The longer I work through my internship the more I have come to realize how much I have learned in just two months. In the past weeks I have been fortunate enough to accompany my mentor, Attorney Rose Randazzo, to several meetings, depositions, and site visits. These are the times when one meets interesting people: bank executives, realtors, contractors and engineers, judges and other attorneys, and even regular folks like me. Those encounters and experiences are the most rewarding pieces of my work—I learn best in the field. The simple facts that I did not know how to write a memo before June, or how I learned what happens at a deposition, are proof enough of the value of this internship.
However, with the benefits of working come challenges. The most frustrating part of my work so far has been experiencing the volatility of commercial development. I shadowed Attorney Randazzo through a real estate project from its incorporation to negotiation of purchase, development, and lease with a tenant. After a month of legal work on the project (and becoming rather attached to it) it completely fell through. I cannot express the disappointment I felt when I returned from lunch one day only to discover the project had been terminated. But we persevered and are moving in better directions with new ideas—as seen below. We’re currently working to donate some land to LHVA to give back to the community. I have been fortunate enough to follow the process.
The most valuable lesson I have learned from this came from Attorney Randazzo herself. She told me that, for every ten failed projects, only one usually passes through to finality. It is the nature of the business. But we must continue, going forward and learning from our failures and pushing to do better on the next attempt. But that lesson transcends work—it carries into life.
Sam Marranca ‘22
History
I really like the phrase your mentor said, failure is a huge part of our careers, and it’s matter of perseverance.
It seems like you’ve really learned a lot from your mentor! It’s so great that you had a person like him to guide and support you throughout the summer.
Hi Sam!
It’s great that you’ve learned so much in the past two months; it looks like you really enjoyed your time there! Although it must have been difficult to see those projects fall through, it is impressive that you’ve learned such valuable lessons this early on in your legal career!
I can’t imagine the frustration that you must feel when a project falls through. That being said, I admire your mentor’s attitude towards failure. Sometimes, you have to just dust yourself off and keep moving forward. I can also appreciate that you care so much about the work you do. I hope the rest of your internship goes well and you cam gain valuable experience.
Sam,
Your internship sounds awesome! I’m personally interested in real estate in the business aspect and aim to one day reach the development side of business, so I found your insight so interesting! It’s crazy the amount of work that can go into a project just for it to be rejected! Well, that’s business… always unpredictable, but the process is worth it in the end. Attorney Randall sounds like a very knowledgeable woman, so I hope you get the most out of your internship!