Spotlight
Home  /  Prospective Students  /  Student Spotlights  /  Spotlight

		Who: Jessica Gabel From: Hays, Kansas What: Covington & Burling LLP Where: San Francisco, California

1. What city and state did you grow up in?
      Hays, Kansas

 

2. Where did you go to undergrad?
      University of Central Florida in Orlando.

 

3. What did you major in?
      Forensic Science and Criminal Justice.

 

4. When did you realize you wanted to become an attorney?
      In a nutshell, law ended up being a better fit than a lab. In undergrad, I did quite a bit of work with DNA and worked on a research project focused on the use of DNA evidence to exonerate innocent people who had been incarcerated for decades. I realized that if there was a better understanding of science in the legal community, then maybe we could prevent some of these wrongful convictions. I was also troubled by the fact that if DNA was only then highlighting the fact that innocent people do go to jail, then how many had we missed? I wanted to do something to change that.

 

5. Describe your practice group?
      I’m a trial lawyer in our litigation practice group, working in a variety of different areas. For the most part, I work on bankruptcy, white collar, and complex contract cases.

 

6. Looking back at your time at UM Law what are some of your most memorable moments?
      I think my most memorable moment came during the first semester of 1L finals. I spent half the night at the library and got home just a couple of hours before sunrise (the newspaper beat me to the door). I parked in the driveway, but was so tired that I failed to pull the parking brake on my manual transmission car. As I opened the door and got out of the car, it began to roll backwards down the driveway. Because the door was open I couldn’t move out of the way and was knocked over as the car rolled out into the street. Fortunately, Miami is flat and the car coasted to stop in the middle of the street. Still, I managed to hit myself with my own car - and you can’t say that everyday. My other memorable moment also occurred in my 1L year. I started law school in 2001, and the 9-11 tragedy happened only a few weeks into the first semester. Everyone was on edge, and our nerves were pretty much shot. About a week after it happened I was running late to my property class because I stopped to buy some of that “gourmet” Subway java. I thought it would be faster to “doctor” my coffee in class, and so toted along the sweet’n’low and creamer. Well, some of the sweet’n’low left a trail and the person who sat next to me (who apparently hadn’t seen me pour it into my coffee) reported it as a hazardous material (i.e., anthrax). Next thing you know, men in HazMat suits evacuated the class and Dean Schnably was there to calm people down. I tried to explain that it was only sweetener, and even offered to put some on my finger and eat it (much to the horror of HazMat). I then earned the nickname of Jesama bin Gabel for a few weeks.

 

7. Who were your favorite professors at UM Law?
      Patricia Redmond (bankruptcy) Deborah Gander (LRW) Jonathan Simon (Criminal Procedure) Michael Graham (Evidence) Terry Anderson (Analysis of Evidence) Lonny Rose (Litigation Skills) Anthony Alfieri (Civil Procedure)

 

8. Describe the path you took after graduating from UM Law that led to your current position.
      I clerked for Judge Peter Fay on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. I knew that I wanted to do trials, but the most important thing was to find a home where I could really work on my pro bono passion - wrongful convictions. I was really torn between staying in Florida or going to California where I had family. Ultimately, a trip to San Francisco sold me. A word of warning: if you go for a walk on a sunny day to the base of Golden Gate Bridge, you may never want to go home.

 

9. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most rewarding?
      The biggest challenge I have is managing my time. I need a 36-hour day because there are too many things that I want to do. My job is three-fold: billable work, pro-bono work, and teaching bankruptcy and forensic evidence at UC Hastings.

 

10. How do you juggle family, work, sanity?
       Rule #1: I don’t do dinner at the office - unless it’s an absolute necessity. My philosophy is to work hard and leave it at the office. I am an outdoors junkie, so I cycle, hike, run marathons, ski, and do beach yoga. Being outdoors is incredibly relaxing and peaceful for me. I also have creative pursuits that keep me level: singing, writing, and dancing. Finally, I have a great group of friends, most of whom are not lawyers, which prevents me from talking shop.

 

11. How did the city of Miami play into your decision to attend UM Law?
       It really didn’t. It was the school that made the difference.

 

12. How have you seen the law evolve since you first started practicing?
       Certainly the bankruptcy framework has changed since the laws were drastically changed in 2005. And in criminal law, we’re finally starting to learn that a lot of this “CSI-Science” isn’t really science at all. The consequence is that people have already been convicted based on faulty science.

 

13. What advice do you have for people who are not sure about going to law school?
       Really think about if this is what you want. I know way too many lawyers who don’t love what they do. Many of them went to law school just because it “seemed” like a good idea. I wake up and look forward to my job - I learn new things everyday and each day presents a different challenge. When it stops being fun, then you should re-evaluate.

 

14. What advice do you have for 3L’s just about to graduate?
       Just remember that your career does not define you. Try new things that you haven’t done before. Take risks and travel often. Pamper yourself and take vacations. No one at your job will tell you that - you need to remember it going in.

 

15. What was the last movie you saw? What was the last book you read?
       Lars and the Real Girl (great movie) and Gods Behaving Badly (excellent read).

 

16. What do you think the best thing about living in South Florida was?
       Not having to scrape ice off my windshield before driving to class.

 

17. If you were not a lawyer what would you be?
       An FBI Agent (really, I swear) or an aspiring (and out-of-work) Broadway actress.

 

18. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
       Still passionate about what I do, surrounded by family and friends, and living life to the fullest. Ok, and maybe argue a case to the Supreme Court.

 

19. What do you think the best thing about having a law degree is?
       You’re the life of the cocktail party if you have crazy criminal cases to talk about. Seriously, I think it makes me embrace challenges and learning new things. You can’t get that in a lot of professions.

 

20. List any other comments or bits of information about yourself that you think are interesting (e.g., hobbies, volunteer work, etc.)
       The best day of my career was also my hardest. My colleagues and I argued a case for a client who was wrongly convicted and sent to death row. It was in Mississippi and the setting looked like it was straight out of To Kill A Mockingbird. The tension in the courtroom was high, and the sheriff’s deputies were posted all over to prevent any disturbances. Our client was put in a bullet-proof vest. I argued at length about the reasons why our client should never have been given the death penalty. At the end of the hearing, the judge removed our client from death row, but let the conviction. I broke down in the courtroom and cried - both out of joy and disappointment. It was so hard to know that we got only half of what we wanted. We’re appealing the conviction now, but that day will always stand out in my mind.