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Marc Baranov: A 3L with Political Aspirations

[By Mahsa Khalilifari] Marc Baranov is starting his third year of law school, and at the age of 28, he is hoping to fulfill his longtime career passion.

I worked for a number of years in the political world before coming to law school. I enjoyed the work I did but saw that there was a ceiling to that type of work, he said. I thought law school and a law degree would open up new doors and allow me to pursue a career in the political-legal world. Baranov completed his undergraduate work at the University of California, Berkeley, where he received his B.A. in Political Science. Currently at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, Baranov is the schools 2007-2008 law student division delegate to the American Bar Associations House of Delegates. He is also editor-in-chief of Southwestern Law Schools student-run newspaper, The

During law school, I have had three externships. During [the summer between my first year and my second year], I spent the first half of my summer with the legislative unit of the Los Angeles city attorney and the second half of my summer with [the] counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Baranov explained. I am externing this semester with a federal district court judge here in Los Angeles. He received
Q. What do you do for fun? A. Fun during law school? Thats funny. Q. What CD is in your CD player right now, or what was the last song you heard? A. A mash-up of 03 Bonnie and Clyde by Jay-Z/Beyonce and Totos Africa by DJ Sizzahandz called Girlfriend in Africa. Q. What is the last magazine you read? A. Newsweek. Q. What is your favorite TV show? A. Countdown with Keith Olbermann. The Colbert Report is up there, too. Q. Who is your role model? A. I once worked for Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota. Paul Wellstone was willing to stand up for what he believed in, no matter how unpopular his positions might have been at the time. And however much people may have disagreed with his political positions, they respected him as an advocate and as a person at the end of the day. Q. What is something most people dont know about you? A. I love strawberries.

his positions through connections and networking, which led to more opportunities. Baranov said he has spent a lot of his time during law school figuring out what field of law he wants to focus on. I would like to work in a political-legal capacity, but Im not sure exactly what that might be, he said. I had a great experience this past summer working for a civil defense firm, and I would be interested in continuing that work and also in finding out what else is out there. He also emphasized that he started out with some goals in mind. The idea of working in the political-legal arena was one of the main reasons I came to law school. Ive been interested in politics since AP Government in high school, if not before, he said. Ive also been interested in pursuing a career in law since the days of L.A. Law, if not before. Law school is the best place I could think of to figure out how to merge my two interests into one career. Baranov added that joining student organizations can only be a positive for students. There are many benefits of getting involved in student associations while in law school. At the top of the list is the people you meet and friends you make, Baranov said. The residual benefit from this networking is that

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He just took on his position with the American Bar Association, so hes sure life may get a bit hectic. However, he is prepared to take whatever comes his way. Baranov also enjoys the law school setting and what it entails. The discussions that arise, both inside and outside the classroom, over contentious legal issues that affect and continue to shape our state, nation, and world [are what I enjoy the most], he said. Baranov has gained a lot of work experience over the last few years.

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you make connections with people in the legal world that can give you advice as you search for a job, directly help you find a job, or potentially send you work once you are a lawyer. Baranov is anticipating a graduation date of May 2008 but said that every student has to follow his or her own routine.

There is no one way to make it through law school. Find your own path, find the best study methods that work for you, and remember that these are the last three years you will have before you enter the real world, so have fun, he emphasized. On The neT Southwestern Law School www.swlaw.edu

ABA Law Student Division www.abanet.org/lsd Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa www.lacity.org/mayor

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