Beata Safari

Bachelor of Arts 2013, International Affairs 

Beata Safari recently joined a mid-size boutique firm in NYC as an associate attorney. The firm serves as special counsel on a variety of government infrastructure projects across the country. Her work will likely focus on contract drafting and negotiation of these terms. Her first year out of law school, she clerked for a judge in an appellate court in New Jersey. Most of her job included writing memoranda for the judge pertaining to cases in all types of fields: criminal, civil, family, administrative or tax. Occasionally, she would write drafts of opinions for the judge and would edit his own draft opinions.

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What excites you about the work you do? I'm happy to finally work on a team! I'm thrilled to be learning about a niche area of the law that I had never even heard of in law school. I'm also pleased that the work environment is such that there is a good amount of camaraderie and a willingness to assist me during my first year at a law firm.

What is the most significant career experience you've had so far, and what made it meaningful to you? My most significant career experience is definitely having published an article in my law school's law review. Though a good number of people have had the same experience, I was able to latch on to a novel idea such that I've been cited three times in the U.S. and seven times abroad only a year since publication! What this means is that I've been able to foster a certain level of expertise which I hope to be able to develop in the future by writing more articles.

Advice for current UHP students: People always told me that there was a set path to becoming successful, especially in the legal field. They said, "If you want to work in a prestigious law firm in NYC or DC, you need to graduate from a top 20 law school or have a stellar GPA or know someone." Frankly, my law school is currently ranked 59 (which is lower than it was when I got in), my GPA was below a 3.5, and I definitely don't know anyone who is an attorney who could have helped me get my job. What I think set me apart were my unusual internships, my varied involvement in law school, and probably my personability. For most people, the recommended path is the right one -- maybe yours will be the path less taken, like mine was. Listen to people's career advice, but if it doesn't work out, don't fret and find another way to do what you love.