____________________________________________________________________ Simone
M. Silva-Arrindell | Samsung
Pro bono or not, it gave me hands-on litigation experience, working with experts, taking depositions, and learning how cases develop. It was incredibly rewarding
recalls.“ The first year is set, and in the second, you pick interesting classes. I took sports law because it felt more exciting than evidence.” That sense of forward motion without reflection shifted after graduation, when she clerked for Judge Esther Salas in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. Two years in chambers gave her invaluable insight into how judges analyze cases and how federal litigation unfolds.“ Samsung faces federal litigation in New Jersey, so understanding how the district operates and how judges think has become incredibly useful in my current role,” she observes.
The clerkship marked one of the first moments where observation turned into intention. Rather than simply learning procedures, Simone began to understand how strategy shapes outcomes, an insight that would later define her career path.
She later joined Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in New York City, where she handled complex commercial litigation and government enforcement matters. Alongside that work, pro bono litigation became a defining early experience, reinforcing her growing interest in the strategic side of litigation.
One particularly impactful case involved a federal class action on behalf of residents of New York City nursing homes who had been unable to return to community life despite a state program intended to support that transition.
Although Simone left the firm before the case concluded, the experience proved formative.“ Pro bono or not, it gave me hands-on litigation experience, working with experts, taking depositions, and learning how cases develop. It was incredibly rewarding,” she shares.
Strategy not performance
Time in private practice ultimately forced Simone to examine her professional preferences. While the experience helped to develop strong courtroom skills, she realized that strategy interested her more than standing at the front of the courtroom. modern-counsel. com 71