2005 gets two posts because it was also the year when I was admitted to the New York Bar.
When I decided to pursue my LL.M. in the U.S., it was a bold choice โ mostly financially. My parents supported me on one condition:
๐ โ๐๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฒ โ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐๐ซ.โ
And so I did โ right after my graduation ceremony at Emory School of Law in the presence of my father (evidence attached).
It was a challenge, and one that I might not have picked by myself at the time, but one I have never regretted. Becoming an ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ฒ-๐๐ญ-๐๐๐ฐ (๐๐๐ฐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค) gave me more than an additional qualification. It gave me:
โญ๏ธ A true foothold in Common Law
โญ๏ธ A deeper grasp of transatlantic legal culture
โญ๏ธ The ability to bridge legal systems for clients across borders
Today, that dual qualification is still one of my strongest tools, especially in complex cross-border disputes, international arbitration, and negotiations across different legal traditions.
๐ซถ I am grateful to many: to my parents for backing me; to my mentor and boss Prof. Dr. Hans-Eric Rasmussen-Bonne for showing me the path (and for that bottle of Jack Danielโs when I had passed the exam); to Prof. Peter Hay for opening Emoryโs doors; to BARBRI for boot-camping me through the exam preparations; and to my roommate and friend Benjamin Cohen for helping me muscle through this โ with a smile.
20JahreAnwalt 20YearsInPractice NYSBA ALawyersLife LegalCareers WagArb HashtagWagnerArbitration Emory NYSBA Arbitrattoria MyAmericanGuitar
