COMMUNITY VOICES 04/12/2009
 

LOS ANGELES PUBLIC INTEREST LAW JOURNAL

1 L.A. PUB. INT. L.J. 325

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LETTER TO A YOUNG PUBLIC INTEREST ATTORNEY*
Paula D. Pearlman

          I applaud your choice of becoming a public interest attorney. I have had an incredibly meaningful and productive career. I have always loved my profession as I see it as a tool for social change and as a means to increase the amount of justice that exists in our society (if it can be quantified).

I have a few reflections for you as you begin your career.

          1.     ASK QUESTIONS. Really, don’t pretend you know everything because you don’t and ultimately you may harm your clients by acting like you do. When you ask questions it demonstrates a curiosity and excitement about your work, and signifies that you are an active learner. (More about that below.) Of course, you should have more than a vague idea about your issue, and ask for some guidance rather than have someone do your thinking for you. And don’t wait too long to ask questions as you will be wasting precious time on trying to determine even where to start to look for the answer.

* For complete letter, please download the PDF.

 

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    Author

    Executive Director of the Disability Rights Legal Center (DRLC), formerly Western Law Center for Disability Rights, a cross-disability rights organization. Ms. Pearlman is a graduate of Southwestern University School of Law, and the University of California, Los Angeles. She has a distinguished career of over 20 years in public interest law. Prior to her current position at the DRLC, she was the Deputy Director of Advocacy Programs and Director of Litigation. Ms. Pearlman is also a Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, teaching Disability Rights and Special Education law as well as litigation skills. She has extensive experience in class action litigation and legislative advocacy in the areas of disability rights, sex discrimination and harassment, and immigration law.