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By: Hannah Baker ’25
For the past couple of months, I had the privilege of working as a summer associate for the Honorable Joseph A. McBride, NYS Supreme Court Justice. Judge McBride served as the District Attorney for Chenango County, prosecuting criminal cases for over 19 years. In 2019, Judge McBride transitioned to civil cases when he began serving as a Supreme Court Justice in the 6th Judicial District, Chenango County Supreme Court. Moving with him was former Assistant District Attorney, Laura Parker, who now serves as Judge McBride’s Law Clerk.
As a rising 2L interested in Criminal Law and Public Interest work, this position opened my eyes to many different niches of law, and I was able to see many of my 1L courses in action. The cases included labor disputes, motor vehicle accidents, contested and uncontested matrimonial, property line disputes, contract breaches, medical malpractice, consumer credit, tax certiorari, insurance, name changes, and more. An additional perk from this position included learning information about the differences of how a criminal case proceeds versus how a civil case proceeds.
Throughout working for Judge McBride, I had the opportunity to see the ins and outs of cases from beginning to end. Being on the more authoritative side, I learned ways to approach cases holistically and take all circumstances into consideration. Judge McBride explained the factors he weighs when making each decision, including focusing on the statute while evaluating how compelling the attorney’s arguments are while ensuring they align with precedent.
Not only did I gain exposure to many different laws, but I was given the opportunity to write two decisions as well. The first decision was regarding a boundary line dispute, where I recognized much of what I learned in my property class. The second was about an unlawful retaliation following a labor dispute. Both cases included multiple defendants, with different cross and counter claims and motions. Writing the decisions included researching the statute and case law to learn what law was binding on the Third Department, and then evaluating the arguments to see which ones followed precedent. I used the legal research and writing skills I learned in my 1L LAWR course to complete these tasks and was able to increase the pace at which I worked over the course of the summer.
It was an honor to be able to return home for the summer and work as a summer associate in a town I grew up in. I connected with many attorneys in Chenango County and nearby counties through attending local events held by organizations such as WBASNY. I am grateful for the exposure to civil law and heavily consider civil work as a career path in the future. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude towards Professor Suzanne Tomkins ’92 and University at Buffalo School of Law Summer Public Interest Funding & Fellowship Program for awarding me the Women Children and Social Justice Advocacy Fellowship. It was very generous and gave me the necessary resources to afford this experience. Also, I would like to thank Judge McBride and Laura Parker for giving me the experience of putting theory into practice. Lastly, thank you to Judge McBride’s Secretary, Vivian Yarnall, for being so welcoming the entire summer.
Name: Hannah Baker ’25
Fellowship: Professor Suzanne Tomkins ’92 Women Children and Social Justice Advocacy Fellowship
Placement: NYS 6th Judicial District Supreme Court with Hon. Joseph A. McBride
Location: Norwich, NY
One important lesson I have learned from this fellowship: Throughout this experience, I learned the importance of connections and how having an open mind can open many doors along the way.
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