Interview with Jennifer D. Lee
By: Ankita Nair
Jennifer D. Lee is Principal Law Clerk to the Honorable Mary Bejarano at the New York Supreme Court, Criminal Term. She graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a major in International Relations before attending Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. I had a conversation with Lee to discuss her journey from law school applications to her current job in the legal profession. She also offered advice about LSAT prep, law school clinics, and navigating the legal profession as a woman. The following is a transcription of our conversation:
Law School Applications
Q: I wanted to start by asking you a few questions about law school applications because a lot of students in the Women’s Pre-Law Student Association are at that stage where we’re starting to think about our applications. When and how did you know you wanted to go to law school? What sparked that interest?
A: During college, I was part of an after-school tutoring program for elementary school kids in Baltimore; I went to school at Johns Hopkins. A lot of the students came from underprivileged families from inner-city Baltimore. From that program, which I was a part of for four years, I developed a very strong interest in wanting to help and work with underserved communities. That, coupled with my strengths in writing and research, made me think that pursuing a career in the legal profession would be a good fit for me. That’s what sparked my original interest in law.
Q: Once you got that interest in the legal field, how did you go about starting your law school application process? What were some of your first steps?
A: The first step for me was studying for the LSAT. That was definitely the first part of it. Then, once I finally took the LSAT, I worked on my personal statement. As soon as I took [the LSAT], I remember taking a little bit of a break and then jumping right into my personal statement and trying to prep my application. Originally, I considered going straight into law school after college, so I spent the summer after my junior year studying for the LSAT. But it wasn’t enough time for me. I think I started too late in the summer. I did a prep course, and the prep course overlapped with the beginning of my senior year of school, and it was just too much for me to balance both. So, I actually paused my studying. I actually graduated, and I got a job as a paralegal at a big firm in Manhattan. Then, I decided, I think it was after a year, to then pick up studying again. It was more than six months of studying. I also took [the LSAT] twice.
Q: Speaking of the LSAT, a lot of students in WPLSA are studying for the LSAT or thinking about how to start studying. Do you have any study tips that you could share?
A: I think the best advice is to get help from experienced people who are familiar with the LSAT as it is now - whether that’s in the form of a prep course or a tutor. I also believe that a lot of the courses offer financial assistance for those who find that they are expensive. I think that’s one of the better ways of navigating the LSAT, and it is a hard test. It’s not a test you can cram for. It’s not a memorization test. [The LSAT] is trying to test your analysis skills, your reading comprehension. I think dedicating the time to really study for the test would be very worthwhile.
Q: In terms of the other parts of your application, I think you mentioned your personal statement. Could you talk a little bit about how you approached your personal statement?
A: I remember talking a lot about my involvement with my tutoring program. It’s not like they’re looking for one thing. I think you [should] discuss something that’s very meaningful to you. Oftentimes, the question is very straightforward: “Why do you want to go to law school?” So, just think about your personal experience and what is really motivating you to want to pursue this profession. It’s really personal. There are other questions I think sometimes they add on to the application; I know there’s often a diversity question if it’s applicable. Other than that, I think for the law school application process it’s actually rather straightforward from my experience. It didn’t seem as complicated as it was applying for colleges.
Q: I know you mentioned the tutoring you did in your undergrad. Were there any other internships or opportunities that helped you understand the legal profession before you applied to law school?
A: In my junior year, Spring semester, I actually had the opportunity to study abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, through Boston University, and part of the study abroad program was having the opportunity to intern in Geneva. I was actually able to create my own internship, and I was able to work for a big firm in their Geneva office. It was interesting getting to see what it was like to work in the legal field, but also abroad. It’s actually the same firm that I later worked for upon graduation. It’s a big firm, but the work culture in Geneva was completely different from that in New York City. That was my initial exposure to working at a law firm. Then, upon graduation, I worked as a paralegal for the firm for two years. That experience was also very formative - getting to work in Biglaw (Biglaw refers to the country’s largest law firms), working with these attorneys, experiencing the Biglaw lifestyle, which is definitely not for everyone. The reason [the experience] was so formative is that I learned that [the Biglaw lifestyle] wasn’t for me. So, that’s actually what solidified my desire to pursue public interest law upon entering law school versus wanting to go into Biglaw or private practice. I wanted the opportunity to work with clients and be able to make a meaningful and real impact on their everyday lives.
Q: When it came time to choose which law schools you wanted to apply to, how did you go about making your list?
