From Pro Bono to Insurance Defense: A California Lawyer’s Path

Author: Sana A.

It is about time I give credit where it is owed: I have been able to hit the ground running at Tyson & Mendes LLP because of the mentors and supervisors I have had in the legal profession, especially the pro bono sector. They have made me the lawyer I am today.

Almost every single lawyer you will come across is book smart. In the profession of law, one cannot get away without reading every single day and knowing the law (inside scoop—the reality is that although lawyers should know the law, lawyers will also need to look up the law, to ensure the law is still good authority)—and knowing the law has exceptions—and, exceptions to these exceptions.? Law school teaches us the basics. ?However, what law school rarely teaches is how the law affects people in their day-to-day lives. When a client has to face the justice system or needs an advocate, law school alone will only get you so far. I am grateful that my law school had pro bono clinics set up to serve individuals in specific areas of law which allowed me to see how the law impacted people every day.

If you were fortunate enough to go to a law school which emphasized legal experience and training in their pro bono student-run clinics and encouraged getting involved as a clerk or intern, you have received a critical and rare inside look at the actual practice of law. Law schools are generally devoid of training to ensure future lawyers develop the so-called “soft skills” and practical skills necessary for the profession. I was lucky enough to be involved in my law school’s immigration clinic, post-conviction investigation clinic, and worker’s rights clinic before I graduated. I was also fortunate to serve as a student intern at an organization which advocated for survivors of domestic violence helping them obtain orders of protection against their perpetrators.

When clerking or interning at any of these pro bono clinics or organizations, many of the senior lawyers and staff members taught and demonstrated to law students and law clerks how to apply certain skills to specific types of tasks. If it weren’t for the pro bono workers’ rights clinic at my school, I would have never learned how to direct or cross-examine an individual at a hearing—which is what I did twice as a law student intern there, before I graduated from law school. If it weren’t for organizations like our student post-conviction relief and investigation clinic, I would have never learned the importance of detailed fact investigation, and the importance of science, or, even simply, to never make an assumption without knowing the facts of a case.

If it were not for pro bono organizations which gave me the opportunity to represent survivors of domestic violence (under the supervision of a licensed lawyer), I would have never known how to comfortably speak to a judge, or directly examine a client in a hearing, or interview individuals who are undergoing a traumatic or stressful situation.

If I had never worked at our law school’s immigration clinic, I would have never known how to prepare a lengthy legal brief to be submitted to the United States Immigration Services, advocating for a trafficking victim’s immigration rights. All these experiences allowed me to gain confidence while giving back to individuals who deserved this advocacy the most, but to also gain practical hands-on training.? These opportunities to serve at these clinics gave me the necessary tools to be the Senior Counsel I am today at Tyson & Mendes.

Aside from gaining “lawyering” skills, the themes employed by pro bono opportunities in my formative years were the same themes we employ here at Tyson & Mendes: Common sense and reasonableness. Being reasonable and arguing common sense are the same themes we consistently emphasize and we use in our training at Tyson & Mendes and in our profession as an attorney.

The importance of science has also been critical in both experiences. At Tyson and Mendes, when we receive an auto accident or slip and fall case we want to get the other side of the story immediately, investigate the case, and find what options are available for our client, and what experts must be hired to investigate and prepare our defense, requiring us to not only utilize the skills we gained in law school to analyze a situation in relation to laws, but to also use our common sense and to be reasonable with all involved. Therefore, if anything—pro bono opportunities gave me a head start to my commercial insurance defense work at Tyson & Mendes, allowing me to hit the ground running.? And I am forever grateful to the clients and supervisors who allowed me to be a part of their legal battles, and who made me a better lawyer.

My advice to anyone who wants to work at a firm is: do the pro bono work at least once in your formative years in law school, if it is possible.? Yes—work at the big law firm as a summer clerk if that is what you want to do, but if a semester affords you an opportunity to do a pro bono clinic, do it.? You will make lifelong professional connection, you will learn how the law affects individuals in their day-to-day lives, and you will also be a better lawyer.

View this article on the Tyson & Mendes website here: https://www.tysonmendes.com/from-pro-bono-to-insurance-defense-a-california-lawyers-path/

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Learn more about Sana A. here: https://www.tysonmendes.com/attorneys/sana-abbasi/