For nearly a decade, CUNY Law’s Career Planning Services Team has held its annual Speed Mock Interview Night (SPIN) at the outset of the spring semester, as the beginning of a series of special career supports.
Leveraging the success and lived experiences of CUNY Law alumni, SPIN engages volunteers each year to conduct mock interviews, while offering real-time feedback on pitches, resumes, and interview question answers. This tradition unites faculty, staff, alumni, and community partners in their mission to equip students enrolled full-time as 1Ls and 2Ls, and part-time as 2Ls and 3Ls, with the strategic insight and tools needed to succeed at everything from summer internship interviews to the Public Interest Law Career (PILC) Fair at New York University.
Stephanie Jaquez,Esq. ‘19, Staff Attorney at Brooklyn Defender Services
Rebecca Abraham ’23
The last few years of SPIN have been virtual due to the pandemic, which has meant Career Planning’s nimble shift in programming has been able to offer even more connections due to the ease of video call interviews and sessions; alumni can Zoom in from anywhere in the world!
This year, 21 members of CUNY Law’s community conducted 89 virtual mock interviews for 50 students in just two hours. Many of this year’s crowd were first-year students, a sure sign that the Career Planning team’s student engagement is working. Students met with legal service supervisors, court attorneys, public defenders and prosecutors, and government and firm attorneys. Represented practice areas included disability rights, housing, LGBTQ2IA+ justice, criminal defense, family law, immigration, employment, commercial litigation, and more.
Hon. Cristal Garland ‘09, Bronx Housing Court Judge
This program is critical for student success, even beyond acquiring interview skills and best practices. Connections with alumni successfully working in areas in which students wish to practice are invaluable; they build their confidence and strengthen their networks as they prepare to practice public interest law.
Glenn Lutzky, a student in his second year of pandemic law school, affirmed that the experience provided him with great practice to improve his interview skills and build confidence in a “low-pressure environment.” He added that the feedback he received from interviewers was helpful, and strongly encouraged students to take advantage of this yearly program.
Ralph DeRosa ’96, General Counsel for Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU Healthcare, remarked, “It was my pleasure to participate…and glad to hear the students felt that way as well.”
Both students and alumni look forward to participating each year; many students who participate often come back as alumni interviewers. Mackenzie Lew ’18, Staff Attorney at Mobilization for Justice, said “see you next year,” as she closed her virtual interview room.
Any mention of SPIN would be incomplete without a nod to the Career Planning Services team, who work tirelessly behind the scenes to keep students and alums alike connected in both community and capacity.
Pictured: Jennifer Acevedo’ 21 and Guillermina Passa ’16 BDS-Immigration & Family Defense
SPIN is only one of many services Career Planning Services offers law students in preparation for practice. In addition to resume help and interview skills (and even interview facilities), the team offers one-on-one career counseling, Bar admission advice, and post-grad clerkship application assembly help, among a suite of other helpful, student-driven services. If you’re a student, and you have yet to connect with Career Planning Services, or an alum who would like to be connected to events and opportunities to help students, reach out and set up a meeting.
Pictured l-r: Sam Sue, Stephanie McGregor, Therese McNulty, Alana Greenberg, and Rosa Cabrera
You can stay in touch with Career Planning through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn or their contact page, where you’ll find full contact info for the team.