Plaintiff-Side Summer Associate Experience: Yusuf Albazian

Yusuf Albazian

UC Law San Francisco ‘25

Summer Firm: Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger (San Francisco, CA)

I found my way to plaintiff-side practice early on as a legal intern in undergrad and as a litigation paralegal during my gap year before law school. What drew me in was the personal connection I had with clients, the ability to listen to the difficulties they were facing and the time to ruminate on their solutions. It quickly became work that bridged the normative divide we establish between the professional and the creative. Each case presented a new story, a narrative in real time whose ending was determined by the quality and consistency of representation. 

Trial work elevated this feeling of the need for creativity and incorporated elements of competition, urgency, and equity. Preparing cases for trial became an exercise in strategy, a dynamic environment in which achieving justice for our clients was a heavy responsibility that lightened my heart. Knowing that my time and effort had brightened the life of someone who came to me in their darkest hour is knowledge whose value is unsurpassed. Finding this path is a blessing and a gift, the foundation of which I continue to build upon. 

This summer I worked as an associate at Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, a firm nationally recognized as a leader among plaintiff-side advocates. I had the opportunity to work on matters ranging from mass torts and nationwide multidistrict litigations to single event catastrophic personal injury claims. Each case was unique and what struck me was not only the need for creative solutions, but the way that the attorneys at Walkup approached the workup to the file. The collaborative roundtables underscored the culture of dedicated advocacy and ensured that each client benefited from the collective perspective of the firm, from the managing partners to the associates. 

Plaintiff-side litigation is a space where actions have impact; and community, collaboration, and compassion are equally balanced traits of success. Contributing alongside leading trial attorneys in a field of law expanding the frontier of consumer rights and protections is impact in action. Devising creative solutions at a complex and individual scale is rewarding work and a worthwhile endeavor.