Mario Zamora Interview
Interviewed by Lupita Ibarra
What type of work do you specialize in?
“I specialize in two types of work; one is litigation work, with deals with lawsuits, and the other is municipal law which involves representing cities by checking the environmental laws and keeping everything in order.”
What qualities does a person need to have to be in this type of position?
“My job deals with a lot of reading and writing, so it requires you to be a good reader and write very well also you have to be willing to put in long hours and be very organized. It is extremely important that you are social and likable so that your clients feel satisfied with your services and they recommend you to other clients.”
How much flexibility do you have in terms of how you dress, hours of work vacation, etc.?
“You always want to look professional, so I always wear suits especially when going to court since there are certain requirements that need to be followed. When it comes to vacation there is flexibility and you can take a vacation whenever, but because of all the work you can’t really afford to take one often or even last more than a week. My hours of work are flexible as well; I make my own schedule based on the work I have to do in the office. I work about 60 hours a week.”
Did you always know you wanted to become a lawyer?
“No, I actually thought I was going to do something in business and during my first years in college I wanted to do something in technology.”
Are there any colleges you recommend for someone going into this field?
“Go anywhere that is ABA accredited.”
How important are grades/GPA for obtaining a job in this field?
“Not necessary, when I applied they did not look into my grades at all, actually no one in the office knows my scores all that matters are your degrees.”
What colleges did you attend?
“I went to COS first then transferred to Cal State Northridge and received my bachelors in economics and later went into law school at the University of the Pacific.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“Managing time. I see about 40 clients a month.”
What is your annual salary?
“As a partner I make over 150,000 plus bonuses every year. When I first started I made around 75,000.”
Are you bilingual?
“No I’m not, but it would be a huge benefit since it would allow you to have more access to more clients.”
Do you consider yourself a good lawyer?
“I do, I love my job it makes me feel helpful. You got to be smart and sharp and be on top of things and be able to think clearly and I do.
What advice would you give a person who is considering becoming a lawyer?
“Really think about it because it seems like a lot of money on what you make, but it’s not easy. Also figure out how you will pay for law school my law school was 150,000 and my undergrad was 20,000. Lastly, make sure you know that this is not a 9/5 type of job and if you want to travel this is not the job for you.”
Interviewed by Lupita Ibarra
What type of work do you specialize in?
“I specialize in two types of work; one is litigation work, with deals with lawsuits, and the other is municipal law which involves representing cities by checking the environmental laws and keeping everything in order.”
What qualities does a person need to have to be in this type of position?
“My job deals with a lot of reading and writing, so it requires you to be a good reader and write very well also you have to be willing to put in long hours and be very organized. It is extremely important that you are social and likable so that your clients feel satisfied with your services and they recommend you to other clients.”
How much flexibility do you have in terms of how you dress, hours of work vacation, etc.?
“You always want to look professional, so I always wear suits especially when going to court since there are certain requirements that need to be followed. When it comes to vacation there is flexibility and you can take a vacation whenever, but because of all the work you can’t really afford to take one often or even last more than a week. My hours of work are flexible as well; I make my own schedule based on the work I have to do in the office. I work about 60 hours a week.”
Did you always know you wanted to become a lawyer?
“No, I actually thought I was going to do something in business and during my first years in college I wanted to do something in technology.”
Are there any colleges you recommend for someone going into this field?
“Go anywhere that is ABA accredited.”
How important are grades/GPA for obtaining a job in this field?
“Not necessary, when I applied they did not look into my grades at all, actually no one in the office knows my scores all that matters are your degrees.”
What colleges did you attend?
“I went to COS first then transferred to Cal State Northridge and received my bachelors in economics and later went into law school at the University of the Pacific.”
What is the most challenging part of your job?
“Managing time. I see about 40 clients a month.”
What is your annual salary?
“As a partner I make over 150,000 plus bonuses every year. When I first started I made around 75,000.”
Are you bilingual?
“No I’m not, but it would be a huge benefit since it would allow you to have more access to more clients.”
Do you consider yourself a good lawyer?
“I do, I love my job it makes me feel helpful. You got to be smart and sharp and be on top of things and be able to think clearly and I do.
What advice would you give a person who is considering becoming a lawyer?
“Really think about it because it seems like a lot of money on what you make, but it’s not easy. Also figure out how you will pay for law school my law school was 150,000 and my undergrad was 20,000. Lastly, make sure you know that this is not a 9/5 type of job and if you want to travel this is not the job for you.”
