Zain Mirza '26

My experience was very rewarding, as I learned how to be in court, argue in front of judges, negotiate with other attorneys, and most importantly, to fight for vulnerable people in Brooklyn. I enjoyed representing clients and doing the same work that other tenant lawyers do. I learned how to write motions and answers, and how to deliver bad news to clients in a way that is positively framed.

Writing was the most rewarding part of the job for me, because I love researching  the law.   Motion practice was especially exciting because we saw  our arguments play out in front of the judge.

 I also visited with clients at their house, and this to me was the most intimate part of the job. Seeing the situation that our clients are dealing with gave us first-hand experience that other lawyers or interns may not have gotten. We were able to see and react in real time to our clients needs, and most of all, my co-workers were always helpful and ready to react.

What impacted me was seeing how our clients' lives can change with our work. Housing law is a unique field,  where we work so closely with our clients, and we get to see how our help can impact their day to day circumstances. Housing court is a summary proceeding, so we often only got a few minutes, sometimes even seconds, to make our case with a judge. When we saw the judge agree with our arguments, or rule in our favor, it was rewarding to see how our clients would react positively.

On the other hand, delivering unfortunate news to our clients was also an art that I had to learn. It was valuable experience to practice managing client expectations to match what we can actually get done.

I would like to thank them for helping me with funding. I was able to not worry about needing money for transportation or meals, and this allowed me to focus on my work heavily. I would also thank them for allowing me to focus on helping vulnerable clients, because having financial backing provides stability. I was able to learn the ins and outs of working as a lawyer with minimum distraction.