Informational Interview with Civil and Criminal Defense Lawyer

I conducted an informational interview with a Civil and Criminal defense lawyer in New York City. He has been associated with this profession since twenty five years. He spends most of his time dealing cases in Kings County.

 

·                     What types of criminal defense matters do you handle?

The first case that I dealt in court was an arson case. On average, I handle about 2 homicide cases per year. Most common cases are drug cases and white collar crime. I have also handled thousands of DUIs (Driving under the Influence) and a handful of sex crimes over the years. I handle both misdemeanors and felonies.

·                     Can you tell me about a typical day on the job?

There is no such thing as an average day for an attorney, you might spend whole day in your office studying case or be in court from morning to evening, doing a preliminary hearing or doing a suppression motion on one case, a plea bargain in another and a non-jury trial or jury trial. The gamut of cases runs from drunken driving to high-end drug dealing cases to homicide cases. Most criminal cases don’t go to trial; they are settled by plea arrangement. However, I do spend a lot of time in court, taking depositions and arguing motions before a judge. You still have to use your skills as a trial attorney, spend time with expert witnesses, and take depositions.

·                     How did you get started doing this type of work?

Arguing and trying different cases had always fascinated me. During my last two years of law school I worked as a paid intern in the district attorney’s office. Once I became a lawyer, I went into private practice and started doing court appointments and getting referrals for criminal cases.

·                     What is your favorite part of your job? What is your least favorite part of your job?

It’s always amazing and a great reward when you are able to work out a great deal for a client you thought was buried because you didn’t have a defense. I’ve found that there is more humanity in the criminal division. People - judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys – have more of a sense of humor in criminal than in civil cases. Sometimes the crimes are so horrendous there’s nothing funny about it. Other times you can’t help but laugh because of sheer stupidity of the crime.

In criminal defense work it is rewarding to help someone. Just this morning, I had a client whose father paid me to represent him. He was serving a two to five-year drug sentence but was released after 4 years and sent to a halfway house. He went home on furlough and took drugs. When he didn’t return to the halfway house, he was charged with escape. I got the escape charge dropped, but he must serve the remainder of his sentence but no other time will be added on). The client and his father were very happy. Even the state trooper thought that it was the best solution.

You have to analyze each case to figure out whether you’re going to try it or attempt to work it out. Your client’s freedom is on the line along with his financial viability. You must recognize whether it’s a case to take to trial and win or whether you should meet with the district attorney’s office and police officer and work something out so client can continue to live his life in an unscathed fashion.

·                     What do criminal defense lawyers typically earn?

Income varies – you get paid in criminal law based upon what the client can afford to pay you. If you are tapped into a network of clients,  you can make a lot of money in criminal law. However, there is not big money in criminal work for most attorneys because most people arrested for crimes don’t have the disposable income to pay attorneys. The most you can get from a client is what he can afford to pay you. 90% of my income comes from civil cases; however, 90% of the enjoyment comes from criminal cases. A simple rule of thumb in criminal law is to get paid up front before you enter your appearance in the case. Many of my most lucrative cases were drug cases where the client could afford to pay big money. The stakes were high and the client could afford high fees. In addition to private pay clients, a lot of attorneys take criminal appointments. This type of work generally pays less than private clients. Federal court appointments pay more than state court.

·                     What surprised you the most when you started working in this field?

What surprised me most in this job is that there is no average time that we have to work each day. For example, I work 70 to 80 hours a week. I’ve been doing that forever. It is not unusual for me to work until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. If I’m in trial, I’ll rarely get out of office before 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. After the court day is over, I still need to go through correspondence, return phone calls, and work on other cases.

·                     How do you see this industry developing in the future? How is your industry changing?

Criminal trials are down across the country. Smaller counties in Pennsylvania may only see one or two criminal trials a year. I used to try a lot more criminal cases than I do now. The main reason is the change in sentencing guidelines. Over the years courts have gone from no sentencing guidelines to lenient sentencing guidelines to very stringent sentencing guidelines. Almost every time sentencing guidelines are adjusted they are adjusted upwards.

Now with mandatory sentences and high sentencing guidelines, it’s a zero sum game if you go to trial. You can lose even with a good defense. Your client could end up of serving several years in prison versus home detention and a couple of years on probation. You must discuss the pros and cons with the client. You can’t guarantee a win. When a deal is on the table, most often the client takes the deal.

