Growing up, Cooley Dean’s Fellow Danielle Levy always knew that her parents and grandparents wanted her to pursue a professional career. It was no surprise then that Levy started at the University of Central Florida (UCF) following a BioMed major.
That is until she got her Chemistry and Biology grades back in her first semester.
“I wasn’t sure what to do at that point,” shared Levy, “but I knew that medicine wasn’t my thing.”
As much as she struggled in the sciences in college, she excelled in her English classes.
“I knew I loved English. I could read books all day," laughed Levy. "I was excited that my homework was reading books, and that I got to read for college credit!
She ended up switching her English minor into her college major, and figured she'd find her way going in that direction.
“I imagined myself working for a publishing company at first, so I started applying to any place that would give me that kind of experience; but it was so competitive in New York City. I needed a job though, so I started looking into other options."
READING TO LEGAL WRITING
Fortunately for Levy, she met up with a recruiter at a job fair who was instrumental in getting her a case manager position at a Personal Injury firm in Tampa.
As much as Levy wasn’t sure if working at a so called desk job would be something she would like, it ended up being exactly the kind of work she loved.
“The law firm environment was a great fit for me. I enjoyed everything about the work, and I picked it up so quickly. It was fun, and not boring at all,” smiled Levy.
Given her new direction and interest, Levy began exploring more law firm options, and worked for five years as a paralegal for an estate planning firm, where she felt comfortable and liked the people.
“I was close to the attorneys, and they saw my potential, even more than I did,” recalled Levy. “They pushed me to study and take the LSAT. The timing seemed perfect because we were all in Covid lockdown. Once I took the test, I started looking into law schools. One thing I knew was that I wanted to be Tampa. The fact that Cooley had a campus just 20 minutes from the downtown, was something that really appealed to me.”
Levy also appreciated the campus vibe at Cooley, with much of the student body made up of people from every walk of life. People who took a different path to law school, that she would have a lot in common.
“It was so easy to connect with my classmates and I immediately felt comfortable on campus,” recalled Levy. “Even in week one I was able to form a study group. We would meet at a table in the library every day after class to go over our notes, get to know each other, discuss the classes, and bounce ideas off each other. It was so great. It almost felt like you were at home.”
PAYING IT FORWARD AS A DEAN’S FELLOW
Levy never really thought about being a Dean’s Fellow until Professor Matt Marin nominated her to be one. Again, someone she respected saw something in her that she had never considered.
“Honestly, I never thought of it as a possibility, but it made me feel good to know that my professors thought I would be a good mentor to my fellow students. I was a bit worried about the time commitment, but since they worked around my schedule, everything has worked out fine. I feel good about paying it forward. I spent quite a bit of time in the Dean’s Fellow suite when I started, and was thankful for everything they had done for me.”
Levy especially enjoys the opportunity to connect with the 1Ls and help them feel more comfortable and confident in their abilities.
“There was a 1L who came into the Dean’s Fellow suite. He was nervous about an upcoming exam and asked me to go through his flash cards and test him on different topics. I was glad to help him, and wondered why I didn’t think of that when I started! I couldn’t believe it. He had memorized everything – it was impressive. He made good use of a dean’s fellow only after he came up with his own learning solution first.”
SEEING THE FINISH LINE
As much as Levy wants to start her career, she feels like it’s all going too fast.
“I’m going to be able to graduate early because I took summer classes. I am trying to take advantage of the time I have left in law school to clarify my direction. This term, I have an internship offer at a civil defense firm to gain experience in litigation work. I still have my sites on working for a publishing company, as in-house counsel or in the copyright department, but want to feel out my skills and talents in the courtroom.”
Levy knows that she is extroverted, and more than one person has mentioned litigation as an option for her.
“I’ve been struggling with that; wondering if I should consider litigation because I am outgoing and very social. But in the same breath I know that I can be social inside a law firm setting. I like interacting and advising clients, so that is something I will get to do whether it’s in a firm setting or in the courtroom.”
Levi presently lives in south Tampa and loves to hang out with friends when she has any spare time. She enjoys going to farmers’ markets, playing tennis, visiting family in Boca Raton, and, of course, reading.
“I’m very close with my family,” stated Levy. “I try to visit home once a month, whether it’s a four-hour drive to Boca to see my two younger sisters or a shorter drive to Orlando to see other family members.”
Levy comes from an Israeli family and has enjoyed a very family-oriented and cultural upbringing.
“I grew up in a close-knit family, embracing our culture. We speak Hebrew at home. Every Friday night the family was expected for dinner at grandma’s house. You had to go, but it was so much fun. Holidays evolve around our Jewish religion, and we spent them with our cousins and the larger family. We were all very close.”
Levy recalls her grandparents’ less than subtle push to see their grandchildren succeed.
“When I graduated from college, my grandpa was like, ‘we’ll help you out if you go to med school or law school,’ and I’m like, well what if I decide that I want to do something else? But you want your elders to be proud of you, and to please them. There is such high respect for your elders.
“It makes me feel good when every time I see them when I go home now, they ask me about law school and how I’m doing. Honestly, they were happy when I was looking at being a paralegal, or any professional career, but when I told them I was studying for the LSAT, it was like telling them I won the lottery!”
LAW SCHOOL LIFE IS A BALANCING ACT
Despite never thinking she could do law school; Levy can now give advice to new law students.
Levy thinks you need to treat law school like it is a full-time job but couches it with the need to keep balance in your life. Take time to be with friends and family, so long as you have finished your homework first.
“I had so many misperceptions about what was needed to go to law school,” shared Levy. “It seemed almost unattainable. You think you need a 4.0 in your undergrad, or that you had to be the student body president to get into law school.
But what is more important is that you know you are a hard worker, and that you have a strong work ethic and the drive to put in the hours needed to succeed.”
