Irrefutable Proof Of Transformation
March 3, 2008, Monday morning, 9:00 a.m. I eagerly sit at my new desk in the law library of the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, in Brooklyn, New York – often recognized as the busiest appellate court in the nation [1]. For over two years, I worked at the Appellate Division as a Court Attorney, serving the Justices of the Court and supporting them in reaching fair and just decisions. My name was on numerous memoranda of law and confidential reports submitted to the Court. However, until about two months ago, I doubt if any of the 22 Justices would even recognize my face.
Every couple of years, a group of Court Attorneys rotate from their separate office space to the Courthouse, in order to foster interaction with the Justices, witness the oral arguments, and experience the judicial system first-hand. Approximately one year ago, I visited the Courthouse on this rotation. At that time, while I may have been there physically, in reality, I hid from the Justices, deputy clerks, court officers, and other people working in the Court. I got nervous when Justices walked by my desk, and would even reach for the largest trial transcript I could find so as to give the impression that I was working really hard. I would like to say I didn’t interact with the people around me because I was so focused on my work, but actually, I felt it was just safer not to share myself with others. The experience was, at best, unremarkable.
However, this year’s rotation to the Courthouse was dramatically different. I noticed it, in retrospect, at the end of my first day. I had fun! Although the content of the work was at times challenging, the process of completing it was easy and seamless. Meeting new Justices and fielding questions about prior cases were not viewed as an interruption, but rather as an important part of my day. I enjoyed getting to know the people around me, regardless of their position in the judicial hierarchy. By the end of the month, I had developed personal relationships with many of the Justices and their personal law clerks. I was invited into chambers and asked my opinion on challenging legal issues. One Justice in particular took on a mentorship role with me. In our discussions, he provided me with great insight and feedback, and explained how my work was significant to the ultimate resolution of the case.
I walked away from this experience with a newly discovered appreciation for my job. I realized that my research, writing, reasoning and recommendations all played an important role in serving the public and its judicial system.
So what happened? Why were these two experiences, approximately one year apart, so dramatically different? Well, I can speculate on and on for pages, but there is one thing I know to be true: I was simply there for the experience. On that first day of the rotation, I did not set out to share myself, or to develop relationships, or to “do” anything at all. It just happened. At the risk of sounding very “lawyerly,” this is irrefutable proof of Transformation. By simply hanging out with Ariel and Shya Kane, and the entire Transformational community, a once ordinary and unsatisfying experience transformed into an inspiring and satisfying one, all without having to “work on” anything. I thank you all.
-Joe S.
[1] The Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, handles all civil and criminal appeals from New York state trial courts in Suffolk, Nassau, Queens, Kings, Richmond, Westchester, Putnam and Orange counties.