·                     What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started in this industry?

There are a couple of different routes for getting into criminal defense:

1. Start out as a district attorney or public defender.

2. Open a private practice and take court appointments. No one has a big private criminal practice overnight. In private practice you must take a lot of court appointments. That’s how judges get to know you.  Clients refer other clients to you and you get to know the territory. By being in court and trying cases, you can hook up with other attorneys looking for associates and lots of work will spill over to you.

3. Join an established criminal defense firm. Criminal defense law firms may have lots of ready work for new attorneys. Criminal defense firms aren’t as interested in law school grades as much as whether you can do a lot of hard work and put in long hours. These firms look for lawyers who aren’t afraid to be aggressive but yet don’t put people off, which may impact your client.

·                     What are employers typically looking for when hiring people in this line of work?

Any attorney who tries criminal cases needs to have street sense. You also need life experience, you must be logical and you must be able to think on your feet. You must know what to jump on and what to stay away from. That becomes second nature when you are in the criminal arena because it’s one thing to learn what questions to ask but another thing to learn what questions you should not ask.

What's SD11 Class About?

Since taking SD 11, what have you learned about yourself and your career?

Before taking SD 11 class I just had a vague idea about the career I wanted to pursue

which was management in Criminal Justice. I was not sure about the procedure to land in

a professional field or how to access resources which can be very useful to get the job I

am interested in. It’s only after taking this class I had an opportunity to explore resources

such as self inventory exercise and other websites that give a profound knowledge and

specific statistics about the job I want to achieve.

Peer discussion and review was another great idea practiced in the class to augment

confidence and explore other professions. This class has helped me to be more honest

about my weakness and strengths academically and professionally . This class is a great

fun way to improve your professional skill and be more realistic about job market.

During this class I came across the possibility of mock interview which boost my

confidence and be prepared for real job market questions to get a job. I feel more

prepared and knowledgeable about the career I want in future by knowing which classes I

need to take and if a job or internship opportunity comes across how I can avail it.

An Informational Interview with an Entrepreneur.

An Informational Interview with an Entrepreneur
                                    
 By Seva Soloviev
            

                My experience interviewing my friend Samet was a rewarding one. I had worked for him in Woodbridge Mall a few winters ago managing a seasonal Christmas store. His attitude and work ethic led me to respect him far greater than most people that I have ever met in my life so far. He is a young man in his late 20’s that is ambitiously working towards achieving financial freedom in his life. He has owned and many businesses and held many jobs and today he is an owner of many small stores in mall all over the east coast and now is working towards opening up a frozen yogurt store right here in Sheepshead Bay.
                He has been in business since childhood and always tried to find a new way to invest his money and grow it instead of spending and losing it. His typical day on the job is to wake up early, and go to sleep very late. The day is spent on working out ideas on how to manage and control the management and inception of his business ideas, with his mind constantly working to solve issues that may arise and obstacles that have to be overcome to make sure everything goes according to plan. He began by using a small amount of capital and an opportunity to invest into a small business, he made a good return and continued to reinvest his working capital until he had enough to invest into another idea. His favorite part of the work is to overcome obstacles and solve issues that most people would be too afraid to solve and his least favorite part is the lack of sleep that he so often has to live with. The most surprising thing he has encountered on the job was the amount of different and unexpected customers that he comes into contact within any of his businesses.
                When asking him about how he sees this field in the future, his advice was to study the way money works and where it is spent on any given day within any time of the year, and that competition is changing around these days with the expansion of online shopping taking over the brick and mortar businesses. His advice to anyone that wants to get into the field is to save up some capital and not to be afraid to put it into any calculated investment that has a good business plan or appreciation forecast. His response to my question on what employers are looking for in this field he told me that the customers are the employers and they keep you alive so it is your duty to provide then with a reasonable and quality service and/or product in order to gain their trust in your business or company. He said that other very valuable assets in business are good employees because they are the ones that service the customers that you attend and their attitudes will control the way your business is portrayed.
                In conclusion I learned that any idea can be a good one if the right plan of action is prepared and if the right procedures are followed to expand upon the ides to turn it into a reality. I also learned that it is never too early to begin and no amount of capital is too little to contribute to an idea.

