Tell us about your interest in appellate work and why you decided to join this Mentorship Program.

Prior to law school, I worked as a capital defense investigator and helped represent clients on California’s death row. Working on death penalty habeas appeals crystallized the importance of appellate work, and I applied to law school with the hope of becoming an appellate attorney. But the appellate field is competitive—especially for a first-generation college graduate and student of color. I joined TAP’s Mentorship Program because it offers an incredible opportunity to begin positioning myself for a successful appellate career as early as my 1L year.

What has it been like working with your mentor/mentee? Is there an experience you particularly enjoyed, something significant you learned, etc.?

Working with my TAP mentors has helped demystify the process of entering the appellate field. Substantively, it has been immensely helpful to learn that there are specific courses, work experiences, and extracurriculars that will make me a more competitive applicant for appellate positions. Beyond the helpful and substantive advice offered, speaking with successful attorneys of color is also personally meaningful because their relatable backgrounds prove that the career I aspire to, is attainable.

What is something you will take with you from the experience? It could be appellate-related or broader, such as something you realized about yourself, mentorship, etc.

As a law student, there is pressure to plan for everything ahead of time and aim for one set path that seems “the best.” Hearing the varying paths of my mentors has taught me that while planning is helpful, it is also important to leave flexibility for unexpected opportunities. Even my short time as a TAP mentee has helped me discover several appellate careers that I previously did not know existed. I plan to move forward with an open mind for what my career can look like, rather than narrowly commit to what I think a career should look like.

Tell us about your interest in appellate work and why you decided to join this Mentorship Program.

The opportunities appellate litigation offers in shaping jurisprudence and tackling novel areas of the law have long drawn my attention. My experience clerking on the Third Circuit for Judge L. Felipe Restrepo confirmed my desire to seek appellate work. Not only do I enjoy working in cutting-edge areas of the law and delving into complex issues, but I am fascinated by the distinct ways in which judges and advocates approach multifaceted legal issues.

As a first-generation lawyer from a working-class background, it is very important for me to pay it forward. Law students from diverse backgrounds far too often do not seek appellate opportunities due to a range of barriers, including the lack of resources, information, and targeted mentorship. As a result, the appellate bar loses out on extraordinary talent. The Appellate Project is here to change this reality. The Mentorship Program affords me the opportunity to share my experiences and help address some of the challenges that confront aspiring appellate attorneys from diverse backgrounds.

What has it been like working with your mentor/mentee? Is there an experience you particularly enjoyed, something significant you learned, etc.?

It has been such a privilege to work with Carlos for the past few months. I have enjoyed our meetings and I am looking forward to conducting mock interviews with Carlos as he gears up for the summer associate interviewing process. Overall, he is so far ahead of the game. Although he is a first-year law student, he routinely asks me for advice on topics that I did not even consider until I was a 3L. I am especially impressed by his resiliency during a very challenging time. Starting law school is difficult enough without a pandemic! Nonetheless, Carlos has excelled at Harvard Law School and he is well-positioned for many more accomplishments. I am excited to see what the future brings him beginning with his upcoming summer internship at the Roderick & Solange MacArthur Justice Center.

What is something you will take with you from the experience? It could be appellate-related or broader, such as something you realized about yourself, mentorship, etc.

The Mentorship Program has helped me further develop my mentorship skills. As a recent law school graduate, it still feels a bit strange to think of myself as a mentor to current law school students. This experience, however, made clear to me that being a recent graduate is an asset. For instance, Carlos and I spent a bit of time discussing the clerkship application process. Having just completed a clerkship and having applied a few years ago, I felt well positioned to give Carlos advice based on my recent experiences. I realized that information, experiences, and perspectives that do not seem particularly notable can be very helpful to others. No matter one’s professional experiences and personal background, we all bring value that current and aspiring attorneys can draw from. Given the barriers that still exist within the legal profession, I am looking forward to continuing to mentor law students and attorneys, including those that come from underrepresented backgrounds.

Tell us about your interest in appellate work and why you decided to join this Mentorship Program.

I wanted a job where I could research and write all day, and my writing could improve people’s lives. Appellate practice is exactly that. I joined this Mentorship Program in part to recruit new attorneys of color to capital defense appellate practice. It is disheartening to see so few attorneys of color working on criminal and capital defense appeals, especially when so much of our work addresses issues of racial discrimination and systemic bias, and so many of our clients are Black and Brown. I am convinced that greater diversity in the criminal defense appellate bar would lead to richer and more nuanced arguments about systemic racial bias, and more trusting relationships with our clients. I also joined this Mentorship Program because I wish I had had a mentor in law school, to help me think through my career choices, my skill development, and every thing in between.

What has it been like working with your mentor/mentee? Is there an experience you particularly enjoyed, something significant you learned, etc.?

Working with Carlos has been great. We’ve met virtually a few times to generally chat and discuss Carlos’s career path, interests, and internship and activity choices. The more we’ve spoken, the more invested I’ve become in his legal career. Knowing his considerations in choosing an internship, for example, makes me hope that he gets the most out of his experience this summer. And our discussions about his interest in a judicial clerkship remind me to consider ways in which I might be able to help in his future clerkship application process. It’s been really fun getting to know Carlos. I look forward to our future talks, and to seeing the development of his legal career.

What is something you will take with you from the experience? It could be appellate-related or broader, such as something you realized about yourself, mentorship, etc.

I had never volunteered to be a mentor before, and the TAP Mentorship Program made me realize how fun it can be to talk to someone at the beginning of their legal career. Since joining the TAP program and meeting Carlos, I’ve taken on mentees as part of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, Law Clerks for Diversity, and within my own office. Carlos and TAP got the ball rolling!