Seizing the Opportunities: 2L Career Fair Connects Students with Alumni and Recruiters
Legal recruiting is in full swing this fall, and the dining hall was packed Thursday evening with some 300 students taking advantage of the opportunity to make career connections, including with Brooklyn Law School alumni, at the 2L Summer & Post-Grad Career Fair.
More than 60 representatives from upwards of 30 organizations, including law firms of various sizes, district attorney’s offices, nonprofits, corporations, city agencies, and the U.S. Army, were recruiting for open legal positions or networking for future opportunities at the career fair, which was sponsored by the Brooklyn Law School Career Development Center and the Public Service Law Center. Students and 2024 graduates were able to apply for 11 summer associate positions open for May 2025 and 11 post-graduate opportunities, all available through the Symplicity platform as of this morning.
“This inaugural event was a great opportunity for students to make meaningful connections with employers. We look forward to growing the program next year,” Associate Dean of Career & Professional Development Heather Spielmaker said, adding that she was particularly excited to see new graduates back on campus.
Students interested in Big Law lined up for a chance to chat with Nixon Peabody recruiters and alumnae Erica Thompson ’23 and Abigail Patterson ’07, who are an associate and counsel, respectively, in the law firm’s affordable housing practice group.
“We’re definitely looking for a summer intern for next summer, and then we’re open to seeing who else is available and assessing our needs,” Patterson said. Both Thompson and Patterson and said that they were able to fully explore their interest in real estate during their time in Law School, including through practical experience gained in the Corporate and Real Estate Clinic taught by Associate Professor of Clinical Law Emerita Debbie Bechtel.
“We recruit Brooklyn Law School grads, because we know there is an emphasis here on real estate and community development,” said Thompson.
Among the students who share that interest and was eager to meet with the alumnae was Iris Park '26, who has a keen interest in affordable housing and plans to take the Housing Justice Clinic taught by Professor Aissatou Barry next semester.
“It's such an important area, especially in New York, and it's directly affecting the communities that I really care about,” Park said. “I’m really hoping to continue on into that line of work.”
Another 2L with similar interests was Michelle Gutowski ’26, who just started an externship in real estate, and is developing an interest in affordable housing. “I am definitely looking for a summer associate position. But I also feel like any opportunity to network and practice my skills is always beneficial,” Gutowski said.
Megan Pollastro ’20 was one of several alumni representing Aaronson Rappaport Feinstein & Deutsch, a midsize firm specializing in medical malpractice law. “We are always looking for interns and currently our summer associates who took the bar exam are back, and they’re so valuable because they help with so much of the research that we need completed,” said Pollastro, an associate. The firm likes to recruit Brooklyn Law students because of their strong work ethic, and they really want to work hard to improve their skills through legal experience, she added.
Also recruiting at the event were Sarah Cantos ’19 and Emily Vaught ’21, both associates at Merson Law, which also specializes in medical malpractice and personal injury law. The two were looking to fill spring and summer internships at the firm and Brooklyn Law is a “go-to place” for recruitment, because students work hard and are a good cultural fit for Merson, said Cantos, who worked for the firm as a summer intern and legal clerk after her 1L year and never left. During her time there, the firm grew from one founding attorney to a dozen.
“We’re very collaborative, and we really pride ourselves on working as a team,” Cantos said. “So, what we look for when we're hiring is people that match that energy, that want to help out their colleagues and work together.”
One student who was especially happy to see medical malpractice firms at the event was Rebekah Forrest ’26, who gained exposure to medical malpractice law while serving as a judicial intern to the Hon. Ellen M. Spodek of Kings County Supreme Court over the summer. “I hadn't really thought about medical malpractice, but in my time at her chambers and learning from her, I really fell in love with the field, so I was very excited that there's a lot of both plaintiff and defense firms here,” said Forrest whose undergraduate degree is in public health.
Students were also bustling around the Mendes & Mount booth, where three attorneys and alumni represented the firm, including Michael Fleming ’98, Dylan Maag ’17, and Brian Gilbert ’17. Based in midtown Manhattan, the firm has a staff of about 80 attorneys and is focused primarily on insurance law for the London market, serving clients both domestically and internationally. The firm is seeking summer associates interested in insurance law, Fleming said.
One student getting a jumpstart on legal career networking was Joseph Brocato '27, a 1L student who previously spent several years in the finance world, starting out as a software engineer at J.P. Morgan, before shifting more recently into consulting and strategy, with his most recent role being the vice president of strategy and mergers and acquisition for the boutique British bank Crown Agents, which he helped take public on the London Stock Exchange. He is interested in corporate law, given his background in the transactional space, so was among the earliest waiting in line to see Nixon Peabody. His goal was to make the most of the evening. “I’m definitely going to look around and talk to everybody else as well,” he said.