As a first-year law student, Briana Enck ’19 had an interest in family law. But, like many law students, she realized her initial focus wouldn’t be her eventual area of practice.
“I was a Child and Family Advocacy Fellow at Hofstra Law, and Franca Sachs helped me find places to apply for family law positions on Long Island,” says Briana. “My first summer internship was in family law with the Suffolk County Legal Aid Children’s Law Bureau, and although that was a great experience, I realized it wasn’t for me. I was open to learning and experiencing other fields and practices.”
Briana turned to the Office of Career Services for help in finding placements in a new field of law.
“The Office of Career Services has great connections, both with law firms and other legal employers,” she says. “They also helped me get an internship with Judge DeArcy Hall in the Eastern District during my spring semester of my 2L year. The judicial internship position gave me an opportunity to work on my writing and research skills. The Office of Career Services is always there if you need assistance and guidance.”
“When I was interviewing for a summer associate position for my 2L summer, many firms during interview process didn’t understand why I was making the change from family law,” she says.
“Career Services helped me restructure my résumé and scheduled mock interviews with alumni to help me sharpen my interview skills in order to effectively express my career change. They pushed me to have an open mind about what my career could look like.”
Ultimately, Briana obtained a summer internship with Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. through Hofstra Law’s on-campus interview program.
Briana was glad she received an offer from Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. “I wanted to experience the life of a larger law firm, but I didn’t want to go into New York City,” she says. “I knew the position at Ruskin would allow to rotate through different departments and to see what else is out there. I didn’t want to be closed minded to one practice area only.”
Today, Briana is an associate at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek, P.C. When she first joined the firm in September 2019, she rotated through various departments, and ultimately became a member of the Commercial Litigation Department and the Corporate Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice Group in May of 2020.
Although she hasn’t been able to get to court yet due to the pandemic restrictions, “It’s been a great experience so far, even with COVID-19,” she says. “Doing commercial litigation allows me to experience different areas of the law. I have seen cases involving employment law, trademark, and various breach of contract issues, in addition to bankruptcy.”
The post Briana Enck ’19 on Using Career Services to Make a Change from Family Law to Commercial Litigation appeared first on Hofstra Law News.