Organizations & Transactions Clinic: A Day in the Life

Jason Fischbein (JD ’16) participated in the Organizations and Transactions Clinic as a student attorney this past spring. Here, he shares a glimpse of the work that takes place in the O&T Clinic in his post for our “Day-in-the-Life” series. 

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9:00 a.m. – The whole group convenes for a class session lead by a guest speaker, Henry Fong, the chief employment counsel at LinkedIn, and a former senior HR lawyer at GAP Inc. The topic is what transactional lawyers should know about employment law. Henry offers a dynamic and engaging presentation, sharing his unique perspective as an in-house attorney. Guest speakers, including law firm partners who specialize in venture capital, mergers & acquisitions, and corporate litigation (among other areas), frequently lead our class sessions.

10:30 a.m. – My partner and I meet with Jay Mitchell and Michelle Sonu, our supervising attorneys, to discuss a current project. Our task is to advise a local nonprofit about its corporate governance and other programmatic matters. We visited this client at its San Francisco office at the beginning of the quarter, and in the coming weeks, we will return to present our deliverable before the Board of Directors.

11:00 a.m. – I meet with my other partner to collaborate on a different project. We decide to enjoy the beautiful weather and work outdoors on the Neukom Terrace. In O&T, we juggle up to four projects at the same time, and our supervisors afford us complete flexibility to shift our focus amongst the various projects. Our specific task here is to craft a service agreement for a local nonprofit seeking to license property to high-rise apartment complexes in San Francisco.

12:30 p.m. – Burrito time! Lunch off-campus.

1:45 p.m. – We participate in a conference call with a third client. The purpose of the call is to gain the client’s feedback and answer questions about the work product we submitted last week. The call goes smoothly. The client is clearly appreciative of our efforts.

2:45 p.m. – I work independently at my desk in the clinic space. I hear the constant buzz of my colleagues from other clinics diligently working.

3:30 p.m. – Coffee break. Also burrito time again. I had leftovers.

3:45 p.m. – I meet with one of my partners and continue working collaboratively. Perhaps one or both of our supervisors will request a brief meeting to discuss work product or an upcoming conference call.

5:00 p.m. – Done for the day. Plenty of time to hit the gym and play with this girl:

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