Youth: Pursuing a career in law
Nov 6, 2009
By Kevin Lai
During the summer of 2008, I decided to experience what a career in law would be like by interning at a small law firm in Boston called Nathanson & Goldberg. I was lured in by their promises of attending trials and business lunches, working on projects with attorneys, and getting to know the entire firm on a personal basis. Not surprisingly, I ended up spending the bulk of my time photocopying papers, filing real estate documents, running back and forth to the courthouse, and filing even more documents. In the end, the attorneys proved all to busy to pay much attention to some high school intern. Mr. Goldberg, one of the partners of the firm, had jokingly predicted that by the end of my internship, I would be looking into a career in the medical field, as law would prove to be too boring and uninteresting for me. Mr. Goldberg would have almost certainly been correct, had it not been for the events that occurred on my last day at Nathanson & Goldberg.
On the last day, I was to attend a court meeting with the firm’s senior partner, Mr. Alvin Nathanson. Mr. Nathanson was like the archetypal story-telling grandfather who had fought in World War II; however, instead of reminiscing of battles fought with guns and bombs overseas, he spoke of great wars fought with words within the state and federal courthouses of Massachusetts. He told me of how he had led a year long trial against the United States Navy and how after a long and arduous year, he had won the case against those “tough Navy men in their blue coats.” He also told me of the some of the “nasty, nasty men” he had come face to face with in his criminal cases, and warned me that criminal law was a dirty business. As I walked with Mr. Nathanson through the streets of Boston on that warm July afternoon, I learned more about the law then I had my entire time at the firm.
After the court meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting with two of Mr. Nathanson’s clients. At first, I found their situation to be similar to the plot of a clichéd law film: a diligent lawyer and his clients take on the deleterious insurance corporation. However, the reality of the situation was a lot different than what I had seen in movies. The couple had lost almost everything in bringing the insurance company to court. The case had been dragged on for over two years, and their business, which once employed seventy workers, now dwindled with a workforce of four people. Despite this fact, the couple remained devoted in their attempts to bring the insurance company to justice after they had been unfairly treated by them.
What surprised me the most was how much they respected Mr. Nathanson. They greeted him not with handshakes, but with hugs and kisses. The woman told me that Mr. Nathanson “carried a distinct honor that just isn’t present in many courtrooms anymore”, and that he “has done so much for us…We wouldn’t be able to fight this battle without his help”. She told me that Mr. Nathanson was straightforward and honest with them, a sharp contrast with the attorneys for the insurance company. They were so thankful of Mr. Nathanson, so appreciative of his assistance and devotion to their cause, that I truly believe that even if they eventually lose the case, they would hold nothing against Mr. Nathanson. They already knew he was doing his best to fight for their cause. By talking to Mr. Nathanson and his clients that day, I realized that I wanted to become involved in the judicial system of the United States not for the high salary, but for the ability to fight for those who need my help in the court of law. I wanted to become the best litigator I could be so that I could help others in their struggles against the corrupt and unjust. I realized I wanted to fight for my beliefs and morals not through my fists or violence, but through the courthouses of the United States, just like Mr. Nathanson does everyday.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free.” The law itself will never serve the aim of freedom and will never be able to choose whether or not a man is guilty of a crime. Instead, it is left up to the hands of just and honorable men to argue and interpret the law so that it may serve its true purpose in protecting the unalienable rights of each citizen of the United States.
Someday, I will be given the responsibility to “make the law free”, and passionately fight for my client’s case to the best of my abilities.
During the summer of 2008, I decided to experience what a career in law would be like by interning at a small law firm in Boston called Nathanson & Goldberg. I was lured in by their promises of attending trials and business lunches, working on projects with attorneys, and getting to know the entire firm on a personal basis. Not surprisingly, I ended up spending the bulk of my time photocopying papers, filing real estate documents, running back and forth to the courthouse, and filing even more documents. In the end, the attorneys proved all to busy to pay much attention to some high school intern. Mr. Goldberg, one of the partners of the firm, had jokingly predicted that by the end of my internship, I would be looking into a career in the medical field, as law would prove to be too boring and uninteresting for me. Mr. Goldberg would have almost certainly been correct, had it not been for the events that occurred on my last day at Nathanson & Goldberg.
On the last day, I was to attend a court meeting with the firm’s senior partner, Mr. Alvin Nathanson. Mr. Nathanson was like the archetypal story-telling grandfather who had fought in World War II; however, instead of reminiscing of battles fought with guns and bombs overseas, he spoke of great wars fought with words within the state and federal courthouses of Massachusetts. He told me of how he had led a year long trial against the United States Navy and how after a long and arduous year, he had won the case against those “tough Navy men in their blue coats.” He also told me of the some of the “nasty, nasty men” he had come face to face with in his criminal cases, and warned me that criminal law was a dirty business. As I walked with Mr. Nathanson through the streets of Boston on that warm July afternoon, I learned more about the law then I had my entire time at the firm.
After the court meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting with two of Mr. Nathanson’s clients. At first, I found their situation to be similar to the plot of a clichéd law film: a diligent lawyer and his clients take on the deleterious insurance corporation. However, the reality of the situation was a lot different than what I had seen in movies. The couple had lost almost everything in bringing the insurance company to court. The case had been dragged on for over two years, and their business, which once employed seventy workers, now dwindled with a workforce of four people. Despite this fact, the couple remained devoted in their attempts to bring the insurance company to justice after they had been unfairly treated by them.
What surprised me the most was how much they respected Mr. Nathanson. They greeted him not with handshakes, but with hugs and kisses. The woman told me that Mr. Nathanson “carried a distinct honor that just isn’t present in many courtrooms anymore”, and that he “has done so much for us…We wouldn’t be able to fight this battle without his help”. She told me that Mr. Nathanson was straightforward and honest with them, a sharp contrast with the attorneys for the insurance company. They were so thankful of Mr. Nathanson, so appreciative of his assistance and devotion to their cause, that I truly believe that even if they eventually lose the case, they would hold nothing against Mr. Nathanson. They already knew he was doing his best to fight for their cause. By talking to Mr. Nathanson and his clients that day, I realized that I wanted to become involved in the judicial system of the United States not for the high salary, but for the ability to fight for those who need my help in the court of law. I wanted to become the best litigator I could be so that I could help others in their struggles against the corrupt and unjust. I realized I wanted to fight for my beliefs and morals not through my fists or violence, but through the courthouses of the United States, just like Mr. Nathanson does everyday.
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “The law will never make men free; it is men who have got to make the law free.” The law itself will never serve the aim of freedom and will never be able to choose whether or not a man is guilty of a crime. Instead, it is left up to the hands of just and honorable men to argue and interpret the law so that it may serve its true purpose in protecting the unalienable rights of each citizen of the United States.
Someday, I will be given the responsibility to “make the law free”, and passionately fight for my client’s case to the best of my abilities.
Article Reference: http://www.sampan.org/show_article.php?display=2154
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