Making Professional Strides: Q&A with Alumna Reem Sadik ’14
AUWCL alumna Reem Sadik '14 recently began working at King & Spalding after finishing a federal clerkship with The Honorable James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. We asked her a few questions about her experience in law school and about those who have inspired her and influenced her success.
Why did you decide to go to law school?
Simply stated, because I believe strongly in service, advocacy, and justice.
I come from a family of international peacemakers, educators, civic leaders, and elected officials. I saw first-hand what men and women who believe deeply in service can accomplish, both in their own arenas and on a larger stage, and my family’s passion and dedication to something beyond themselves was instilled in me from an early age. They understood the imperative of improving the lives and well-being of others. They possessed an unyielding persistence and drive and an almost unnatural refusal to allow challenges to become obstacles. They believed that, in ways large and small, they could make the world better. This has informed my outlook for as long as I can remember. The law felt like an opportunity to serve.
How has that informed your sense of advocacy?
A commitment to service is consistent with my personal belief that no voice should be silenced, no opinion suppressed, no thought subjugated. The legal system exists to ensure an appropriate, civilized forum that fosters and encourages advocacy. I always wanted to be an active participant in that forum and a contributor to the debate, dialogue, and discussion that shapes our society – a process, that I believe, in the end, is one of the law’s more valuable functions.
Which brings us to justice...
Yes. The intersection of service and advocacy is, inevitably, justice. To serve on behalf of someone or something that ignites you is a mandate that I could not ignore. If the American dream is to survive in difficult times— and I have been fortunate to witness it as child and grandchild and experience it as an adult—we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to go as high as their dreams can take them.
Was there a moment in your life when you consciously decided to pursue a career in law?
Actually, there were a number of moments leading up to the decision. My pursuit of a legal career actually began long before law school. As a high school student, I received my first job in the profession: an internship in the federal judiciary through Judge Margaret B. Seymour, a AUWCL graduate. While that reinforced my growing interest in the law, I still came to AUWCL not knowing specifically what practices I wanted to pursue. But I was proactive in seeking the advice of others and created opportunities to work in subject areas of significance to me.
A watershed moment occurred during my college years, when in 2007 I had the priceless opportunity to intern for Judge David C. Norton, who was overseeing a case in which a self-described “financial wizard” squandered at least $66 million dollars to fund his lavish lifestyle. It was my first exposure to the concept of white-collar crime, and laid a foundation for my law school interest in areas such as computer crimes, information privacy, and administrative and criminal law.
Then you had a federal clerkship with The Honorable James R. Spencer of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
My interest in a legal career was already solidified at that point. But the clerkship with Judge Spencer helped to clarify my direction. I worked on many civil motions involving state and federal health privacy laws, administrative law, health care fraud, and qui tam actions under the False Claims Act, all of which further informed my interest in white-collar crime.
How did your experiences at AUWCL help pave the way for this chosen career path?
Significantly. Through my classwork and with the support of my professors, I discovered that my passion for white-collar crime was genuine. AUWCL provided me the tools and resources to secure the clerkship with Judge Spencer and an internship with the Federal Communications Commission. All of that – combined with the instruction I received honing my writing, editing, teamwork, and networking skills – enabled me to graduate law school with a clear path that has led me to private practice on the East Coast, an early career goal.
Other than honing your skills, were there any other highlights of your law school years?
Serving on the Administrative Law Review was especially rewarding. It helped me develop and advance my research and writing skills while, simultaneously, allowing me to create content that had true value to students, academics, and the profession. I was also awarded the Andrew F. Popper Exemplary Service Award for Administrative Law Review, which made my experience even more fulfilling. Earning publication in AUWCL’s Legislation and Policy Brief, and being cited by the 10th Circuit in United States v. Nichols was rewarding beyond measure.
Talk about the transition from law school to legal practice.
The federal clerkship with Judge Spencer was a critical bridge. It provided me hands-on, relevant, practical experience working on real cases in the fastest docket in the country. He gave me a great deal of responsibility, which, in turn, made me more confident in my legal abilities. I learned a lot from him about critical thinking, powerful writing, discipline, and the practice of law.
Does any particular experience stand out?
Yes – being part of the court proceedings of former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and his wife, Maureen. It was an enormous privilege to witness the different advocacy skills at play by both sides during and after trial and attend the oral argument on Governor McDonnell’s appeal before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Taking all of this into account, it sounds as if you felt well-prepared for your first job.
I was, absolutely. My education at AUWCL, complemented by the benefits of my clerkships and internships, were instrumental in helping me earn my first job, in the Washington office of King & Spalding. Although I have not been with the firm long, I have been afforded a number of significant opportunities to begin shaping my career.
Such as?
I was part of a team of attorneys that secured a major victory – a complete acquittal in the criminal trial of our client, Vascular Solutions, Inc. (“VSI”). After three and a half weeks of trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas fully acquitted VSI and its chief executive officer on criminal charges relating to the marketing of one of its medical devices. We were so successful in cross-examining the government’s own witnesses that we were able to rest without needing to call a single witness of our own, and yet still convince the jury that our client and its CEO were innocent.
Prosecutions involving the permissible scope of speech regarding medical device marketing are a bit of a hot topic right now because of the First Amendment issues they raise. The result, in this case, secured our client’s First Amendment right to make truthful, non-misleading statements about potential off-label uses of the company’s products. This was a huge win for King & Spalding and our pharmaceutical and medical device clients.
Any advice you can offer other AUWCL students?
The same advice I received as a student at AUWCL: “Reach back as you strive forward.” It has been important to me not only as a student and young attorney, but as a person as well.
How so?
Over the years, I have been extraordinarily fortunate to have had the opportunity to intersect with many men and women who have shaped my future to date – judges, legislators, litigators, corporate lawyers, AUWCL alumni, and communications executives, as well as my family. A day barely passes that I do not in some way reach back to them, at least in thought, and reflect on what they taught me.
While I certainly believe it is important to chart your own course, I also believe you cannot strive forward without acknowledging and learning from the contributions that others have made in your life. My advice to current students would be exactly the same: Benefit from the experience, expertise, insight, wisdom, integrity, generosity, intelligence, persistence, and courage of those around you. My hope is that, in some way, I will be someone to whom others can reach back as they strive forward.
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