CBA Record March-April 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

the thrill I get each time I see that something I have drafted was signed into law or made national headlines, the greater satisfac tion by far comes from knowing that the laws I draft improve the lives of millions of Americans. A career in legislative drafting is not for everyone. A drafter needs to be able to put his or her own political feelings aside to provide the best service possible to senators. It requires attention to detail and a deep respect for the public and the legislative pro cess. But it is a rewarding career that provides an exceptional view Clinical Law Professor By William Reynolds B efore becoming a clinical professor, I worked my entire career at the same small law firm in Chicago. I benefitted immensely by learning from the firm’s founding partner. As I gained more experience and skill, I began handling mat ters on my own and became partner in 2019. The firm remained small, never growing larger than six attorneys. Each partner man aged their own cases and enjoyed almost complete autonomy in how those cases were managed. This type of management is common in small firms. And for many lawyers, the appeal of partnership is rooted in the auton omy it brings. Many firms further codify this arrangement in incentive and payment structures that tie a partner’s pay to their own receivables. In this way, typical incentive structures can lead to competitiveness between internal partners, driving up addi tional internal barriers to collaboration. To me, the downside of working like this is that it tends to be isolating. Even in larger firms, client matters are often siloed, with the work managed and performed functionally by small teams. And in many settings, technology now allows those who do share a masthead to physi cally locate themselves anywhere in the world. These potentially isolating circumstances can exacerbate the autonomous and com petitive aspects of partnership. Many lawyers thrive in these types of arrangements. But for some, including myself, the work requires comrades, colleagues, and collaborators. I decided to leave my firm to look for a more collaborative environment. Initially, I did not have a clearly defined destination. I asked trusted people for their advice, and I explored several nonlitiga tion positions in larger companies. But I enjoyed my practice: I had developed my skill and value and wanted to keep doing it. With no clear firm to jump to, I initially thought that the only answer was to start my own practice. However, going solo did not seem to be the answer. The solution came from a conversation with a former professor and through an opportunity available in the legal clinic at Chi cago-Kent. The school’s clinic model is unique in American law schools. Each clinic in Chicago-Kent’s in-house law firm operates as its own individual practice and charges clients for legal services.

into just exactly how the statutory text that permeates a lawyer’s life from the first week of law school comes into being.

Mark Mazzone is an Assistant Counsel with the United States Senate Office of the Legislative Counsel.

The clinical professors use their practice’s active cases to teach par ticipating students about both the practice of law and the business of running a firm. I found this opportunity appealing because it seemed to provide collaboration along with autonomy. In essence, to become a clinical professor, I would have to learn how to teach and how to operate as a solo practitioner. After pitching my practice area to the school as both a viable legal practice and an educational opportunity for students, I accepted the school’s offer to bring my practice to the clinic. I now share my experiences with students, covering how I gener ate business, evaluate new cases, and communicate with clients throughout the stages of litigation. Through demonstration, the students learn how to file a new case, serve a defendant, draft disclosures and discovery requests, and prepare a client for a settlement conference, deposition, or trial. I have been success ful enough that I could hire a staff assistant and a staff attorney within my first two years of solo practice, further expanding my network and allowing us to serve even more clients. I am also afforded the opportunity to volunteer and participate in activities related to the law school and its overall educational goals. These include relaunching and directing Chicago-Kent’s Independent Practice Initiative, a “fourth-year” incubator program providing support and mentorship for recent graduates launching their own small law firms. Most importantly, my position at Chicago-Kent has allowed me to realize the professional and psychological benefits of a col laborative environment. I continue to learn from our accom plished faculty, my fellow clinicians, and our next generation of lawyers while simultaneously feeling useful by sharing what I have learned in my short time practicing law.

William T. Reynolds is a Clinical Professor at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he practices employee benefits litigation and serves as Director of both the C-K Law Group’s Employee Benefits Clinic and the Independent Practice Initiative at Chicago-Kent. CBA RECORD 35