DANIEL NOVICK, ‘12
What law-related work did you participate in this summer? Worked as an intern at Q2 Sports & Entertainment.
Was your legal position paid? (If public sector, did you receive a stipend from the school?) No.
What non-legal work did you do this summer? Played live music at various NYC venues.
Were you paid for your non-legal work? Yes.
Did you find it difficult to balance your legal and non-legal workload?
No, it wasn’t too bad since my performances were in the evening hours, so there was never really conflict of schedule. Although, late performances would occasionally cut into my designated sleep hours unfortunately.
Which work experience did you enjoy more?
I’ve always loved playing live music, and, though I’ve performed in several cities all over the U.S., getting to do so in the cultural and musical hub that is New York City has been a particularly special and rewarding experience.
How was your summer experience as a whole?
I managed to get out on a golf course at least once every couple weeks, made it out to the beach a bit, and spent a good amount of time with friends and family. All in all, I really had a fantastic summer.
JEFF ZEMAN, ‘12
What law-related work did you participate in this summer? I worked as an intern for Judge Bernard Friedman at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, in downtown Detroit. Judge Friedman is one of the more senior judges in the District, so he’s got some pull, and everyone knows and loves him. He organizes a trip every year to FCI Milan—a tour of the prison for interns and court staff, which was incredible. I wrote a number of opinions and memos and sat in on proceedings all over the court, including a death penalty case involving the murder of an armored car guard (MI doesn’t have the death penalty, so that was a particularly rare opportunity). We also had the opportunity to visit the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Secret Service, and several state courts around Detroit, not to mention food tours, courtesy of the Judge, in Mexican Village, Hamtramck (Polish), and Eastern Market.
Was your legal position paid? It was unpaid, and I did not receive a stipend (I was out of the running because I messed up on Symplicity while applying. OCS sucks—you can quote me. But, hey, at least I was out of the process early. Aaron Kleinman did the auction and everything, and he was booted in the last week of school. Ouch.)
What non-legal work did you do this summer? I worked a couple weekends as a counselor at a “Bubbie-Zaydie Camp” at Camp Tamarack in Ortonville, MI. Grandparents would bring their grandchildren, and we would play with the kids and facilitate activities over the course of the weekend—boating, fishing, swimming, arts & crafts, sports, a carnival, a talent show; I led a Snipe Hunt, which was sick awesome. Little kids are hilarious.
Were you paid for your non-legal work? Yeah, I got paid to play with little kids, plus they put us up for the weekend (my girlfriend would work too) and fed us. It wasn’t much money, but I was able to sublet my place in Manhattan, and I’ve been living with the parents—so costs haven’t been too great.
Did you find it difficult to balance your legal and non-legal workload? Since the family camp was only on weekends, balancing was easy. I just had to leave a little early on Fridays to get up there, which was no problem.
Which work experience did you enjoy more?
I can’t really pick. Clearly, my experience at the court was the more valuable—to my law career and just to my own, personal edification. It was also a lot of fun, and the work was really, really gratifying. On the other hand, I’ve always been a camp guy, and BZ Camp is the last little remnant I’m able to salvage while I dedicate the rest of my life to studying law. There was even a bit of overlap—while at the Court, I helped facilitate a mock trial for the children of some of the court staff and lawyers from the U.S. Attorney’s office. I prepped U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade’s son, Steel, for oral argument in a case against the Onceler, for his crimes against the Lorax.
CHARLIE FURREY, ‘11
What law-related work did you participate in this summer? Summer Intern, Florek and Indres.
Was your legal position paid? Yes, just barely.
What non-legal work did you do this summer? Handyman and interior decorator: decorating and organizing apartments, assembling furniture, and other odd-ball jobs like installing dimmers, hiding cords to TVs, painting, etc. Our building has a tenants’ website where we can, among other things, post on the community board. So I made a posting saying I could do any household jobs they needed for $25. I typically have 2 to 5 jobs a week ranging anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.
Were you paid for your non-legal work? Yep. $25 per hour.
Did you find it difficult to balance your legal and non-legal workload? No. I worked part-time at the law firm, so I usually had enough time to do both.
Which work experience did you enjoy more? The non-legal work. Working at the law firm was great, but you can’t beat being out of the office, being creative, and meeting new people.
How was your summer experience as a whole? It was incredible. We had friends stay at our place for more than 1/2 of the weekends this summer. Since I was working for myself doing the handyman jobs and only working two to three days per week at the law firm, I was able to take time off when I wanted to meet people for lunch or show friends from out-of-town around the city. While this summer was a lot of fun, I didn’t make nearly enough money to survive without the help of student loans. Oh well, it was worth it!