Partner in a 76 Lawyer Firm

Name: Mary R. Vasaly

Major: Psychology

Law School: University of Minnesota

Description of your job: Partner with 76 lawyer law firm, practicing in civil litigation and appeals.

Do you have any advice for students who are considering going to the same law school you did? It's a great school. Plenty of opportunity for obtaining positions with the best law firms in the Twin Cities.

Is there anything in particular that you did during your undergrad that benefited you more than anything else in getting through law school and/or transitioning into the legal profession? Taking courses in philosophy, logic and writing

.

If you had a chance to go through law school all over again, is there anything you would do differently? Yes. I would participate in the law review or moot courts and I would try to obtain a clerkship after graduation.

Is being a lawyer what you expected it would be? Why or why not? Yes, although it is more contentious, and more time‑consuming. Requires 100% focus at times, and personal sacrifice.

What is it like transitioning from being a law student to being a lawyer? It can be difficult to accept the commitment necessary to practice litigation full‑time and to become accustomed to taking ownership for one's own career development.

Is there anything students should know about the legal profession before they decide to commit their life to it? It's terrific but probably not what you expect it to be.

What does a typical day look like for you as a lawyer? The best thing about my job is that I don't have any "typical" days. Each day is different. I may spend the day writing a brief, or interviewing witnesses, preparing a witness for a deposition, taking a deposition, visiting a client's business, training associates, attending bar meetings, etc. etc.