Initially, third-year Hofstra Law student Germine Museau intended to pursue a career as a doctor. During high school, she participated in the Medical Academy and took physiology and emergency medical technician classes. However, her college experience soon opened her eyes to how rewarding a career in law could be.
Envisioning Her Future Self
In college, Germine studied political science and government with a minor in business. She interned with the United States House of Representatives for two years and then became a legal assistant for the formerly known, Franco Law Firm, P.C. There she would get a first glance at what her future could really look like if she took on the challenge of law school.
“When I applied initially, I saw the name Franco and thought I would most likely be working with an Italian lawyer,” she says. “And then I walked into the interview and saw Sabine Franco. We were both Haitian women! That experience, from the interview process to working with her and seeing everything in action, made a career in law feel much more attainable to me.”
Her time with Franco, who is also an alum of the Hofstra Law Class of 2011, would expose her to various areas of law including trusts & estates, real estate, and business formation. “I really enjoyed the work I was doing and the people I was working with,” she says “I felt like there was a lot of meaning and purpose in the work and with who I was helping. From there, I decided that if I could work for free and be happy with what I’m doing, this could be a career path for me.”
Finding Her Support System
For Germine, pursuing her legal studies at Hofstra Law was a decision that came naturally. Growing up in Baldwin on Long Island, she crossed paths with many alumni who served as exemplary ambassadors of the Law School. “I always knew and had in my mind that Hofstra Law had a reputation for cultivating successful lawyers,” she says. “Ms. Franco, who I interned with in undergrad, is a 2011 graduate of Hofstra Law. Here, I knew I would have access to the resources I needed to help me establish a successful career in law. Along with that, I knew going to law school in the community I grew up in would give me opportunities to give back locally.”
“I always knew and had in my mind that Hofstra Law had a reputation for cultivating successful lawyers.”
She has utilized the Law School’s various programs and resources to gain experiential learning opportunities. She successfully obtained a spot in the Nassau County Bar Association Long Island Legal Diversity Fellowship Program in her first year, where she was placed as an intern with Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP. Much of the crucial groundwork she did leading up to the Fellowship interview process included mock interview nights with alumni, resume and cover letter preparation, and one-on-one career coaching with the Office of Career Services (OCS).
“I really enjoyed the entire process,” she says. “In those interviews with OCS and the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Council, I was able to voice my concerns about the lack of diversity here. I was able to speak freely as well as receive their feedback. From there, I participated in mock interviews until I was ready for the real one. I felt completely supported and at no point did I feel like I was on my own. It really helped me build relationships between my administrators and me. I developed close working relationships with Deans Monticciolo, Caruso, and Telfeyan; I knew that they wanted what was best for me and would help me in any way they could.”
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Being placed at Moritt Hock & Hamroff, a firm with locations both on Long Island and in New York City, allowed Germine to experience the camaraderie of a mid-sized firm along with the global connections of a large one. Her work there included creating timelines for depositions, drafting letters for clients, and learning how to navigate the world of corporate law.
“It was an excellent firm experience,” she says. “I sat in on client meetings and did a lot of advanced legal research. We had weekly lunch and learns, where attorneys from different practice areas came in and spoke to the summer associates about their practices. Their office in New York City practices intellectual property law, which was a real interest of mine at the time. I had the opportunity to work on several assignments for them in different nuanced areas of law.”
Following her internship at Moritt Hock & Hamroff, Germine would go on to receive a scholarship from the Amistad Long Island Black Bar Association for her work within the community. There she would meet and connect with the organization’s treasurer, James Leonard, who would help open a new door of legal exploration for her. “He invited me to apply to his firm, Jaspan Schlesinger Narendran, which I did,” she says. “I went through the interview process with them and was selected as one of their summer associates during my 2L year. I’ve been working with them ever since.” Her time there has consisted of legal research and work on a variety of topics including working with their education, litigation, banking, and family law departments.
