Tiffany Barlow
Mentee
Howard University School of Law
Class of 2021
“[My mentor] was well-equipped to provide me with an array of knowledge and advice to navigate my way through the 3L job application process. I appreciated how [he] understood that the public interest job application process could be challenging, but he assured me that I could conquer it.”
Tell us about your interest in appellate work and why you decided to join this Mentorship Program.
My name is Tiffany Barlow, and I am a 3L at Howard University School of Law. I am interested in criminal appeals defense work because criminal trials often result in unfavorable outcomes and harsher sentences for Black and Brown people. My interest stems from learning about the racial and socioeconomic disparities at the root of mass incarceration. As a future criminal appeals defense attorney, my goal is to advocate for client’s appealing unfavorable and often unjustly administered court decisions. I joined the TAP Mentorship Program to grow connections with like-minded individuals and with the hope of gaining a mentor who would provide me with tools to reach my goal of becoming a criminal appeals defense attorney.
What has it been like working with your mentor/mentee? Is there an experience you particularly enjoyed, something significant you learned, etc.?
I was very excited to learn that my mentor, Andrew, is a public defender who has represented capital defendants. With mutual interests in public defense and capital work, Andrew was well-equipped to provide me with an array of knowledge and advice to navigate my way through the 3L job application process. I appreciated how Andrew understood that the public interest job application process could be challenging, but he assured me that I could conquer it. I do not doubt that Andrew will remain a great mentor to me beyond law school.
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.
As a law student, I have been through many experiences that have reminded me that I will have to get out of my comfort zone to reach the things that are best for me. Finding connections and meeting people in your field of interest can often seem intimidating. Participating in The Appellate Project challenged me to get out of my comfort zone and provided me with the opportunity to create a transformative professional relationship. Each meeting, I challenged myself to ask Andrew questions to gain tools for academic/professional success. One important tip that Andrew gave me was: when a job you are interested in says they are not hiring, push yourself to call the office and ask if they are hiring. Although it felt uncomfortable for me, I took his advice and called an office that initially was not hiring. To my surprise, I was able to secure an interview! That specific encounter showed me that as a future lawyer, it is essential that I remember to be my own advocate. The worst someone can tell you is “no,” but if we never ask, we’ll never get closer to hearing a “yes!”
Andrew Shear
Mentor
Supervising Deputy State Public Defender, Office of the State Public Defender
“It was such a joy to talk to [my mentee] Tiffany about some of the same problems and questions I had as a 3L and be able to share some of my experiences [and network] with her.”
Tell us about your interest in appellate work and why you decided to join this Mentorship Program.
Like a number of appellate lawyers I know I started as a trial lawyer and found it was not the right fit for me. My personality just inclines me more to diving deep into a case and the law. I see all of the facts and the law as pieces of a puzzle that I then have to assemble into a compelling argument. I also love writing and telling a story about a client and their personal experiences and journey. Finally, there is always the potential to make a positive change in the law, not just for your client, but for everyone.
What has it been like working with your mentor/mentee? Is there an experience you particularly enjoyed, something significant you learned, etc.?
I loved my experience as a mentor. While I have worked with younger attorneys before (I have been practicing for 28 years) I only became a supervisor a year ago. Both in my office and with Tiffany I have found this kind of direct mentoring responsibility very rewarding. It was such a joy to talk to Tiffany about some of the same problems and questions I had as a 3L and be able to share some of my experiences with her. I was also able to share with her the network that I had developed over my career. This worked as well as it did because the Appellate Project matched us up so perfectly, Tiffany wants to do criminal appeals which is what I have done for most of my career.
What is something you will take with you from the experience? It could be appellate-related or more broad, such as something you realized about yourself, mentorship, etc.
Appeals can often be solitary work. While I have had many rewarding collaborative experiences over the years, and even more so not that I am supervising other attorneys, opportunities to make this kind of connection are something very valuable. I believe deeply in the Appellate Project’s goal of increasing diversity in the appellate bar and to the extent I have made some small contribution to attaining that goal I could not be happier. I hope and expect that Tiffany and I will stay in touch and that I will continue to provide her whatever help and support I can as she launches what I have no doubt will be a long and successful career.