Who knew that Stanford Law School would not only prepare Jennifer Clark, JD ’11, to be an incredible public interest lawyer and help her with loan repayment, but also introduce her to her future spouse?

Clark married her classmate, Joe Giovannetti, JD ’11, (also a public interest attorney), who was assigned to the same 1L small section. She shares, “SLS appealed to me because of its small size. I wanted to know everyone in my law school class, in the hopes that this familiarity would create a positive collective experience (which turned out to be true!).”

She adds, “I knew I wanted to go into public interest, so part of the reason I picked SLS was also because of its strong loan repayment assistance program. My husband and I were both LRAP recipients for the duration of our student loan repayment windows, and LRAP has made a MASSIVE difference in our lives. It truly did allow us to pick the jobs we wanted to have while making it possible to pay down our debt, travel, buy a home, and have kids. I am forever indebted to the SLS LRAP program.”

On a fun note, Clark also mentioned that she was drawn to the idea of coming to the West Coast. “I am from New York State, and went to college in Massachusetts. The Bay Area was completely foreign to me, and Stanford’s campus looked like something from a fake high school on a TV show set. I was intrigued! I figured I’d end up back on the East Coast after law school, so this would be a chance to experience something different.”

After graduating from Tufts with a double major in English and Spanish in 2004, Clark spent four years working as a paralegal at a big law firm and then working at the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts. Then she decided to go to law school because of her interests in law and policy. She explains, “When I was in college, I thought I’d go to law school and end up in D.C., working as counsel in the office of a Senator or in the White House. I actually tried that out my 1L summer, and learned it wasn’t for me. (How helpful to have that opportunity and get that knowledge!) I still planned to go into public policy, though, because it seemed like the right intersection of law and policy and politics. When I came to SLS, I planned to get both my law degree and a public policy degree. I took a few public policy classes and determined that, for what I wanted to do, I didn’t need the extra degree. I could effect change with the advocacy skills I was already building in law school.”

While at SLS, Clark also participated in the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, which remains a fond memory for her. She states, “[I] enjoyed focusing exclusively on the clinic experience during the quarter I was enrolled. I got to work on two merits-stage briefs and a cert petition, as well as help prepare our instructor for oral argument, all as a law student. I recognized it as a unique experience at the time, and to this day it stands out as something special I got to participate in by virtue of being at SLS.”

Yet Clark did not anticipate focusing on appellate litigation as a career. After graduating from SLS, Clark returned east and clerked for the Hon. Paul A. Engelmayer in the Southern District of New York and the Hon. Pierre N. Leval in the Second Circuit. She then joined the Brennan Center for Justice as Voting Rights and Election Law Counsel.

Clark observes, “Before and during law school, I assumed I’d work in public policy and issue-focused advocacy for most if not all of my career. And my first post-clerkships experience was that kind of job– I worked as a voting rights and election law counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice for three and a half years. I loved it, but when it came time to switch jobs, I ended up pivoting away from public policy.

“I had very little interest in litigation during law school, but now I’ve spent more than five years as an appellate attorney with the NYS SG’s Office. That is not a job that would have been on my radar as a law student, but it’s been fulfilling and fascinating. I see that your career can have seasons, shifting with you as your life shifts.”

Clark adds, “The opportunity arose to argue a particularly high-profile case before NY’s highest court while I was out on parental leave. I had been working on the case for years as it made its way through the appellate process, and really wanted to see it through to the end. My office worked with me to figure out a fragmented, part-time schedule that would allow me to piece together enough time to prepare for oral argument while still out on leave. I worked my butt off and presented an argument I was very proud of, before a tough bench… and we lost! But, even with the loss, the experience of handling something so high pressure at work while also managing home stressors felt like a testament to the fact that such a thing is possible with the right employer and the right job. Sometimes it can seem like that isn’t possible for attorneys, but this experience drove home that it can happen and is worth seeking out.”

In reflecting upon her career thus far, Clark observes, “In my non-profit role, I was an issue expert: I focused exclusively on voting rights and elections, and got to know the issues I worked on in and out. In my current job, I’m very much a generalist: I handle cases about NYS administrative law, the First Amendment, employment discrimination, you name it. The jobs are quite different, and both have been interesting and rewarding in their own ways.

“When I interviewed for my current job, I remember being asked how I would feel being ‘on the other side of the v.’, meaning more often than not representing the party being sued, rather than being on the side advocating for change by way of litigation. Navigating that line is something I take seriously, and I do think my background as a non-profit attorney is a helpful viewpoint to add to a government office. To me, it’s a positive to see more attorneys with a non-profit background move into government positions, or be appointed to or run for judgeships. It helps our systems of government to have this kind of cross-pollination.”

Clark wants students to know that “a career can be long and varied, and you don’t necessarily need to be one ‘kind’ of lawyer. I am eleven years into my law career and it already looks different than I thought it would.”

Create Change is designed and produced quarterly by the staff of the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law. Unless specifically noted, all articles are written by staff:

Associate Dean for Public Service and Public Interest Law: Diane T. Chin
Executive Director: Anna Wang
Director, International Public Interest Initiatives: Titi Liu
Director, Pro Bono and Externship Programs: Mike Winn
Assistant Director, Public Interest Career Development Program: Shafaq Khan
Program Manager: Melanie Stone

To be notified when new issues of the newsletter are available, please visit this website.

Create Change is published via email and past issues are available on our website. Articles, letters, and photos are welcome. Please send them to public.interest@law.stanford.edu.

You can visit us on the web at:
law.stanford.edu/levin-center
www.facebook.com/levin-center