Written by Tana Fye and Summer Law Clerk Brady Lain
At Fye Law Office, we’ve been fortunate to have two wonderful law students working with us this summer as law clerks. This means that they do research projects, draft documents, and help us with complex and time consuming cases. Because of COVID, both of our law clerks have been working remotely. In this blog post, we’d like to introduce Brady Lain!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. (Where you’re from, your family life, interests, hobbies, etc.)
I am originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. I am an outdoor sports enthusiast and particularly enjoy rock climbing, backpacking, and kayaking. My family consists of my wonderful wife, Malaz, and our two dogs, Addi and Joey. Addi is a two-year-old mix of many breeds, and Joey is a 7-month-old tricolor Rough Collie.
Where do you attend law school, and what year are you in school?
I am a rising 3L (third year law student) at Creighton University School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska.
What is your education and work experience prior to starting your clerkship with Fye Law Office?
My academic background includes a mix of hard-sciences and humanities. Immediately after high school, I studied biology and chemistry at Creighton University. During my sophomore year of college, I transferred to the University of Minnesota where I continued to study chemistry and took a foray into physiology and body mechanics. However, throughout my college career, I had developed a keen interest in the humanities such as philosophy and sociology. So much so that prior to my junior year, I changed my field of study to philosophy and set my sights on a career in the legal field. This shift led me to an internship in government and politics with a branch of the U.S. State Department located in Vienna, Austria. After Vienna, I returned to Minneapolis to finish my degree, and I started as Creighton School of Law the following summer. After my first year of law school, I started work as a law clerk at the Douglas County Public Defender’s Office. I continued to work for the Public Defender throughout my second year of law school. At the end of my second year, I began working as a remote law clerk for Fye Law Office.
What are your plans after graduation from law school?
After I graduate law school, I hope to open my own solo law practice.
What is your favorite type of case, or matter, or project to work on? Why?
I enjoy working on projects where there are multiple possible solutions to a single problem. In situations like that, the challenge is not determining whether a proposed course of action is legal, but rather which proposed courts of action is most effective for this client. These are the type of projects where there is a lot of potential to generate value for a client in the long run while also solving the specific legal issue presented.
With COVID, you’ve been clerking remotely for Fye Law Office. Have you noticed any benefits or challenges to doing a clerkship this way, as opposed to clerking in the office in person?
There are many advantages to working remotely. I am not restricted by office hours of operation, I can work from almost anywhere, and I don’t lose time on a commute. However, there are also a number of drawbacks to working remotely. Most notably, there is minimal opportunity for casual interaction amongst colleagues. Zoom calls and emails are conducive for shop talk and project updates, but they are less suited for casual conversation. This is not to say non-work related interactions with colleagues don’t occur remotely, but there is certainly a social element that is lost when working remotely.
Many thanks to Brady for telling us a little bit about himself, and for working with us this summer at Fye Law Office!