
While I space-cadetted over some casebook, in walked Rob Garson, my LLM buddy who once sat next to me in Civ Pro. I hadn’t seen him in more than six months.
“Hey Rob, what up?” I asked.
“Nothing much, Josh. Good to see you.”
“You too,” I said, “How’s the new job?”
“Oh, you haven’t heard? I just opened up my own law firm with a couple others from Cardozo!” he shared. “Sick! Do you need an extra hand this summer?”
“Sure, call me next week.”
That was it. Landing my ideal, unorthodox summer internship was just that simple.
Garson, Segal, Steinmetz, Fladgate LLC went live on March 8, 2010. Started by three Cardozo graduates, Rob Garson (LLM), Thomas Segal (LLM), and Michael Steinmetz (JD), the firm specializes in litigation and intellectual property and provides counseling to first time investors in the U.S. market. When asked why they bucked the trend and went on their own, Garson explains, “We wanted to be masters of our own design and practice law according to our individualized philosophies.” Thomas Segal explains, “It is such a thrill to wake up every morning to go to your office and to see your business grow, day after day.” Over the summer, the firm added associate Chris Fladgate who specializes in construction law. Now, the firm boasts three partners who originate from England, France, and Australia, giving it a true international edge. Along with the ability to access clients through their various consulates and connections from back home, Fladgate says that their backgrounds allow the firm to “to bring different perspectives to addressing legal issues.”
As for me, interning for this brand new law firm was an eye-opening experience. Working alongside the partners, I was able to assist each of them with tasks ranging from writing contracts for management companies to constructing policy statements and rules for a nationwide singing contest. The firm is fast-paced, so learning on the fly is essential to success there. By far, the best part of the job was the opportunity to see my own sweat and tears translate into building blocks for the firm. For example, when the firm was approached with an opportunity to represent a writing/directing/production team on an upcoming movie project, I helped out by creating an 80-slide PowerPoint presentation on all the legal aspects of the industry.
In the end, blowing off the NYU career fair paid off. I followed my gut and was rewarded with a fantastic summer experience. I spent two and a half months observing the birth of a brand new law firm. Yet, the greatest lesson I learned stems from the fearlessness of three Cardozo graduates. Even in this time of great economic turmoil, with a little patience and the right entrepreneurial spirit, we can all follow in the footsteps of Rob Garson, Thomas Segal, and Michael Steinmetz by chasing the American dream and never looking back.