My Externship with Gary W. Lonergan

My name is Dora Larson. I am a senior English, art history and French major, and have applied to law school for the fall of 2010. I completed my externship with Gary W. Lonergan, a lawyer in Alexandria,Virginia.


October 16, 2009

I spent my first day with Mr. Lonergan in his office in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr. Lonergan has his own private practice; his work includes business law, small business law, real estate, lease negotiation, contracts, estates and wills. We discussed how he approaches a case when he first decides to take it, and legal research in general. Although online law libraries have certainly changed the nature of this research, the practice of law is still quite book- and paper-based. Mr. Lonergan’s conference room has a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled with books of law-- and they are not just there for decoration. We also discussed the issue of confidentiality between a lawyer and his clients, an issue of utmost seriousness, even in seemingly routine cases. Mr. Lonergan is allowed to show case material to his employees (or interns); however, the umbrella of the lawyer-client confidentiality agreement extends to any such parties.

Mr. Lonergan also took me to the Circuit Court in Alexandria, where he showed me the law library, again reinforcing the continued importance of books and paper in the legal world, despite the increased prevalence of online work in other fields.

This day provided me with interesting exposure to the world of private law practice. I know much more about the public sector, so it was helpful to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each with Mr. Lonergan. Mr. Lonergan also reiterated to me that throughout his career, no one has ever been very concerned with where he went to law school-- rather, people just want to know whether or not he can help them. He emphasized that it is really skills and ability that lead to success, rather than a brand-name law degree. This was very encouraging-- I will certainly be considering this advice as I decide where to go to school next year.


October 30, 2009

On my second day, Mr. Lonergan introduced me to Judge Robert G. Mayer, a judge in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the eastern district of Virginia, Alexandria division. Judge Mayer told me about his legal career and what he does as a bankruptcy judge, described the procedure for hearing bankruptcy cases and showed me the courtrooms in the district courthouse.

I spent some time with Vikas Kumar, Judge Mayer’s clerk, who was rather swamped with work-- the state of the economy has made this quite a busy year for the bankruptcy courts. As I am interested in clerking after law school, my time with Vikas was very helpful-- a recent graduate of law school and a new clerk, he was able to give me some fresh insight. As a clerk, Vikas essentially prepares the cases for the judge: he goes through each case, summarizes it, finds and marks any problems with it, and submits it to the judge as either ready to approve or problematic. He said that clerking provides excellent practical training for law school graduates, especially since law school is very theoretical-- although he did take a course in bankruptcy in law school, he has learned most of it on the job. I have been trying to focus my interests and to choose a specialization in law school, precisely because of law school's broad curriculum; however, Vikas assured me that it is quite possible and intellectually challenging to learn on the job the way he does. I am now more comfortable with the idea of a broad legal education.


November 13, 2009

I spent my third day at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in Alexandria. The NACDS lobbies Congress for the interests of its members-- which include, as its name suggests, CVS, Rite-Aid, Target, etc. Only some of its employees are lawyers; many work in public relations or public policy, one is a pharmacist, a few are both lawyers and pharmacists. I met with many different people with a wide variety of backgrounds. After my discussions with them, I had a better sense of the kind of policy work you can do both with and without a law degree.

I have never considered lobbying as a career after law school, and while my conversations at NACDS were helpful, I still do not plan to pursue lobbying. While I am interested in advocacy (specifically environmental advocacy), I just do not think I have the personality for lobbying, which depends so much on who you know, in addition to what you know. Further, the overwhelming consensus among the NACDS employees with whom I spoke was that a law degree is unnecessary to lobby. I am more interested in a career where my degree will be directly useful. That being said, my visit to NACDS helped me understand they way people with different backgrounds must work together for a lobbying organization to function, so I definitely feel more informed about the different forces that influence the legislature.

My visit to the NACDS was particularly timely, given the healthcare reform bill currently in Congress. While no one I spoke to expressed a political stance, the NACDS represents the interest of business. I personally strongly support a public option. However, I was actually very happy with my experience at NACDS. I spoke with people from both sides of the political spectrum, all of whom respected each other and the goals of their organization, regardless of their personal feelings. I am a native Washingtonian, so I am used to the pervasiveness of politics in all conversations. I always greatly appreciate such mutual respect and cooperation as I saw at NACDS. Everyone I spoke to was very encouraging and happy to tell me about their work.


Conclusion

I would highly recommend that prospective law students complete such an externship, even if they have a good sense of what they want to study in law school. I intend to study international environmental law and would eventually like to work in governmental clean water regulation. Through the careers of my parents, I am quite familiar with the public sector of law. After my externship, I feel more familiar with the private sector and have more of a sense of the different directions I could take my career. I will approach law school with an open mind, ruling out nothing until I have learned more about it.

Mr. Lonergan was very helpful in exposing me to very different areas of law and very supportive of my educational and career goals. His commitment to helping new generations of Maryland graduates succeed in their careers is an admirable and much appreciated gift to our community.