Eric Wood

Informational Interview 2
14 April 2015

Andrew Lacaria Legal Intern Corporation Counsel of

the City of Waterbury

For my second informational interview I talked to Andrew Lacaria, a

legal intern of the Corporation Counsel of the City of Waterbury. He is a
Wake Forest graduate who is in his last year of law school at The
University of Connecticut, where he will earn his Juris Doctor. I knew he
would be very rewarding to talk to, especially since law is something I
have considered doing, especially tax law, since accounting is also
something I would be interested doing in the future. My Uncle is a partner
of a Law Firm, McMahon, Martine & Gallagher, LLP, and he has always
tried to get me interested in law. I was also very glad to get the
opportunity to talk to someone in this field of profession, since one of my
current elective classes is Law and Economics, which brought up many
great talking points.
The first aspect we talked about was his undergraduate career at
Wake Forest. He was a Classical and Ancient Studies major, which I
thought was interesting because it proves any major can get you into law
school post undergraduate studies. I found out a lot about what being a
law intern entails. First off, he wants to eventually get into personal injury
law, where lawyers are also known as plaintiff lawyers. They deal with a
variety of cases. They are hired for situations where personal injury
results in serious injuries or death of family members. Anytime there is
medical malpractice resulting in harm, they are hired. Another specialty is
cases of assault and battery. Not only do they deal with physical injury,
however also emotional or psychological injury. For instance, they deal
with cases where insurance companies refuse to pay for medical
expenses if the contract mandates them to. They deal with slander, libel,
and defamation. Lastly, personal injury lawyers also hear to cases of
product fault and liability, and injuries occurring on the land or premise of
the accused party.
The next thing we discussed was the career path of becoming a
partner at a law firm. The typical journey is getting a bachelors degree
from an undergraduate university; any major is feasible, whether it is
math or science related or humanities related. Some schools even offer
criminal justice or pre law programs which is an obvious stepping stone.
Psychology, English, history, and political science are also great
background majors to take. Another requirement is also passing the Law

School Admission Test, also known as the LSAT. Most undergraduates

begin studying for this junior summer and senior year. This test is like the
SAT or ACT for getting accepted into college. It tests you on a variety of
material such as basic logic, critical thinking, and case analysis. After
graduating from law school, you receive your Juris Doctor (JD) and work
multiple years or intern with the hopes of getting offered a partner
position.
The conversation eventually turned toward me and my personal
career being the center of discussion. We talked about the courses I am
currently taking and my future interests. He knows I am in ROTC, and as a
result we discussed the JAG Corps, which is the Armys field of law. I
admire serving others, however I knew the JAG Corps is something I would
not like to do because I want a more hands on job in the field with action.
Next we talked about how I am in Law and Economics, a course offered
here at Wake. I told him of my interest in it and how the material is very
intriguing. The class is all about finding efficiency in the law, so that
economically, society is better off after court cases and all aspects of
utility are maximized. This class so far has dealt with property law,
contract law, tort law, and criminal law. It was a great talking point.
Despite the fact law school is only on the back burner in my mind,
with other interests ahead of it, it was still a very useful conversation to
have and answered many of my concerns and questions. He is on track to
be a very successful man I aspire to be like one day. He told me to contact
him with any more questions and was happy to share his knowledge with
people that share similar interests.

Thank You note to Mr. Lacaria below:

Dear Mr. Lacaria,

7 April 2015

I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to
spend 15 minutes talking with me about your career as a law intern. You shared a
lot of useful tips and knowledge with me that will without a doubt assist me in my
career exploration process. I am excited to keep in touch as a connection and will
definitely reach out to you with any more questions.

Very Respectfully,
Eric Wood