The work you do as a law student is a huge stepping stone toward getting the job you want when you graduate. Yes, that includes your grades — but they aren’t the end all, be all. Where you summer, your extracurriculars, and the people you advocate for are an important part of setting yourself apart from the rest of the resumes on the pile. This Suffolk law student just got a hell of a line on their resume. From the National Jurist:
Andrea Marcano, a 3L student at Suffolk University Law School, made history by becoming one of the first legal advocates in the country to assist Venezuelan refugees flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
At the time, Marcano was interning for Susan Church, a renowned immigration attorney who was feeling unwell and feared she might have contracted COVID-19. Despite being an intern, Church trusted Marcano to step in at a crucial moment, given her fluency in Spanish and extensive experience in immigration law.
I’ve heard many a testimony from folks who, after getting their JD and license to practice, were given late nights and burnout in return. And while the money can be nice, the most satisfied attorneys I have interacted with are the ones who find their work to be meaningful. It is a delight to see someone who has their eye on the purpose of their vocation before their degree is in hand.
Her passion and experience are what prepared her to assist the refugees being housed in a Martha’s Vineyard church and at Joint Base Cape Cod. Marcano worked tirelessly to create a database of the migrants’ documents and helped them fill out forms necessary for attorneys to gather information about their cases from government officials…“You don’t want to get so caught up in the legal details and processes that your interaction with a client becomes purely transactional,” Marcano said. “The clients need someone to listen. Often, they are desperate for what seem like simple things: a chance to work and provide the basics for their families, a place where their kids can go to school and where they don’t live in fear.”
Even in the face of DeSantis’s desperate bids to court media attention with legal tantrums that will do more harm to his state than good, there are good lawyers prepared and capable of undoing and setting right what needs to be fixed. Thanks for your hard work, Andrea!
Suffolk Law Student Makes History With Immigration Work [National Jurist]
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