10 Things To Do Before A Job Interview

1. Research the company/ organization you are trying to work for.

2. Write down a series of questions you might be asked in an interview. Practice answering them. Have a friend help you out.

3. Try to travel to the interview site before the interview to have an idea of how long it takes to get there and not run the chance of getting lost.

4. Confirm the date of the interview, the time, place, and your interviewer’s name.

5. Dress in Professional attire. For example a black suit and tie with a white button up shirt underneath and a pair of dress shoes for men. For woman, a suit or black dress pants and a button up shirt. Keep makeup and jewelry simple or have none at all. Make sure you are neatly groomed. If you are not sure research proper interview attire.

6. Arrive at least 15 minutes early to the interview.

7. Make sure to make eye contact, smile, give a firm handshake, and be friendly and professional to everyone.

8. Be positive and give positive answers to questions

9. Think before you speak and be honest. Speak clearly and in proper English.

10. Thank your interviewer for their time after the interview is finished, give a handshake.

 

 

-Elizabeth M.

Recommendations for Incoming KCC Students

There are some resources/services I wish I would have taken advantage of earlier while attending Kingsborough. It would have made my life a bit easier. One of the services is the Academic Advisement Center. Go to that office to make sure you know which courses are needed to meet your degree requirements. Otherwise you’ll be like me with a whole bunch of credits that aren’t needed. The office is located in room M 201. It will help you find out what you need and/or direct you to other resources and services which may be helpful to you.

Another office that’s helpful is Human Resources located in room A 201. If you are interested in finding employment within the school, then come there. If you are eligible to do Federal Work Study, it is in here too. Not only is it possible to gain employment, it’ll give you work experience if you have none. It can also look nice on a resume. I wish I found out 3 semesters ago. It could have saved me the hardship of trying to magically find money for transportation to Kingsborough, books, and other necessary items for class (and those horribly tempting vending machines).

As a student in Kingsborough, you should visit these important offices for financing your courses. For me they are the: Registrar, Bursar, and the Financial Aid Office.

~Elizabeth M.

KCC Student Top 10 Tips to Prepare for a Job Interview

KCC Student Top 10 Tips to Prepare for a Job Interview

1)      Find a job. Research a company.

2)      Apply for the job. Submit the job application online.

3)      Looking over potential interview questions.

4)      Prepare for the interview. Wear a professional suit.

5)      Go to the interviewer’s office. Make sure that you go at least 15 minutes early.

6)      The Interview. Introduce yourself to the interviewer and shake their hand.

7)      Pay attention and listen carefully. Understand what is said; think about your answer before you speak.

8)      Answer the questions. Answer with confidence.

9)      Ask the interviewer questions. Asking questions shows you are interested.

10)  Follow up. Send the interviewer an email after the interview to thank them for their time and to follow up on the status of the position.

~Richard Lam 

SD11: Career Development

Since taking SD 11, how have your thoughts about your career goals changed and what have you learned? 

                I must say SD11 is one of the best and most relevant classes I have taking while attending Kingsborough Community College. SD11 really puts you in a good position to find out what you want to do as a profession. The semester began with the Strong Interest Inventory, an online assessment that helped you find careers based on your personal interests. The students also were given access to other websites that allowed us to learn specific aspects of a specific career. For example, we learned about income, responsibilities, work environment, how to start in a profession, and also sources to indulge deeper into the career.

                We learned about resume and cover letter development. Our teacher taught us what to write and what not to write. A good cover letter and a strong resume can make or break you. We learned that most of the time, it is good to address your cover letter to a specific person in the company, preferably someone in human resources or a director of a department. We learned what qualities to express and which ones are not necessary. Each resume and cover letter should be tailor made for every different position you are applying for.

                We also were given pointers for interviews. One class assignment was a mock interview. A student had to dress properly and be interviewed by someone they did not know. After the interview the student would be told what they did well and what they did not do so well on. I felt this assignment was very helpful. Students are taught what questions are usually asked and how to respond to these questions adequately.

                As far as my personal career choice goes, I am still going to pursue becoming a Radiographer technician. I am satisfied with the aspects of the job that I’ve learned through this course. With the knowledge I have now, I am confident in my ability to obtain a position in this field. I am more motivated and prepared thanks to this class. SD11 has opened my mind to a lot of other careers I may be good at as well. I will look into them one step at a time.  

