This summer, Syracuse Law students are gaining hands-on experience at firms, courts, and organizations across the country. Over the coming weeks, we’re spotlighting where a few students are spending their summer, and how their Syracuse Law coursework prepared them for the work.
First stop: Jawad Kasimi, 3L (2027) at Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, New York.
What does a typical day look like for you, and what’s one thing that surprised you about it?
A typical day looks very different from one day to the next, which I really like. What I especially appreciate about Hodgson’s summer program is that, rather than having a rotation program, we are given the opportunity to pick projects we would like to work on from a portal. This allows me to select projects from different departments at the same time and focus on work that interests me. As a result, instead of working on just one project per day, I usually handle multiple projects spanning different practice areas. This has helped me develop strong time management skills, as I often have to balance competing deadlines, while also gaining exposure to a variety of practice areas.
One thing that surprised me was how available the partners are. I initially thought they would assign projects and be hands-off, but I was surprised to find that they consistently make themselves available for questions, guidance, and feedback.
What made you choose this organization for your internship or externship?
I am fortunate to know that I am very interested in corporate and securities practice. Hodgson has a very strong corporate and securities practice and also maintains offices throughout upstate New York. I knew I wanted to stay in upstate New York, so Hodgson was a great fit for my objectives.
What’s one project or task you’ve worked on that you’re proud of, and what did you learn from it?
One project I am particularly proud of involved analyzing administrative appeals procedures and determining whether those procedures violated procedural due process. It was a very extensive project that required a significant amount of research. I was especially proud of this work because I was not familiar with administrative procedures and how they operate. As a result, I had to teach myself the subject from scratch in order to conduct the research and reach a well-supported conclusion.
Do you see yourself practicing in this area of law after graduation? What’s drawing you toward this field?
Currently, I am very interested in corporate practice. However, I have not definitively decided which practice area I will ultimately pursue. Working at a large firm like Hodgson allows me to be flexible, as I can transition into a different practice area if I find that corporate law is not the right fit. While it is unlikely that I will choose a different practice area, having that option is very reassuring and helps relieve a great deal of stress.
What drew me to the corporate practice area is my background in economics and business. I previously worked extensively on mergers and acquisitions from an economic perspective, and I really enjoyed that experience. As a result, I wanted to pursue this interest from a legal standpoint. While I understand that the legal side will be different, I am excited by the opportunity to collaborate with professionals from other disciplines to help close deals, which I believe is the ultimate goal of any M&A transaction.
How has Syracuse Law prepared you for this experience?
Syracuse Law offers many courses that help provide background knowledge for the projects I work on. For example, taking Business Associations helped me better understand mergers and acquisitions. This summer, I worked on a deal involving an acquisition, and I was able to understand the structure of the deal because of that course. Without it, I would have been much more confused at the beginning and likely would have spent a significant amount of time teaching myself the foundational concepts.