Most Law & Legal Jobs on Earth - LawCrossing

     

Forgot Your Password?    Remember Me

Try It Now!

EMPLOYERS, POST LEGAL JOBS FOR FREE

ATTORNEYS LAW STUDENTS LEGAL STAFF
Career Corner
 
David Tseng
Citizen Lawyer: Fighting the Good Fight and Giving Back to the Community


By Teresa Talerico

Since he graduated from UCLA School of Law in 1984, David Tseng has become a leader in the civil rights, public service, and public policy arenas. His résumé reads like the stuff of many a young law clerk's dreams. Past positions include White House Senior Pension Policy Advisor in the Clinton Administration, Executive Director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, and President of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers' Association. Currently, he is Deputy General Counsel for the District of Columbia's Office of Tax and Revenue.

Recent Articles
+ Archives
David TsengCitizen Lawyer: Fighting the Good Fight and Giving Back to the Community
David TsengCitizen Lawyer: Fighting the Good Fight and Giving Back to the Community
+ Enlarge
David Tseng passionately believes in giving back to the community.
The son of a Chinese father and Ecuadorian-American mother, Tseng is dedicated to giving back to the community. He encourages new attorneys to do the same.

"Young lawyers are right there at the turnstile just about to get into the game," he said. "The world is open to them if they're willing to be open to the world."

Q: When you were in law school, what did you envision doing with your J.D.?

A:
I wanted to be a labor lawyer. I wanted to help people in the workplace. Employee benefits is a hybrid specialty formed from labor and tax law. So I'm in the ballpark of where I wanted to be.

Q: As a law student, how did you prepare for the work you would later do? How did you spend your summers?

A:
I was a law clerk at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, a federal agency here in Washington, DC. I took the full complement of labor law courses at UCLA. I read every journal article that I could get my hands on. The challenge for young lawyers is to get an education and training that will help prepare them for the real world.

Q: What's your advice for those interested in civil rights, public service, and public policy work?

A:
Participate in the community and civic organizations that interest you. That's how I got my start in L.A. I got involved in the Southern California Chinese Lawyers' Association. It was a wonderful way to meet other lawyers and to help my community. It's an organization that provides extraordinary experiences for young lawyers. Young lawyers often focus—rightfully so—on their craft. But the challenge is to multitask responsibly in order to create a three-dimensional practice.

Q: What advice do you have for those interested in pursuing careers beyond the partnership track?

A:
Let your imagination be your only limit to your future. Part of the exploration of life is to accept that certain chapters of your life will be organic. Whether you're 25 or 55, in the practice of law, as you consider a new job prospect, you're not going to know what it's like until you're actually there. So, one shouldn't limit one's options.

Q: Any stumbling blocks new lawyers should avoid?

A:
Never assume. Seek out mentors and guides. Try to give back for that which you have received. Certainly, in the legal community, there is a tradition that lawyers have a responsibility to our community. There are legions of lawyers who are eager to give or lend their experience and expertise to others. That is both an important and fulfilling component of my practice. And I think it makes me a better lawyer. All of us have a responsibility to provide some measure of our experiences for the good of others.

Often, in law firms, we find ourselves compartmentalized. I was a pension lawyer. Someone [else] might be an environmental attorney. In community organizations, we have a chance to touch other areas of the law and improve our skills. This was a way for me to participate and accept my responsibility as a citizen lawyer and to contribute through these organizations.

Q: Were there any attorneys who inspired you to go into law?

A:
The very first was an immigration lawyer. His name was Frank Fong. My father and grandfather originally immigrated to the United States from China to DC. Frank Fong was the only Chinese-American lawyer that they knew. I always grew up knowing that name. The same goes for folks of my generation in L.A. In Chinatown, there were the Kwan brothers. They were really the first generation of Chinese-American lawyers. Frank was of that generation. Those individuals, they formed our Mount Rushmore as role models.

Q: What are the challenges for minorities in the industry?

A:
Minority attorneys continue to face the challenge of more modestly developed networks in the profession. We are as talented and able and brilliant as our counterparts. We need to continue to develop and cultivate our relationships that will gain us expertise, provide business leads, and help create standing in our profession.

Q: What did you learn from your experiences at the White House and PFLAG?

A:
Both experiences certainly reminded me of the importance of having a vision and a dream. I think that's why so many of us participate in public service and public policy. We aspire to be part of something larger than ourselves.

