CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER
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Janet Mosseri, Director of Career Development, Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University [By Barry Perlman ] For Janet Mosseri, Director of Career Development at the Shepard Broad Law Center at Nova Southeastern University, helping legal professionals find jobs is a lot more rewarding than adjudicating a lot of “garbage cases.” Don’t get her wrong – Mosseri, a former administrative law judge for the City of New York, isn’t passing judgment on those cases she heard. “These were literally cases against people
of the law.” In that capacity, Mosseri truly
judge also came in handy. “In my previous
who were putting their garbage out at the
enjoyed being in the position of decision-
job, I had to listen a lot and listen very care-
wrong time of day -- not bringing in their
maker. For instance, she adjudicated many
fully, and I do that now. So often, students
garbage cans when they’re supposed to --
asbestos-removal cases, governed by laws
just need to say what they’re thinking out
putting out the wrong materials for recycling
still in the process of being settled. “There
loud to somebody. Maybe they can’t decide
collection. Nobody even knew all the rules
were often questions of what constituted
between one thing and another, and I tell
in the sanitation office. They were looking
illegal asbestos removal, and those cases
them what I’m hearing. ‘It sounds like this
at a piece of plastic and didn’t know if it was
tended to be more complex and lasted
is the way you’re leaning.’ And they usually
recyclable or not.”
longer.”
respond, ‘Well, yeah, I think I am.’”
Naturally, garbage law isn’t the only thing
Still, she faced a huge daily volume of cases
When it comes to advice for job-seeking
Mosseri dealt with professionally prior to
and spent much of her time imposing fines
students, Mosseri stresses the fundamental
becoming a career counselor. A graduate
on people, a situation that eventually made
importance of doing well academically and
of Brooklyn Law School, Mosseri practiced
her unhappy. Mosseri recalls a particular
gaining as much legal experience as possible
civil litigation in New York for about 10 years
example of that: “The Building Department
while still in school. “Experience is very
in a few different small firms (including her
prosecuted a lot of small homeowners for
important to a lot of employers, and the more
own), arguing a variety of matters, including
illegal basement and attic apartments. Many
experience you gain during law school, the
many real estate and landlord/tenant cases.
of the defendants were people who weren’t
easier it will be to get a job when you gradu-
“Mainly,” she explains, “I just liked being in
native English-speakers, who had brought
ate.” When students aren’t sure exactly
court.”
their families over to live in these houses.
what they want to do careerwise, Mosseri
Then the Department tells them no one can
encourages them to try different things. “If
From there, she moved into the judge’s role
live in these apartments and proceeds to fine
they work in some area of law during school,
for two NYC city judicial authorities. For
them hundreds of dollars, and the people
they can make certain it’s right for them or
the Transit Adjudication Bureau, Mosseri
couldn’t afford to pay the fines or renovate
eliminate it as a possible career course. A
handled quasi-criminal violations in the tran-
the houses. In many cases, they didn’t even
student can come back after the summer and
sit system, such as fare evasion and people
put the apartments there to begin with. After
say, ‘This is not what I want at all,’ and still
jumping over the turnstile. As she recol-
a while, that kind of gets to you.”
have time to redirect their job search, take courses in a different area, and otherwise
lects, “There was never a dull moment, and I met some very interesting respondents.”
After deciding to relocate to south Florida
prepare for another path.” An additional way
Through her work with the Environmental
in 2000, Mosseri found a position in career
to try things out, according to Mosseri, is to
Control Board, Mosseri adjudicated viola-
development at Nova Southeastern and wel-
get involved in campus organizations linked
tions for a number of city agencies, like the
comed the transition to more positive work.
to potential areas of interest, as well as co-
Building Department, the Fire Department,
“I knew I would enjoy this kind of position.
curricular activities such as law journals or
the Health Department and, of course, the
The job description sounded as thought it
moot court. “Not only do these look good on
Sanitation Department.
would match my interests and talents, and I
resumes, but you get out into the legal com-
wanted something different.” Upon joining
munity. The more people you meet, the more
This broad exposure to NYC’s governmental
the temporarily short staffed office, Mosseri
people you tell you’re looking for a job, the
agencies encompassed, as Mosseri puts it,
jumped right into her new career and got up
easier time you’re going to have.”
“some novel cases and issues, several of
to speed with lots of on-the-job training. The
which required a little bit more interpretation
skills she developed as an administrative
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In addition to counseling students, Mos-
continued on back
CAREER COUNSELOR'S CORNER
1. 800. 973. 1177
seri also talks to a lot of alumni who are
assume, than when repeat garbage offenders
looking for advice on changing their careers
came back to see her.
midstream. “They’ll call and say, ‘I’ve been doing this for 5 or 10 years, and I don’t think I want to do this anymore.’ Some are burned out, and some just really aren’t happy doing what they’re doing.” Mosseri finds that many dissatisfied alumni initially think they want to leave law altogether, only to discover it’s just the specific area of law or a particular firm lifestyle they don’t like. “Those in litigation often feel it’s too confrontational or negative. The other lawyers have gotten harder to deal with, and there are such high demands on them, they feel they’re not really helping anybody. They want to do something else that makes them feel they’re contributing more.” Many times, Mosseri helps confused students and alumni focus their job searches by focusing on themselves. “Most people haven’t done a lot of self-assessment before they get to me. I have them sit down and figure out not necessarily what the job is but what they enjoy, what their perfect day looks like. It helps people eliminate certain things right away.” She recommends books on alternative careers for lawyers – such as What Can You Do With a Law Degree? by Deborah Arron – to help advisees explore the full range of options. “Sometimes they just need to find another career within the law that can make them truly happy, something with a different or less confrontational work environment.” Mosseri has done just that herself by settling into a life as a career counselor, far from her days of laying down fines on turnstile-jumpers and negligent property owners. “I don’t miss the judge life at all,” she confidently reports. “I was ready to leave.” In her current job, Mosseri especially loves hearing from students after they graduate. “A lot of alumni come back to conduct the on-campus interviews, and it’s great to see them happy and successful. It’s rewarding and so much fun for me to see them when they come back.” Probably a lot more fun, one would
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