On Monday, February 22, our Judiciary Committee held Part 3 of Bootcamp: Road to the Bench – The Panel Interview at Duane Morris. 

Speakers:

Hon. William F. Kuntz
US District Judge
US District Court for the Eastern District of New York

Hon. Lizbeth Gonzalez
Supreme Court Justice
New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County

Hon. Donald Leo
Criminal Court Judge
Criminal Court of the City of New York

Jennifer Ching
Project Director, Queens Legal Services
Member, EDNY Magistrate Judge Merit Selection Panel

Manisha M. Sheth (Moderator)
Partner
Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP

Co-sponsored by:

Hispanic National Bar Association (NY Region)
Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York
South Asian American Bar Association of New York
Metropolitan Black Bar Association of New York

See the highlights from the event below:

Judiciary Bootcamp pt 3 begins with a welcome from Duane Morris Managing Partner Michael Grohman welcoming the judges and attendees.

Judiciary Bootcamp pt 3: The Interview. Hon. Lizbeth Gonzalez, NYS Supreme Court, Bronx, explains the screening process for housing court.

Recently appointed Criminal Court Judge Hon. Donald Leo explains the interview process for criminal courts because “it’s still fresh” in his head.

Jennifer Ching from the EDNY Merit Selection Panel describes the interview process for United States Magistrate Judges. The interview lasts well over 16 minutes – more like an hour to ninety minutes.

Judge Leo says you only have a short time, between 11 and 16 minutes, to set yourself apart during your interview so don’t ramble; prepare with mock interviews.

What Judge Kuntz USDJ EDNY wished he knew then: applications of successful judicial candidates are publicly available on the Internet.

Advice from Judge Gonzalez: You must be comfortable in your own skin. Otherwise you might come off as unsure and insecure.

Judge Leo wishes he would have gotten more involved in the legal community, such as with bar associations, at an earlier point in time. He received much selfless help from colleagues during the process of becoming a judge.

Jennifer Ching on a mistake to avoid: Don’t de-personalize yourself. Don’t be afraid to show your human side during the interview.

Another full house for the Judiciary Bootcamp. Thanks to all the panelists and moderator Manisha Sheth for a great program full of keen insights and useful advice.