Hitting the Ground Running: Law Firm Associates Merge Business with Passions
For many of Columbia's recent graduates, law is not only a passion in and of itself: It is a skill that enables them to pursue many interests—from working in an industry that fascinates them to meeting intriguing people to living abroad. How better to make a living than by doing what one loves?
Alexander Green '03 knew he wanted to be a lawyer before he applied to Columbia, but his interest in aircraft dates back to childhood, when his hobby was building model airplanes. During his first year of law school, Mr. Green wrote to the general counsels of several airlines requesting a summer internship. American Airlines obliged, and the experience only deepened his desire to have a legal career involving the aviation industry.
Today, Mr. Green is a third-year associate in the Global Transportation Finance Department of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP. He chose Milbank because it is among the few firms with a separate transportation-industry department.
"The job offers me a chance to stay on top of the commercial airline industry and the opportunity to work with people all over the world, on a wide variety of transactions," he says.
He enjoys working on aircraft lease portfolio securitizations, which are especially challenging because they involve coordination with airlines, legal counsel, and laws all over the world.
Speaking the Clients' Language
For Carolyn Luxemburg '00, fluent in Italian, the first thing that drew her to Cleary Gottlieb was the fact that the firm had offices in Rome. Since 2003, when she transferred from the firm's New York office to Italy, Ms. Luxemburg's work has centered mainly on international capital markets transactions, as well as assisting Italian companies that are registered with the SEC with their U.S. securities law compliance.
"I went to Columbia for a law degree because I knew I wanted to work in international business," says the former business journalist, who also has a master's degree ('93) from Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs. In her daily work, she draws on her classes in securities law, corporate finance, accounting and corporations, while a course in European Union law has provided a useful basis for understanding and appreciating the work of her Italian colleagues.
The most fun part of the job, says Ms. Luxemburg, is simply interacting with foreign clients, speaking their language, and experiencing firsthand how business works in another country.
Her advice for students considering doing international legal work? "If you don't know one, learn a language!" she says.
Thinking Like a Lawyer
Interacting with international clients is also one of the most enjoyable parts of the job for Lily Lu '97, although she does it from an office in New York.
As an associate in the corporate group of Arnold & Porter LLP, Ms. Lu has found a career that is more rewarding than she ever expected. Her clients, who undertake complex transactions, include private equity funds, media companies, and pharmaceutical corporations.
Ms. Lu, who worked on Brazil's sale of public debt in the United States, says that perhaps the most exciting clients are sovereign nations. "Working with them is like working with companies, but with built-in political issues," she says, "because a nation might need legislative approval before engaging in a transaction."
Ms. Lu's most influential class at the Law School was not in business law but rather was Professsor Philip Genty's Prisoners and Families Clinic, on representing prisoners—proving the adage that a lawyer's skills can be applied to many situations.
"Much of my job is understanding what people want and require," says Ms. Lu. "The ability to listen without judging and come up with a solution where the parties end up with what they need is what Prof. Genty taught me."
Understanding a Society Through its Taxes
For Sang I. Ji '96, a partner at White & Case in New York, taxation is his passion. Indeed, many students who take tax law find it surprisingly interesting and intellectually engaging because taxes are not just about mathematical formulas but about fundamental fairness in the government's methods of raising revenue, creating incentives, and redistributing wealth.
"Taxation is an area of law that requires mastery of complex technical provisions, as well as an understanding of broad policy objectives and judicial doctrines," says Mr. Ji, who frequently uses the rules he learned in Professor Richard Stone's Partnership Tax class.
Mr. Ji's practice emphasizes tax issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and financial products. He says, "I wanted to be a transactional lawyer, in an area where complex analysis and deep thought were necessary to be successful. Tax provides all of that. The opportunity to provide my clients with tax-efficient solutions that navigate the complex web of U.S. and foreign tax laws is the perfect mix of business and law for me."
Alexander Green '03 knew he wanted to be a lawyer before he applied to Columbia, but his interest in aircraft dates back to childhood, when his hobby was building model airplanes. During his first year of law school, Mr. Green wrote to the general counsels of several airlines requesting a summer internship. American Airlines obliged, and the experience only deepened his desire to have a legal career involving the aviation industry.
Interacting with international clients is also one of the most enjoyable parts of the job for Lily Lu '97, although she does it from an office in New York. 
For Sang I. Ji '96, a partner at White & Case in New York, taxation is his passion. Indeed, many students who take tax law find it surprisingly interesting and intellectually engaging because taxes are not just about mathematical formulas but about fundamental fairness in the government's methods of raising revenue, creating incentives, and redistributing wealth.