Emory University’s Oxford College Pre-Law Eagles club hosted a lawyer discussion panel on Sept. 30 in Johnson Hall. The panel provided attendees with insight into practicing law in various venues, from large law firms to private practice.
The panel featured Craig Zinn Automotive Group In-House General Counsel Alan Jockers, Horowitz Law Managing Partner Adam Horowitz and Emory School of Law Professor of Practice Paul Koster.
Much of the discussion centered on how the panelists made intentional career choices based on work-life preferences and individual passions. Horowitz found that he was passionate about representing sexual abuse survivors in court.
“My opposing counsel actually introduced me to this area of law, and I quickly realized that that’s where my heart was,” Horowitz said. “Giving a voice to survivors and helping them see justice seemed like a great career to pursue, so that’s what I’ve been doing for the last 20 plus years.”
Jockers told students that he transitioned from a large law firm to an in-house counsel job because of the better hours.
“I still work very hard, but because I like my job and my employer, it’s not as stressful as working for a private, large law firm where I was measuring my time in six-minute increments and billing,” Jockers said.
Koster’s journey after law school involved understanding how to take control of his own path.
“If you told me I was going to law school, something that you would tell people to do, I’m not sure how I would feel about that at that time,” Koster said. “I think that’s because I let the career choose me, and I didn’t choose my career.”
Koster advised young people pursuing law to determine their goals before getting a job.
“There’s so many incredible things to do as a lawyer,” Koster said. “Just be intentional about what you want to do.”
Pre-Law Eagles Vice President Joseph Kim (26Ox) said that they organized the event to introduce students to different fields of law and how to get into the field.
“[The panel] helped give insights about different stories and experiences within the law,” Kim said.
Matthew Kelley (26Ox) was struck by how different the panelists’ paths to law school were. Since Kelley is not completely sure that he wants to attend law school, the panel allowed him to gain more context about common reasons to practice law.
“Whether it's through classes or through just seeing that [law] was something that called out to them, they all found it through very different ways,” Kelley said.
Many students left with a more informed perspective on the technicalities of studying law. Joey Chen (27Ox) thought learning from professionals in the legal field was “valuable.”
“We were able to meet with some lawyers who are in the field for several years and were very experienced,” Chen said. “We could actually see how their work’s been going, and to see what our future could be if we want to decide to become lawyers.”
