Harlene Katzman ’95
Justice in Action: Q&A with CUNY Law Alums
Harlene Katzman ’95 took an untraditional path to private practice, where for the last 17 years, she has led the global pro bono practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as its Chief Pro Bono Counsel. Following a clerkship and several years at a civil rights litigation boutique, Harlene moved to Columbia Law School’s public interest career center where she found deep professional fulfillment helping aspiring lawyers use their skills to bring about access to justice. At Columbia, Harlene directed the school’s mandatory Pro Bono Program as well as its public interest programming, counseling and fellowships programs before making the move to Simpson Thacher in 2008. At the Firm, she has focused her own docket on trafficking, domestic violence and immigration matters. In celebration of Pro Bono Week, we asked Harlene to reflect on her career inspiring generations of lawyers to serve low income and vulnerable communities through pro bono work.
Q&A
Q. How did CUNY Law prepare you for practicing law?
“Half my time at CUNY Law was spent either in a practice seminar or at a clinic where I was asked to solve real problems for real people. In a health law practice seminar during my 2L year, I grappled with complicated legal issues affecting people with HIV/AIDS. During my 3L year, I participated in the Domestic Violence Clinic, where I teamed up with students from the Immigration Clinic to understand how the newly-enacted Violence Against Women Act would affect immigrant victims of gender-based violence. Learning the law through the lens of vulnerable and underserved communities, and not just through case law and hypotheticals, is the best preparation for practice in my view. Over the years, I have learned that no legal matter is ever what you expect, and that navigating the unexpected brings about the deepest sense of fulfillment!”
Q. What was your favorite class? How did it prepare you to practice law?
“I loved my year-long Domestic Violence Clinic, but my favorite class was Evidence with Professor Sue Bryant. I was so excited to take her class because I felt like I was learning the type of courtroom lawyering I had seen on TV. Professor Bryant also showed me how to take a trauma-informed, culturally competent and compassionate approach to gathering and presenting evidence. After I started practicing, especially when I represented individual pro bono clients, I used the lessons Professor Bryant taught me to build relationships with and gain the trust of clients who had been through very difficult life circumstances. I didn’t realize at the time how invaluable those aspects of Professor Bryant’s class were, and how much they would shape my client interactions. Professor Bryant was a pioneer for teaching evidence with an eye to the cultural and trauma-related needs of both clients and witnesses.”
Q. What was your first job after graduating law school? What did it teach you?
“My first job out of law school was a two-year clerkship with the Pro Se Office of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. I met with pro se litigants to help them understand what they needed to do to file an appeal, and I sometimes helped them obtain appointment of counsel from the Court. I also researched and drafted memos addressing the legal issues involved in pro se appeals to assist the panels hearing those appeals. This job taught me two important things: 1) I did not want to spend the majority of my time in a solitary state researching and writing – I much prefer interacting with people; and 2) it is very difficult for people without money and resources to be heard by our judicial system. Both informed my career path.”
Q. What is something you learned at CUNY Law that has stuck with you?
“Those of us fortunate enough to become lawyers have an obligation to ensure fairness and justice in the legal system. Pro bono work is an accessible way to do that if it’s not a part of your everyday job!”
Q. What’s one piece of advice you have for current CUNY Law students?
“Wherever you wind up practicing, make the time to do pro bono work. Pro bono work is not just about “giving back,” it is essential for making the legal system more equitable and more fair. It can mean that a family has food on the table, a woman can live free from violence, and a senior doesn’t get evicted; and it can also be the catalyst to large-scale social change. Do everything you can to make the time – you will never regret doing pro bono, but you might regret not doing it!”