Tyrone Sterling

What have you learned about yourself and career goals in the SD11 class?

What have you learned about yourself and career goals in the SD11 class?

The Career Planning SD11 course is a great course that helped me in my pursuit to learn more about myself and the options I have available to me. I learned about what line of work my personality and values would suit more comfortably. I discovered that I must pursue a career in administration which is a logical match for my current major of business administration.

                A major help in the class was the revision of my resume and the collaboration with the Office of Career Development in Room C-102 to help me prepare for a job interview by scheduling and coming in for a mock interview. I learned how to create and use a blog. In addition, I enjoyed learning how to properly create a cover letter as well as a thank you letter, which I can send to an employer after a job interview. My experience in this class made me realize how I have to take more action and experience hands-on learning in order to achieve a better understanding of something instead of just thinking about how it may or may not be the thing for me to work on.

                This class was an overall great learning experience that solidified my choice of career as a businessman that will pursue entrepreneurship, investing, and venture capital funding. Now I know that I must network with people in my field of interest, obtain the advice from professionals in this field, as well as learn the skills necessary in order to start and manage successful businesses. I recommend this class to everyone whether they know exactly what they want to pursue and especially to anyone who is lost in their career goals.

Vsevolod Seva Soloviev

Interviewing Officer Dave

            I spoke to a Police Officer named Dave today. He definitely gave me the 411 on being an officer and everything it entails. Officer Dave works in the Transit Division, which mainly deals with being on the field at MTA Locations. He’s been on the job for twenty two years, and will soon retire. He works a midnight shift and shared that this shift is very hard work because of the non-natural hours that have to be worked. When he comes into the precinct he has to undergo Roll Call, receive his assignment of the day, be briefed on crimes that happened prior to his shift, and file reports. Officer Dave noted that as a Police

Officer in the Transit Division you get more robberies than anything else.

            I asked Officer Dave “Why a police officer and not a sanitation worker?” Just like many officers, Officer Dave, has always wanted to be a cop when he was a kid. He took the Police Exam in 1983 and was hired in 1990 when he was 22. He gave me the rundown of the steps after that exam, including the Police Academy. In the Police Academy, there are three main subjects of study, physical fitness, police science, and law. After the Academy and you are officially on the police force, that is when you see your least and greatest favorite aspects of the job. Dave’s least favorite experiences in this job are the deaths at the scene, especially with small children. His greatest favorite is helping people, working with fellow officers, and gaining friendships.

            The one thing that surprised Dave the most about the job was the crimes that were unknown to the police department that are never called in. This is surprisingly true and happens every single day. I asked Officer Dave if he felt like the rate of employment was going to change for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), he said it’s going to increase. For the mere fact that a lot of people are going to be retiring in the next two years because their 20-year mark is approaching. The main thing you do need to become an officer is to have a respect for others; without that respect, you will not go far in this line of work.

            After talking with Office Dave, I still believe in this career goal, and I am going to make it past an Officer and become a Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain within a 13-year span.

-Veronica Noel

Resumé Writing Tips

Most people write resumes because everyone knows you have to have one to get a job. And so they write their resumes reluctantly, to fulfill the requirement. It’s a mistake to think your resume as a history of your past job experiences, or some sort of self-expression. Sure, you have to provide some sort of job history but keep in mind resume is a type of advertisement. It represents you on the paper and it’s a first step towards your dream job. You have to keep it interesting. Imagine, you apply for a job that seems absolutely perfect for you. You send your resume with a cover letter to the employer and several hundred to thousands of people send their resume to the same employer. Now you are facing a great deal of competition. The prospective employer is going through the stack of resume grudgingly, he is bored and sleepy going through different resume with the same templates, objectives, and even skills. Now imagine he is going through your resume and his eyes get wide-awake. He is now reading your resume from beginning to end because it was different and interesting it captured his attention. And sure enough you get a call for an interview another step towards your dream job.

So how do you write this attention grabbing, mind-blowing resume?  Just follow the tips below:

·      Sell yourself – your resume is you on the paper that cannot speak. So you have to make sure you use interesting words that stir emotions.

·      Accuracy – you have to make sure there are no grammatical mistakes, correct address, and a number that is reachable during office hours.

·      Objective – while writing the objective don’t be boring or predictable.  Don’t just write ‘seeking for a job’, include why you are the right candidate for this job.  Persuade them to give you a chance and call you for an interview.

