CLSR: Law Matters Housing and Foreclosure Speaker
Left to right: Attorney Robert Sabel, Professor Monica Teixeira de Sousa, Professor David Siegel
Director of Litigation for Rhode Island Legal Services, Attorney Robert Sabel shared his experience, joys and frustrations with the current state of legal services at the Law Matters Lunchtime Chat on October 24th at the CLSR. For law students hoping to land jobs in the legal services sector, Attorney Sabel’s thoughtful and frank advice was invaluable. He emphasized the increasing importance of technology and foreign language proficiency and suggested that students and recent grads learn Spanish in order to make themselves more marketable candidates.When asked how he has managed to stay committed to legal services for his entire 36 year career, Attorney Sabel responded that he strives to keep variety in the work that he does. He stressed the value of being on the board of directors for a non-profit housing organization in addition to his regular caseload as a way to “keep from feeling that I am just shoveling sand against the tide.”
For coursework, Attorney Sabel suggested students focus on the core classes, especially Constitutional Law and Administrative Law. After listening to his accomplishments, I would also recommend Business Organizations and Negotiation as key courses to build a career in public interest.
