You have a unique set of skills, passions and goals. So why follow a predetermined path through law school?
At Northeastern, you create your own path by choosing specific co-ops, electives and activities that help you explore your interests and reach your goals. For some students, that means a single-minded pursuit of a particular type of law. For others, it means a broad-based exploration that takes them to several different countries and legal fields.
Pathways: Richard Ahamad ’08
"In New Orleans I ran an outreach clinic where people could bring their legal problems." — Richard Ahamad ’08
“Before coming to law school, I worked as an electrical engineer. After seven and a half years in that field, I was tired of circuit design and set my sights on a job where I could actively change people’s lives.
“I came in to Northeastern with a strong leaning toward legal services, so that’s where I focused my co-ops. During my first year of law school, I wasn’t altogether sure that the law was for me. But then I went to New Orleans and took on my first co-op with direct client contact.
“In that co-op I had the freedom to handle clients on my own and make my own decisions. I negotiated with landlords and resolved problems with FEMA. I even ran an outreach clinic at a local community center. That experience confirmed that the law is absolutely the career for me.”
Richard’s Pathway
- Goal
Transition from a career in electrical engineering to a career with the potential to save lives.
- Experiences
- After graduation: Staff Attorney, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (formerly New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation)
- Co-op 4: Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston
- 3L: Certiorari Clinic
- Co-op 3: Rudy, Exelrod & Zeiff, San Francisco
- Electives: International Law, Taxation
- Co-op 2: New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, New Orleans
- 2L: Public Interest Representative, NUSL Governing Council
- Co-op 1: Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Boston
