- Law Student Profile
2L Steve Frackman: Following in His Folks' Footsteps
by Mahsa Khalilifar
by Mahsa Khalilifar
"At one point, I saw how well my parents had done with themselves," the 25-year-old says. "They [are in a] prestigious profession, [have] a good family...I wanted the same for myself." Growing up, Frackman was surrounded by law. His dad is "one of those big-firm kinds of guys." Frackman's father was involved with the Napster case and deals with other copyright cases. Working for a bigger law firm meant his dad was able to travel a lot, another appealing factor to Frackman. His mom, on the other hand, is "more mellow." Frackman says she followed a more "humanitarian route" because she preferred "the whole nine-to-five thing," working with the FCC and enforcing government laws. Frackman says he channeled his energy into applying to law school in his hometown of Los Angeles and went from there. "To be honest with you, it was the best school I got into and that I would go [to]," he says of his choice of Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "It's a really small campus. It feels like I'm going back to high school; you see pretty much only familiar faces. It's kind of a step back from undergrad but much tougher than high school." Frackman completed his undergraduate education at the University of Southern California, a private university located in the heart of Los Angeles. After "shopping around for majors," he started out in business and then moved into psychology. He ended up getting his degree in psychology. Although Frackman is glad he is working toward success, law is not always his favorite thing. "What I enjoy the most is what I dislike the most: things in general can be easily manipulated; there are ways to widen your argument," he says. "It's a blessing and a curse...it allows you to think on your toes. At the core it's memorization. You sort of have to fill in the blanks of element one and element two of a crime. I don't like it, and I do like it...racking my brain to convince people on something." Last summer, thanks to a little help from his dad, Frackman was able to work for a magistrate judge for the United States District Court. "It was really interesting. It gave me a view of the courtroom," he says, quickly noting that he saw a bitter reality. "None of the lawyers seemed too nice, [though]. They came across kind of sleazy." Knowing he is living in one of the entertainment capitals of the country, Frackman hopes to break into the industry. "Music would be my number-one [choice as far as careers go]," the self-professed music fan says. "Although I know the music industry isn't doing that well right now. I kind of would want to [be in] the music industry and the Internet. "It's [a part of] our generation...we grew up with this stuff." Frackman thinks he will end up in the music industry because of his love for it. He is also on the Internet "all the time," so he recognizes that it will be a good transition for him. "It's what's around me; it's what I'm familiar with," he adds. Being a fan of music and respecting the industry, Frackman says he is not a fan of the downloading craze. "I think that there's no substitute for buying physical music. I don't like downloading. It doesn't give you the whole experience," he says with passion. "The packaging, the smell, the booklet...something tangible to touch...I feel like the extra few dollars is worth it." Frackman is active in school organizations; he's a member of the Entertainment and Sports Law Society, and he's on the Loyola of Los Angeles Entertainment Law Review staff.
"[Organizations] look really good on your resume," he says. "I like the writing aspect, so that's a plus. It gives me another perspective in law school than reading out of a book. It's [also] a nice way to get a more rounded legal experience in school." Dreading finals, Frackman says his favorite memory is of being done with his last final at the end of his first year. "When finals come around, you have a 24-hour ulcer. You don't shower; you don't eat," he says. "It's pretty rough." However, he advises future law students not to be fooled by what they've heard. "It's called 'law school,' but it's really different than previous schools," he warns. "It's less about learning facts and knowledge...it's more about training your mind to think like a lawyer...it teaches you how to think to be a successful lawyer. If I knew that ahead of time, I would have approached [my first year] differently." Always opting to study in his apartment rather than at the library, due to a "very quiet roommate," Frackman adds that school is not the be all and end all. "I try not to get overcome with school and let it govern my life. It's important to take breaks," he says. Frackman will be able to take a permanent break from law school chaos in May of 2009, which is when he plans on graduating. |
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