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Job Shadow Reflective Narrative
My job shadow was a lawyer. I chose this particular job shadow because since I was in sixth grade I realized that I wanted to become a lawyer. I did my job shadow on June 4th, 2015 at the Griswold, LaSalle, Cobb, Dowd & Gin, L.L.P. firm with Mr. Zamora and to my surprise I learned that being a lawyer is much more than just arguing back and forth with other lawyers. I could remember how nervous I was at first especially when driving there and not knowing the location of the firm and just thinking whether I was going to get there on time; fortunately I did.
Once I entered the firm, Mr. Zamora’s assistant gave me a tour of the offices. After the tour I walked back into his office and began asking him the questions I had prepared the day before. Again, I was surprised to find out that arguing is only about 1% of his job in reality arguing when dealing with other lawyers or even clients will not get you nowhere since both parties think differently and therefore it is important to be sharp and find a way in which benefits both parties.
After the interview, Mr. Zamora took me to the Hanford court house to witness and actual trial that dealt with a lawsuit and during the trial Mr. Zamora explained everything that went on between the lawyers and the judge and what the jobs of the other people inside consisted of. Later, we went into a meeting in which one of his clients needed his presence to witness the budgets of a merging company.
I also learn that being social is a very important part of being a lawyer. Being likable and social allows lawyer to obtain clients. Clients recommend lawyers based on the fact if they are satisfied with their services and that includes their personality. Mr. Zamora often takes his clients to lunch even if at the moment they are not working together so that when that client need something he/she thinks of him to accomplish the job and also to recommend him or his firm to future clients. We actually went to lunch with one of his clients so that I knew how important socializing was in the type of field he is in.
I can honestly say that my job shadow was one of the best experiences I had in high school. Mr. Zamora made it clear for me that I do wish to pursue a job in the field of law. I loved the work place especially when he talked about how family oriented it is and all the family trips/gathering that the firm has. I loved every aspect of my job shadow, but if I had to say something I really did not like it would have to be the long hours and the fact that there is really no time to actually take a vacation whenever you want, but compared to all the positive things that this field has the negative things seems minor. Hopefully one day I’ll be as successful as Mr. Zamora.
My job shadow was a lawyer. I chose this particular job shadow because since I was in sixth grade I realized that I wanted to become a lawyer. I did my job shadow on June 4th, 2015 at the Griswold, LaSalle, Cobb, Dowd & Gin, L.L.P. firm with Mr. Zamora and to my surprise I learned that being a lawyer is much more than just arguing back and forth with other lawyers. I could remember how nervous I was at first especially when driving there and not knowing the location of the firm and just thinking whether I was going to get there on time; fortunately I did.
Once I entered the firm, Mr. Zamora’s assistant gave me a tour of the offices. After the tour I walked back into his office and began asking him the questions I had prepared the day before. Again, I was surprised to find out that arguing is only about 1% of his job in reality arguing when dealing with other lawyers or even clients will not get you nowhere since both parties think differently and therefore it is important to be sharp and find a way in which benefits both parties.
After the interview, Mr. Zamora took me to the Hanford court house to witness and actual trial that dealt with a lawsuit and during the trial Mr. Zamora explained everything that went on between the lawyers and the judge and what the jobs of the other people inside consisted of. Later, we went into a meeting in which one of his clients needed his presence to witness the budgets of a merging company.
I also learn that being social is a very important part of being a lawyer. Being likable and social allows lawyer to obtain clients. Clients recommend lawyers based on the fact if they are satisfied with their services and that includes their personality. Mr. Zamora often takes his clients to lunch even if at the moment they are not working together so that when that client need something he/she thinks of him to accomplish the job and also to recommend him or his firm to future clients. We actually went to lunch with one of his clients so that I knew how important socializing was in the type of field he is in.
I can honestly say that my job shadow was one of the best experiences I had in high school. Mr. Zamora made it clear for me that I do wish to pursue a job in the field of law. I loved the work place especially when he talked about how family oriented it is and all the family trips/gathering that the firm has. I loved every aspect of my job shadow, but if I had to say something I really did not like it would have to be the long hours and the fact that there is really no time to actually take a vacation whenever you want, but compared to all the positive things that this field has the negative things seems minor. Hopefully one day I’ll be as successful as Mr. Zamora.