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

I participated in the Latinx Law Students Association moot court program at Columbia, which focuses on asylum and refugee law. I found that I greatly enjoyed the oral advocacy component, but the research component also fascinated me. My interest in appellate litigation and TAP’s mission of creating a more diverse appellate bar led me to apply to the program.

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

Donald Verrilli

He has been an invaluable resource because of his vast experience in public service and private practice. I know so much more about appellate litigation, strategies for oral argument, and what careers I am interested in after graduation thanks to our conversations over the past year.

One particularly fond memory, is preparing for the UC Davis national competition. My moot court partner and I along with another team represented Columbia at the tournament. Mr. Verrilli and I met several weeks before and we talked about the competition, what strategies I should consider employing, and I ended up restructuring my argument because of our conversation. At the competition, one bit of feedback I received was how clear my argument was and how my structure allowed the judges to follow the points I was making. I received 1st place as top oral advocate in the competition and my partner and I received 2nd place in the competition overall. The guidance Mr. Verrilli provided me improved my skills and our success at the tournament is testament to that fact.

Patricio Martínez-Llompart

Patricio is a recent graduate of Columbia Law School and speaking with him about the challenges I have been facing my 1L year has allowed me to navigate the year with a better perspective. His advice on courses to consider as well as activities such as journals and externships to participate in have allowed me to plan how I will proceed with my coming years at law school. I also have benefitted from his experience with clerkships and the application process.

Patricio has also served a great mentor I can reach out to when law school becomes difficult and this has allowed me to manage the stress that naturally comes with 1L. I know I have someone to discuss these issues with, who has been through the process, and can provide me with insights and advice that helped him succeed and can allow me to do the same.

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

Participating in TAP made me realize the significance of networking and mentorship. So many attorneys are willing to mentor law students and young attorneys, but you have to be willing to reach out and form connections. I also greatly appreciate just how many people are willing to serve as a resource to me and I hope to carry on this tradition when I graduate and can hopefully serve as a TAP mentor to others.

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

Clerking for Judge Juan R. Torruella on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit cemented my interest in appellate work. Judge Torruella, who passed away last October, served on the appellate bench for almost 40 years and was the first (and to date only) Puerto Rican appointed to the First Circuit, which has jurisdiction over Puerto Rico's district court. Because of Puerto Rico's territorial status, its residents lack political representation before the federal government and are excluded from a range of federal programs. Judge Torruella worked tirelessly until the very end to uproot this discriminatory regime and achieve equal justice under law for Puerto Ricans. Serving as his law clerk crystallized for me the significance and potential of securing representation at the highest levels of our judiciary for all communities, especially those that like Puerto Rico are absent from the political process. Through my appellate practice and participation in TAP's Mentorship Program, I hope to do my bit in carrying forward Judge Torruella's legacy of listening to and uplifting the voices of the underrepresented communities that are sometimes most affected by the decisions of our appellate courts.

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

Getting to know and support Nico over the last year has been a real pleasure. Nico's enthusiasm for the law is contagious and I leave each of our monthly check-ins energized to retake my own work after discussing what he has been learning in class and how that's shaping the type of lawyer he wants to become. Nico is a planner and I have enjoyed brainstorming together as he begins to conceive his goals for the remainder of law school and beyond.

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

Nico is probably tired of hearing me say this, but I'm just so impressed by the steadfast good humor, calm, and intentionality with which he has confronted the usual challenges of 1L during this unusually complicated pandemic year. If there's something I take from this experience is that we all have much to learn from each other, and particularly that mentors can learn a ton from their mentees. My conversations with Nico have allowed me to reflect on my trajectory and aspirations as a rookie lawyer, as well as offered some helpful and necessary perspective on the own challenges that I face today as opposed to earlier points of my career. I look forward to continuing my conversations with Nico and supporting his career in the months and years ahead.