Research.

The first thing I learned in law school was “preparation, preparation, preparation,” and the core of that mantra is research.

As a student, I was a research assistant for International and Transnational Criminal Law, a textbook by Professors Julie O’Sullivan and David Luban. I was also a Notes and Articles Editor for the Georgetown Journal of International Law. The rigor I learned then in finding and checking sources quickly and thoroughly has carried over into my professional life as I prepared myself and others for everything from court appearances to media appearances.

Knowing more than my adversaries and having counters to their counterarguments has been the the key to my success as an advocate.

Writing.

One of my strongest skills is my mastery of the written word, especially in persuasive writing. I have earned a reputation for my keen editing eye and for drafting crisp, organized prose.

For example, I won a major victory on a high-profile issue for the Army with a single well-crafted letter as the Special Assistant to the Army General Counsel.

Among my proudest achievements at the Pentagon was a legal opinion on the treatment of transgender inmates in Army custody, a novel legal issue for the Department of Defense (DoD). Supported by the force of my memorandum, I led a positive change in the Army’s policy towards accommodations for this population. With the help of my co-author, I later adapted this opinion into an oft-cited law review article for the Stanford Journal on Civil Rights and Civil liberties.

Litigation.

Like many aspiring attorneys, I daydreamed during LSAT preparation about the day I would jump to my feet and yell “objection” in a crowded court. I am proud to say that no matter how varied the venues where I eventually practiced—criminal trials as both prosecutor and defense attorney, administrative law hearings, custody hearings in family law court—I never lost that thrill.

However, it was not until I was working in the Office of the DoD General Counsel, that I truly understood the importance of all of the hard work that comes before that moment. There I coordinated and presented the DoD’s position on Supreme Court cases to the Solicitor General to make sure the government’s position was coherent and DoD’s equities were safeguarded. I spent a lot of unglamorous nights researching, but my efforts paid off when our positions were reflected in the briefs and arguments made in the highest court in the land.