A: I was very intentional with my list because I knew that I wanted to practice in New York City. I didn’t want to stay in the Baltimore/ DC area upon graduation. Because I wanted to work in New York City, I only applied to local New York City law schools. My strategy for that was that I also wanted to build my network while I was in law school - getting to do internships in the place where I knew I was going to work would hopefully help me find my job upon graduation. I was also very focused on choosing schools that offered scholarship opportunities because I knew that I wanted to pursue public interest law, and public interest careers don’t pay as well as BigLaw jobs. The salary differences are very stark. I was grateful that I actually received a scholarship from the law school I chose - I went to Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. So, I was able to graduate without any loans, which was really helpful for me.
Law School Experience
Q: I know you mentioned that you were working as a paralegal between undergrad and law school. Do you have any advice for someone who may be debating between going straight into law school versus taking a break?
A: I think there are pros and cons to both. My husband, for example, went straight through, and he loved it. I don’t really think it was a consideration for him to take a break after graduating from college. But for me, I knew that I needed a break from academic life and from college. I also wanted to have the opportunity to work in the legal field and really experience this lifestyle of being in this profession. Even as a paralegal, you’re working long hours, so you’re getting to experience what it’s like to work in Biglaw. I wanted the opportunity to solidify my desire to go to law school.
Q: Could you talk a little bit about your experience as a paralegal? What type of work were you doing, and how did you go about finding that job?
A: I definitely had a connection because I previously interned at the firm. But, the interview was actually through a job fair in Manhattan, and the paralegal position at the firm was something that I submitted my resume for. I was a litigation paralegal, and we were often on the defense side of litigation. A lot of the clients were big banks and Fortune 500 companies - really high-profile clients. You’re immersed in the Biglaw lifestyle, and it really shows you what it’s like to work in that field of law. You’re working with very highly intelligent lawyers, and it’s very high-level litigation. These cases are pending in federal courts, and there’s a lot at stake. And that was very meaningful, but I was seeking to pursue a career where I would have more of an impact on someone’s everyday life. So, that’s why I pursued family law and child advocacy in law school, and now I work in criminal law. What I do now is very different from what I used to do as a paralegal.
Q: What can students expect law school to be like? How is it different from the undergrad experience?
A: Law school is very different in that everyone is there for a very specific reason: to become a lawyer. There’s a laser focus in terms of achieving that goal. Because of that, I think it can be a very tense and competitive environment. The best advice that I received was to treat law school more like a job, and allow yourself that mental break at the end of the day. It’s a marathon, not a race, and taking care of your mental health during law school is really important.
Q: Is there anything pre-law students can do now in order to set themselves up for success in law school?
A: I think you can kind of apply that mentality now of treating school like a job. But, I think it’s also important to know for sure that you want to be a lawyer and practice after graduation. Having that passion and determination really helps push you through law school. I don’t think it’s worth going to law school unless you know that you want to be a lawyer. There are so many other lucrative careers that you can pursue, if that’s the goal.
Q: After having gone through law school, is there anything you would have done differently? Is there anything that people should know before going into law school?
A: Looking back, I don’t think I would have changed anything. I did try to soak up as much as I could during my three years of law school - I did a clinic or internship every semester, I participated in a law journal, I was part of Student Association. A clinic is partly a class and partly a real-life experience where you are working under the supervision of experienced attorneys in a specific field of law. You’re building practical skills while working on real cases with real clients. For example, one of the clinics I participated in was called the Youth Justice Clinic, and I represented a student at their school suspension, and I would also assist in their related criminal cases. And I was earning school credit from these clinics. [The clinics] were wonderful because I was getting real-life legal experience and helping real clients during law school. I strongly recommend doing clinics - that was actually my favorite part of law school. We would have a weekly class where we would go over the substantive law of the field, but we also worked for a few hours per week. I also did the Family Law Court Clinic, where every student was paired with a Family Court judge for the semester. Another one was the Special Education Law Clinic, and we worked for a special education nonprofit. We helped represent students in administrative hearings where they were trying to obtain services from the schools because of diagnoses that the children had. Another [clinic] I did was called the Divorce Mediation Clinic, where we actually mediated couples who were pursuing divorces, and we helped them work out custody/ visitation issues and property division. At the end, they would come up with this mediation agreement that they would attach to their divorce application. There are so many types of clinics that are offered at each law school. It’s a good testing ground for different types of law.
Professional Experience
Q: You mentioned that your current job doesn’t exactly align with the type of law that you were practicing as a paralegal. You also explored a few different types of law in law school. Can you talk about your transitions between each field of law that you have experience in?