She also has learned essential legal technology skills that have become increasingly important in the everyday lives of lawyers. “A lot of communication is happening online now,” she says. “Many documents are being created on our computers, so instead of sending physical documents, people are electronically sending them. With that, we can analyze the metadata which includes the information of who sent the document, what time they sent it, and even where they sent it from.”
Her curiosity and growth mentality have helped her take on challenges that unlock new opportunities for leadership. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here,” she says. “We’ve gotten a new e-discovery platform that the lawyers themselves are just getting introduced to. I worked with Shannon Boettjer who spearheaded the introduction of the new platform and the other interns to put together a presentation and tutorial on how to use the technology. We were able to give that presentation to all the attorneys at the firm. So it was a good public speaking and teamwork opportunity for me.”
Germine’s active use of legal technology has made the processes of research and e-discovery easier and more efficient for her and the firm. Germine explains that with the firm’s e-discovery platform, she is “able to code documents to organize them.” “For example, if there’s a particular issue about a water bottle in the case, we can code for the water bottle, or we can search the documents for the phrase water bottle,” she says. “It helps us narrow our search for relevant documents to produce or focus our search to specific topics for particular arguments that we may need to make in court, bring up to our opposing counsel, or perhaps spark ideas for further discovery.”
Discovering New Interests
When looking for areas of law to practice, Germine has always kept an open mind to what might interest her. While attending the Northeastern Black Law Students Association Convention, she went to a session focusing on work within the cybersecurity and data privacy sector. The presenters inspired her to start working on obtaining her Certified Information Privacy Professional certification as well as enrolling in a few Hofstra Law class offerings, including Fundamentals of Cybersecurity, Social Media and the Law, and Policies and Business of Cryptocurrencies.
“The social media class touched on employees’ privacy, as it pertains to their social media information and the access that their employers have to it,” she says. “We asked and discussed important questions about the ownership of social media materials and corporate social media accounts. We also talked about the service of process. For example, in some lawsuit situations, it’s more appropriate for you to use social media correspondence as opposed to more traditional means of service.”
“I think that it’s exciting to be in an area of law that’s still developing.”
She continues to vigorously explore different avenues of the cybersecurity and data privacy world. “I think that it’s exciting to be in an area of law that’s still developing,” she says. “There’s a lot of opportunities for academic and professional creativity and growth. The idea of privacy and how it’s been gradually developing is a topic that I’ve touched on in many of my classes. To see the evolution of it from when I took my cybersecurity class to now is amazing and it is something that has really held my interest.” This April she will be attending a Global Privacy Summit hosted by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, the leader in privacy education.
Paying It Forward
Throughout her Hofstra Law journey, Germine has carried with her the memories and lessons from her time with Sabine Franco. In addition to stepping into a field where many of her peers do not resemble her, she also wants to create an environment where that is no longer the status quo. “I think the more that we connect with one another, the more comfortable we are,” she says. “The stronger our community bonds are, the more we feel like we belong and that we’re deserving and even can flourish in an environment that doesn’t always reflect us.”
“Had it not been for the connections I made over my law school journey, I’m not sure how comfortable I would be in the legal spaces I’m in now.”
She has used her role as vice president of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) as a way to advocate and create new opportunities for incoming students. “Had it not been for the connections I made over my law school journey, I’m not sure how comfortable I would be in the legal spaces I’m in now,” she says. “When I first started law school, I only saw one other black student in my class. Now there are more of us here. Seeing how it has changed over time and seeing how the 1L students’ comfort levels have increased on campus gives me a rewarding feeling.”
As she takes on her last semester of law school, she hopes to be an example of how stepping into new spaces can lead you to success while creating a path for others. “I’d like to have the same impact on other black women that Ms. Franco had on me,” she says. “I want to show other black women that this is within our reach. For many people, going into a field like cybersecurity can be intimidating at face value. However, there are people like us in this space; it’s a place we belong in and one that we can also thrive in.”
The post Germine Museau 3L on the Value of Pursuing Niche Legal Fields appeared first on Hofstra Law News.