·      Customize – while searching for a job don’t just send the same cover letter and resume to all the jobs you come across from retail to receptionist or any other position. Customize is the word think like an employer read the ad it usually tells you what they are looking for and be sure to include and highlight all the skills and experience related to it in your cover letter and objective. Remember the whole point of a resume is to get an interview. So, persuade them to call you for an interview, make them believe you are the right candidate for the job. Even if you aren’t you have to “fake it till you make it.”

~ Saba Nasim

How to do Career Exploration?

Yeah!  Its, that time when you come out of your high school bubble and think about what you want to do in life. You start to feel the pressure and everybody’s been asking you what you want to do?  What college you going to? What’s your major and what you plan to do with that degree? And you just wish to go in the future to see what you would end up doing. Worry not, in a normal world people changes their career from between “three and seven times over the course of their working lives.” We all know people change and their needs changes too. So overtime what you might think is the only option and your life depends on it, there is good news for you it’s not always life or death. It’s okay if you didn’t make it into the nursing program or something else there are a lots of options out there you just need the resources that can lead you there.

Find out what you naturally good at, some of the questions to ask your self are:

Are you a people’s person or a loner? 

Are you a leader or a follower? 

Can you work under stress?

Do you want to travel for work?

If you know what type of person you are and what you want then congratulations! You are one step ahead in understanding the career market. Now, you should know about the key resources like government websites and the occupation handbook, which basically tells you everything you would want to know about specific careers, and the potential of a certain job market. What’s the perspective on job growth, salary etc. and websites like Monster, Idealist and students favorite, Craigslist should be the site you should be regularly checking on. So go ahead and search the great world of the Internet where you can find information on every career your heart desires.

Good luck!

~ Saba Nasim  

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Resources for Incoming Kingsborough Students

1- Academic Advisement - receive information and guidance on their choice of major, selected courses and academic progress throughout the year

2-The Department - An organizational unit that offers courses in a specific subject area or a specific group of subjects

3- Career Development Center - offers various resources to assist you in your job search and career exploration

4- Financial aid Office - Where you can go to be given scholar, loans, grants, stipends ships, and part- time jobs that make it financially possible for a student to attend college or find out your finical aid status

5-Registrar's Office - Maintains academic records for all students and is responsible for the registration of students into classes after they have been admitted to the college. Located in A101

I believe the five things I’ve listed are things you should know when you first arrive to Kingsborough so you can be familiar with the school. All of these things are beneficial in guiding you through your future at Kingsborough. Academic advisement will guide you in the steps you need to graduate and classes you need to be taking. Become familiar with the departments in case you need to go to them to ask questions or get an over tally to get in the classes. Financial aid office can have you gain scholar, loans, grants, stipends ships and find out your status and can possibly help you gain work study. Career development can help you gain a job and put you on the track to do so. Registrar's Office is where you can go to Advanced standing evaluation of transfer credit , Certification of enrollment to outside agencies ,Change of address, curriculum, grades, matriculation status, session attended ,Exams ,Permit to attend other CUNY colleges ,Readmission ,Access to records ,Transcripts ,Withdrawal and Degree Audit. These are essential things you need to know when entering college.

Krystal Gray

Ten (10) things a student will need to do to prepare for a job interview

1. Create a Resume.

2. Do your research of the company you are applying to.

3. Prepare a cover letter.

4. Do practice interviews. (Doing a mock interview can help you feel relax- because you can anticipate what to expect)

5. Look professional.

6. Arrive 15 minutes early. (Better to be early, in that way you can have time to settle down and not be in a rush)

7. Smell nice. Not strong. (Don't apply heavy perfume or smoke right before the interview. A breath mint is good but no chewing gum. But if you only have gum at least get rid of it before you walk into the office)

8. Have everything you need. (Direction to the place, a printed copy of your application or resume and phone numbers of references. It's better to have them and don't need them, then to need them and don't have them.)

9. Think of your own questions. (Because at the end interviewers always ask, “What questions do you have for me?" Saying nothing looks bad and the employer may think you are not interesting about the job. At least think of one or two questions to ask, either about the position you’re applying for or pertaining to the work environment.)

10. Make sure that you're well rested before the day of your interview.

Christina Edwards