Retired Real Estate Attorney

Name: Karin J. Birkeland

Major: English Literature/Political Science minor

Law School: Univerity of Minnesota

Description of your job: Commercial real estate attorney, Faegre & Benson, 1987‑1995, partner as of 1995. Associate General Counsel, University of Minnesota Office of the General Counsel, 1995‑1998. Currently retired.

Do you have any advice for students who are considering going to the same law school you did? I occasionally meet with law students looking for advice and I tell them that they are very fortunate to be at the University of Minnesota Law School. The education is top‑notch and the placement statistics are impressive.

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? Yes‑‑my experience on the Minnesota Law Review. It provided me with excellent writing experiences and good time management skills.

If you had a chance to go through law school all over again, is there anything you would do differently? I would try to have more fun. I took law school very seriously.

Is being a lawyer what you expected it would be? Why or why not? I loved practicing law and working in a large law firm. I feel very lucky to be able to spend time raising my children but I often wish that I could have my cake and eat it too‑‑raise my two children and still maintain my practice. Unfortunately, my practice was fairly all‑consuming and it was not a realistic option to work part‑time.

What is it like transitioning from being a law student to being a lawyer? I did not find the transition difficult at all. Law school teaches you how to work hard and meet deadlines.

Is there anything students should know about the legal profession before they decide to commit their life to it? I think that "committing their life to it" is an apt description. They should realize that, depending on the practice they choose, it can be an all‑consuming career. They should also realize, however, that there are many other opportunities are available for lawyers who would rather "opt out"

What does a typical day look like for you as a lawyer? When I was practicing with Faegre & Benson, I frequently worked 10 hour days (often without a lunch break) and I usually worked at least a few hours every weekend. This was especially true during the first five or six years when I was learning my profession.