Summer Experience: John Schiff ’27L This summer, John Schiff worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit.

John Schiff ’27L

John Schiff ’27L is a third-year law student and was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. He has remained extremely active on campus, serving as vice president and a founding member of the school’s chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, president of the Law Students of California, and participating in the school’s Civil Rights and Racial Justice Clinic. He has also served as an oralist and coach for the school’s Jessup International Moot Court Competition Team. This past summer, he worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit. John plans to pursue a career in which he can use the legal and legislative system to improve the lives of all those in the state he calls home.

 What did you do for work this summer?

This summer I worked at Bet Tzedek Legal Services. Much of my work was in my assigned department, Homeowner Protection, which primarily revolved around providing a broad range of services for homeowners impacted by the California wildfires. As such, this involved drafting qualified written requests to send to mortgage servicers or assisting at in-person clinics that provided legal guidance to those facing contractor scams or dissatisfaction with the quality of services related to home reconstruction. I also had the opportunity to work with the Impact Litigation and Compliance departments, namely drafting a public comment in opposition to a recently proposed OMB rule.

How did you find this position?

This was one of a number of positions I applied to through the Equal Justice Works Job Fair. The job fair was suggested to me by members of the Office of Career Strategy. After submitting many applications and taking part in multiple interviews, I received my offer from Bet Tzedek, who had been one of my top picks for the summer. When offered the position, I jumped at the opportunity to work at a sizeable nonprofit serving the people of Los Angeles.

Describe your work experience.

The work experience was far more varied, flexible, and involved than I had expected. While the day-to-day work – namely the research, drafting documents, and meetings with my supervising attorney – was what I had expected, I was surprised by the staff’s openness to my requests for experiences outside of the department. For example, I wanted to take on a project with the Impact Litigation Department and, after reaching out to the internship coordinator, was encouraged to email the department directly and ask for an assignment. Upon doing so, they quickly brought me onto their public comment project. I was also pleasantly surprised by the amount of client interaction and direct help I was able to provide. Both this summer and the previous summer, my favorite part of the public interest work I have done has been getting to talk to clients and connect with them as people distinct from their legal situation. The ability to go to in-person clinics, speak with clients, and provide analysis and advice was an invaluable experience for which I am incredibly grateful.

What were some skills you developed this summer?

While I certainly polished my legal research and writing skills as expected, the two skills I am most grateful for the opportunity to develop are my skills interacting with clients and my understanding and ability to navigate the system of federal grant funding within nonprofits. First, through regular interaction with clients, I learned how to more effectively communicate points of law to them while avoiding the use of complicated “legalese.” This regular practice also made me more confident and comfortable with having such conversations with clients. Second, through my work with the Impact Litigation and Compliance Departments, I was familiarized with the processes and difficulties associated with federal grant funding in nonprofit organizations. While this may not be as important in other legal professions, given my passion for public interest work, I saw this as an incredibly important topic to learn about and one which will undoubtably benefit my work within such organizations in the future.

What was your favorite aspect of this summer work experience?

As I previously mentioned, my favorite part of public interest work has been interacting with clients. The ability to provide individuals going through extremely difficult and often patently unjust situations with a small but meaningful sense of relief while also connecting with them on a basic level outside of the facts of their legal issue is, to me, one of the most important aspects of the legal profession. It has been, currently is, and hopefully will continue to be my favorite part of any legal work I am involved in.

Has this experience helped you figure out post graduate plans, and if so, how?

This experience has only solidified my desire to continue working in public interest. I hope to continue to help those most in need and those with the least means with which to access quality legal assistance.

How do you think this experience will shape the rest of your time at W&L Law?

The increased knowledge about the structure and functioning of nonprofit public interest organizations, as well as the insight received regarding the many issues faced by vulnerable populations, has given me a new lens with which to view the material I will be learning going forward. Similarly, it has sharpened my skills as an advocate, which will no doubt help my ability to serve clients this upcoming year in the Civil Rights and Racial Justice Clinic.