Research + Mentorships Lead Luciana Batkay ’21 to Legal Career
Current Role: Associate Attorney, Levine & Levine, PLLC
Degree: B.A. in Law and Society
Certificate: Dispute Resolution
Graduate Degree: Doctor of Law (JD), Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Internships: Restorative Justice Initiative, Intern; The Legal Disruption Project, Research Assistant
Mentors: Associate Professor Michael Yarbrough, Ph.D., Law & Society; Associate Professor Jean Carmalt, Ph.D., Law & Society
Hometown: Westchester, NY
Career Aspiration: Attorney
What was life like before John Jay College?
I grew up in a single-parent, multigenerational home with my mom, older brother, and grandmother. My dad was still involved in my life, but he lived in another state. He served in the military and now lives in Delaware with his wife and their four kids.
I had a very unique, culturally diverse upbringing. My dad is Caucasian, and my mom is Korean. When she was a child, she was adopted by an American family of Eastern European descent. Her grandmother, my great-grandmother, came to the U.S. from what is now Ukraine. Because of this, my mom grew up in a Jewish household, often hearing Russian and speaking Hebrew at home.
As I got older, my mom and I realized we didn’t know much about our Korean heritage, so we decided to learn more. One of her Korean co-workers invited us to visit her family in Queens, which helped us discover more about Korea’s history, food, and traditions. Now, we visit Koreatown in Queens frequently. We get our hair done there, shop at H-Mart, and connect with our Asian American identity and community. Finding our way to this part of ourselves together has been a meaningful and special experience.
Why John Jay?
A John Jay representative came to my high school to talk about the College. My best friend really wanted to go to John Jay, so we went together to hear the presentation. Learning that the college was not only great for criminal justice but also a good choice for students thinking about law school piqued my interest.
My mom took us to visit the campus, and we got to take a tour. I already knew I didn’t want to go to a college with a big grassy campus. I loved that John Jay was right in the middle of New York City, and the idea of taking the train to school, walking to classrooms in different buildings, and living in a dorm in Manhattan sounded exciting. When I walked into the College’s Moot Court, and saw the floor-to-ceiling glass windows looking out over the Jay Walk, I knew John Jay was my school. It just felt right for me.
What was John Jay dorm life like?
It was incredible. I was able to dorm through the Educational Housing Services program which partners with John Jay to provide housing for students. I lived in the iconic New Yorker building, right in Midtown, down the street from Madison Square Garden. There were about three floors designated specifically for John Jay students, which helped foster a tight-knit community among us before classes even started. Establishing those relationships was key to helping navigate the city and the new experiences we were having as students.
We would take the train to campus together, attend convocation together, and even make dinner together. We shared a huge communal kitchen at the New Yorker, which deepened our connection to one another. We made and ate meals together like family. I remember during one of my dad’s visits, he wanted to cook for all of us and made chicken parmigiana. Both he and the food were a big hit. Dorming provided me with the most incredible built-in friend group and enriched my John Jay experience in every way.
What sparked your passion for the legal profession?
I’ve wanted to be a lawyer since I was 15 years old. Seeing how well my parents were able to handle their divorce, custody, and co-parenting with the help of lawyers showed me how the law could be used as a tool to create structure and help people through challenging times.
Although I was just a baby when they divorced, I saw the impact of the court’s decisions in my life every day. We followed orders, had weekend visits, and stuck to set holiday schedules. These clear rules made things easier for us. From early on, I saw how helpful lawyers could be. That experience inspired me to become a lawyer myself. I want to help people understand complex systems, make sense of important documents, and comprehend court decisions that affect their lives.
How did John Jay help shape your career goals?
Being a law and society major affirmed for me that being a lawyer was the right career choice. In my law and society classes, I learned that the law is a tool to advance justice and protect society, but that at times it could hurt people from marginalized groups.
The lesson was also reaffirmed during the research studies I conducted with the Legal Disruption Project, led by Dr. Carmalt. Throughout the project, I interviewed other law and society students about how the law was affecting them and their communities. The experience made me consider the impact of the law and how, while it can create structure and order, it can also disrupt others’ lives.
