Jasmine Etesse Joins Choate Hall & Stewart

Etesse (’18) works as an associate in the litigation department with Choate in Boston.

As a history major at Brandeis University, Jasmine Etesse enjoyed studying the evolution and movement of groups of people around the world. Focusing particularly on minorities and the vulnerability that stems from limited social mobility, education, or financial independence, Etesse (’18) soon realized her interest in studying how the law effects people’s lives.

A native of the area, Etesse knew she wanted to stay in Boston to develop her professional network. She applied to many of the local law schools, but knew BU Law was the best fit for her after sitting in on a first-year class and speaking to students and faculty. “With BU, I got the impression that I would be a part of a community that was deeply invested in seeing me succeed,” she says.

Now an associate at Choate, Etesse works on the litigation team tackling civil cases and government investigations on behalf of its clients. BU Law spoke with her recently to learn about her experience in law school and how she feels it prepared her for practice.

The interview below has been edited for clarity and concision.

Q: How did you find your first job after BU Law?

A: The networking events that the [Career Development & Public Service Office] put on were very helpful because they gave me the opportunity to meet lawyers in the Boston area. That was really instrumental in both building connections and practicing speaking with employers.

I secured my position at Choate after participating in the Boston Lawyers Group Job Fair during the On-Campus Interviewing process. I took advantage of the resources that the CDO has to offer including in-person resume review sessions with my career advisor, mock interviews, and on-campus networking events. I also reached out to BU Law alumni who worked at various firms who were instrumental in helping me prepare for my interview and callbacks.

What are your day-to-day responsibilities as an associate at Choate?

My responsibilities vary based on what type of project I am on. I am currently reviewing and analyzing documents to help bolster my case team’s strategy. But on another day, I may be researching case law and writing memos to rebut or help support arguments we want to include in court filings. I could also be joining a conference call to the client or local counsel to discuss pending litigation.

I also often take part in internal meetings with my case team at the firm to discuss division of work and strategy. In the past, I have written outlines and prepared relevant materials to support partners and associates in conducting depositions. Additionally, I have attended a supervised release revocation hearing, for which I prepared the relevant materials to assist in my colleague’s sentencing argument. So far, I have worked on a civil litigation case, an insurance case, a government investigation, a compliance matter, and a criminal pro bono case.

Are you thinking of long-term career goals?

I plan on continuing litigation for the foreseeable future. I am truly enjoying the cases I am involved in, the people that I’m working with, the clients, and the type of problems that we’re dealing with. Right now, I’m really happy about the experience and the training that I’m receiving.

You participated in the Employment Rights Clinic in school, what was that like?

I worked with Professor Robert Burdick [director of the Civil Litigation Program]. He was good at giving guidance on where I could find resources, what steps I should take to effectively represent each client, as well as giving feedback that could help with the next case.

With my first unemployment benefits hearing, I had only a week or so to prepare. I did a lot of researching and analyzing the applicable statutes and regulations under which my client was denied benefits. I also wrote memoranda in support of my client’s position and prepared questions to ask my client’s former employer to better understand the parameters of the claim.

I got practice thinking on my feet and preparing for the unexpected. That is a lesson that resonated with me: As a law student, you’re taught to be very thorough and prepare as much as possible. You don’t always take into consideration the things that could go awry or a question that won’t be answered the way you think it should be answered. You really can’t prepare for things like that unless you keep putting yourself in the position where things don’t always go as expected. In many cases, you have to prepare to put the outline aside and just think through the problem to come up with effective ways to solve it.

Is there a particular moment that illustrated that lesson?

I was conducting a direct examination of my client’s former employer and, during the hearing, a completely new set of facts were revealed that my client didn’t tell me about. Neither I nor Professor Burdick knew about this information, so it was one of those things where I just looked at Bob like “uh how do I handle this?” There was no time to take a break–we were right in the middle of it–so I just had a conversation with the person I was examining. I backed it up and broke it down into its component parts as if I was talking to Professor Burdick about it. I calmed my nerves and gleaned as many facts as I could from the situation that we were given.

What other experiences at BU Law stood out to you?

I would say that my experiences serving as vice president of the Black Law Student Association (BLSA) and as a member of the Faculty Appointments Committee were particularly rewarding. As vice president of BLSA, I was the liaison between the organization and law firms in Boston. I was tasked with creating events where lawyers of color could speak at BU Law on various topics.

As a member of the Faculty Appointments Committee, I met prospective professors and asked questions that were pertinent to my experience as a student. We would ask questions to assess their teaching ability, how the potential faculty would interact with students, and how they would enhance the student body as a whole.

Both of these roles contributed to a stellar experience at BU Law. I felt my voice was not only heard, but it was valued.

Do you feel these experiences prepared you to practice?

I do. Many of the skills I honed during those experiences transfer into my real-world practice of law. The skills I developed through the [Edward C. Stone] Moot Court Competition like writing, research, and oral advocacy, are put to great use every day as I interact with colleagues and clients.

I also developed the “soft” skills: interpersonal and client management skills. Moot court also helped me manage a complex set of laws and facts in order to articulate a solution into a concise summary.

Being able to take an argument and reduce it down into a sentence is a very valuable skill both in law school and in practice. That’s another skill that I would attribute to my time at BU Law: being able to articulate things in a manageable way even if they are complex and lengthy.