A: When I started law school, I had an interest in pursuing family law, and specifically child advocacy. I wanted to represent children in custody/ visitation proceedings. All of the internships and clinics that I pursued during law school were related to that - anything that had to do with family law or helping children in any capacity. When I graduated law school, I clerked for a year in New Jersey for a matrimonial judge who handled divorce proceedings and issues of custody and visitation. The next job I had was at a public defender office in Queens called Queens Defenders, and I worked in a special part called the Integrated Domestic Violence part. I represented clients in their criminal cases where they were often charged with domestic violence offenses and any related custody/visitation proceedings. What was unique about the part was that one judge presided over the criminal matter and the family matter, so they were very familiar with the cases and the parties involved. That’s how I really came to love criminal law. I worked [at Queens Defenders] for three years, and then I had the opportunity to work for my current job - I’m a law clerk for a criminal law judge. She is a judge of the Supreme Court Criminal Term in Queens.
Q: Could you talk a little bit more about what your current job entails? What kind of work are you doing day-to-day?
A: My judge only has me - I’m her only law clerk - so I work directly with the judge. I’m often drafting opinions, handling any research issues, and discussing with the prosecutor and defense attorneys. [The judge] is in the Supreme Court, which means that we handle exclusively felonies, which are criminal cases where people are charged with offenses where the minimum incarceration period is at least one year. There is a city-wide initiative right now where each county in New York City has a designated gun part, which handles exclusively criminal possession of firearm cases. So that’s the felony - criminal possession of a weapon. It’s basically a city-wide initiative to help reduce gun violence, and since the pandemic we’ve seen an uptick of gun violence in New York City. These cases are on an expedited track and they’re on a shorter timeline. So right now we handle exclusively gun cases.
Q: Do you see yourself transitioning to a different field of law again?
A: I don’t see myself transitioning again because I really do enjoy criminal law. But if you had asked me in law school, I never thought I would consider working in criminal law. My advice for law students or potential law students is to be open to other fields of law.
Advice for Women in Pre-Law
Q: Do you have any advice for women in pre-law specifically? Has being a woman shaped your experiences in law school or your current job in any way?
A: Generally speaking, I think the legal profession has been historically dominated by men, and there is definitely a persistence of the old “Boys’ Club” culture. I have definitely faced challenges as a woman, and specifically as a woman of color, in the legal field. I have experienced bias or stereotypes. As an Asian female lawyer, there are stereotypes or wrong preconceived notions that maybe at times I was too timid or maybe even invisible in the courtroom. I would not be surprised if other women of color experience similar things like that. I think it’s important to be aware of those stereotypes and try to work against them, but also navigate it in a delicate way, because you’re also trying to avoid potential backlash for not conforming to these preconceived notions. I think, generally speaking, these are challenges that we face. Also I think for women, sometimes we may have to consider family life, and those are things that men don’t frequently consider as much as I think women do. For me, that was a very real consideration I had when I was considering leaving my job as a public defender and taking on this job as a law clerk. I really loved my public defender job, and I thought it was fulfilling. I had a very strong sense of purpose and I felt like I was making a big difference in my clients’ lives. But it was also very emotionally and mentally draining because I’d feel burned out, and public interest law is very real. When thinking about wanting to start a family, there were times when I wasn’t sure if I could do this job in the way that I want to and raise a family in the way that I want to. That was a very real concern I had, and I recognized that perhaps taking this law clerk job and being my judge’s court attorney would allow me to achieve a greater sense of work-life balance, whatever that is. I think that’s definitely a challenge that many women face in the legal field. I don’t know if I really saw gender biases in law school, but I certainly did when I started working. I think that’s when it becomes more prevalent - perhaps you’ve stepped out of your law school bubble and you’re starting to see how the “real world” operates. But there’s also the benefit of getting to work with colleagues who face similar adversities, or leaning on mentors. My judge is a woman of color, so we’ve had discussions about challenges that women face and that women of color face in the legal profession. I do feel that having her support has been very helpful.
Q: More generally, is there anything you wish you’d known about law school or the application process, or maybe some common misconceptions about law school or law school applications, that you think pre-law students should be aware of?
A: I think being part of a pre-law organization is already giving you an advantage because you’re making yourself aware of the process early on, and I think that’s a key part of it. Like I said before, the LSAT is not a test you can cram for, so allowing yourself time is important. And every person is different. I’m not a great test taker, so for me, having many months to study was important. I was also working while studying. The LSAT, whether you agree or not, is a very big part of the application process, so give yourself the time to study for it. I also asked my husband who is an admissions counselor and an LSAT tutor, and he said that rolling admissions is overrated - take the time to submit the best application possible. You don’t have to submit your application on September 15. I remember submitting mine around December. But it’s important to take the time you need to put your best foot forward.