One of the topics covered was jaywalking. Let’s say you were in New York in 2019 and didn’t understand the jaywalking rules; you might have crossed the street illegally and gotten a ticket. More than likely, the person getting a ticket was a person of color. Today, jaywalking is decriminalized. The research experience gave me a broader view of the law’s impact and a deeper understanding of how it can affect people’s lives, both positively and negatively. And it was those lessons that shaped the kind of lawyer I aspire to be. One that provides clients with depth of understanding and offers a wider, holistic point of view.
How did your mentors put you on the path to success?
Dr. Carmalt and Dr. Yarbrough were incredible mentors who brought their experiences as lawyers into the classroom, providing students with real-world examples on how to apply class lessons in the professional world. Both wrote letters of recommendation for law school, provided law school advice, and were integral to my success at John Jay. They always encouraged me to take on new opportunities to expand my leadership skills.
Dr. Carmalt invited me to be a research assistant on the Legal Disruption Project. That experience really helped me hone my research, presentation, and interview skills, which were essential for law school. Dr. Yarbrough was the faculty advisor for a club I helped start at John Jay called the Legally Conscious Club. The club was a way for students from all majors to share their experiences and have in-depth conversations about law and society, and how the law interacts with every part of one’s life.
How did John Jay prepare you for law school?
John Jay prepared me for law school in so many ways. It made me realize what kind of law school I wanted to attend. Being at John Jay taught me that it is possible to get a well-rounded, world-class, empowering education at an affordable price. I came out of John Jay debt-free thanks to the Excelsior Scholarship. So, when I was applying to law schools, I wanted an institution that could provide a similar experience.
John Jay also expanded my empathy through what I was learning in the classroom and through my connection with students who were so diverse culturally and in their life experiences. So, when we reviewed case law in law school, my John Jay education would shine through, as I would always take a more empathetic view. While classmates were taking the case law literally, following it strictly as written, with no room for interpretation and without considering the impact the laws had on people’s lives. I would come in with a broader perspective. I had all this information I learned at John Jay about how the laws we were reviewing could impact communities and people’s well-being. Those kinds of open conversations are important because they’re a reminder to lawyers and prospective lawyers that the law affects real people.
Inspired by my time with The Legal Disruption Project and the Legally Conscious club, I joined student organizations during law school to connect with peers and make my law school experience more fulfilling. I joined the Pace Law Advocacy: Alternative Dispute Resolution team, the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, the Intellectual Property student organization, and the Sports, Entertainment and Arts Law Society.
What does your work entail as an associate attorney?
The work I’m doing centers on corporate and commercial law. I conduct legal research, review numerous contracts and documents, speak with clients, and handle a bit of litigation. One of the things I enjoy most about being an attorney is redlining contracts, commercial lending agreements, and real estate documents for clients. Especially when there are factors they may have missed or haven’t even considered.
There’s so much that happens behind the scenes in business that involves the law. Think of every song you’ve heard or book you’ve read, there’s copyright law involved. Let’s say you’re starting a business with a business partner, you need a lawyer to draft an agreement. I love being part of that behind-the-scenes process that protects a client’s interests, gets them what they want, and helps make their dream come true.
What advice do you have for students hoping to become lawyers?
The most important piece of advice I ever got that was truly transformative was to network. Please do your best to connect with people, whether that’s in person at an event or online via LinkedIn. It’s so important to build up your network and engage with alumni and people who are doing the work you want to do. You’ll find they’re so willing to talk with you, share resources, and help you.
Finish this sentence: Because of John Jay…
I have a deeper, more holistic understanding of the law. I also have the most incredible support system. Coming to John Jay led me to make lifelong friends with some of the most supportive people I’ve ever met—people I probably wouldn’t have met anywhere else. These friends have stood by me not only at John Jay, but also through law school and beyond. John Jay helped me grow as a person and has made me a better lawyer.