  • Share this story:
  • BlinkList
  • blogmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Google
  • Sphinn
  • MySpace
  • NewsVine
  • Simpy
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Print this article!
  • Faves
  • Furl
  • Netvouz
  • Slashdot
  • Spurl
  • Yahoo! Buzz
SHARE IT: Del.icio.us  Del.icio.us Digg  Digg Newsvine  Newsvine
Printable Version    Printable Version PDF Version    PDF Version Email to a Friend    Email to a Friend
Comment    Post A Comment View Comment    View Comment Discuss    Discuss
Popular Tags
 Los Angeles  law clerks  employers  courses  White House  UCLA  J.D.  UCLA School of Law  executive director  benefits  organizations  consultants  public service  general counsels  real world  Gays  attorneys  lesbians

Featured Testimonials

There are lots and lots of listings. It's the best service of it's kind that I have seen.
William

Facts

LawCrossing Fact #211: LawCrossing is exclusive.

Comments

Article ID: 835    

Article Title: David Tseng
Citizen Lawyer: Fighting the Good Fight and Giving Back to the Community

Comments:
dear sir, i am indian advocate, i like to carryon international disputes, could you reply me more informattion about it.thank you sir.

Posted by: NA   |   Date: 10-01-2005




Comment Comment
Rate This Article
   View top rated articles
Sign Up Now

Enjoyed reading this article?
Click here to sign up for News Wire, our weekly newsletter, and you'll receive articles just like this right in your inbox.

Jd Journal - Send Tips
JDJournal

Enter your email address and start getting breaking law firm and legal news right now!



Every Alert

Alert once a day

 

Total Legal Jobs
116,066
New Legal Jobs in Last 7 Days
12,337
LEGAL JOB SEARCH

Job Type:



Browse Jobs by Location:



Employer Type:



Keyword Search:



Show Recruiter Jobs  What's This?
Show Refreshed Jobs  What's This?


+ Advanced Search    + Browse Jobs

+ Search Tips
LawCrossing Job Search
Add to iGoogle
What is LawCrossing?
Who Else Is Ready to Never Have to Worry About Recessions and the Legal Job Market Again?
Why Job Boards Are Evil!
Blow Away Your Competition with LawCrossing
Get More Employers to Respond to Your Applications and Hire You
Why You Are Not Aware of 95% of the Jobs Out There
Why LawCrossing's Marketing Problem is Good For You
Why It is Important to See Every Job Site There is
Private Versus Public Job Boards
Why You Need to Manage Your Job Search in One Place
Who Else Wants Their Phone Ringing Off the Hook With Quality Job Interviews?
Do Not Use Another Job Board Until You Read This
SIGN UP NOW
*Email:  
Only LawCrossing consolidates every job it can find in the legal industry and puts all of the job listings it locates in one place.

  • We have more than 25 times as many legal jobs as any other job board.
  • We list jobs you will not find elsewhere that are hidden in small regional publications and employer websites.
  • We collect jobs from more than 250,000 websites and post them on our site.
  • We do not charge employers to post their listings.
  • We are private, and therefore far fewer people are applying for the jobs on our site than are applying for those on public job boards.
LEGAL JOBS NEAR YOU

Map Search  What's this?

New search feature using US map.  + click here

Looking for a new legal job in your city?
+ click here

Where do you want to work?  + click here
FREE NEWSLETTER
+
A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW BMW
BMW
"The Legal Job Market Researcher" is a weekly newsletter that's absolutely jam packed with jobs, career advice, stories, webinars and more. PLUS, a chance to win a new 2010 BMW 328i sedan in Career Mission's annual car giveaway.
Attorney
Law Student
Legal Staff
  CAREER CONNECT  (From Our Career Blogs)
You feel tremendous confidence that you can do anything.
WHAT MEMBERS ARE SAYING

E. Patt

I found many listings on LawCrossing that could not find anywhere else.

Jennifer

I found an associate position with a local firm here in Chicago. Thanks LawCrossing.

+ More success stories
+ Share your success story with us
Submit GET FREE
JOB ALERTS
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW
Learn about jobs before everyone else does. Studies prove the first people to apply to jobs are the most likely to get them. Sign up for job alerts today BMWand be entered to win a new BMW!
USEFUL LINKS

  US News Law School Rankings 2008

  Lateral Attorney Report
   The Recruiters of BCG Attorney Search


  Legal Job Market: Facts and Figures

  Add LawCrossing to My Favorites
Facebook Twitter
Top 101 Reasons to Sign Up for LawCrossing
Reason 23: LawCrossing costs less than $1 per day. That's less than $1 to browse through 80,000 job openings. 'Nuff said?
  Click here for 100 more reasons  
LawCrossing is the most trusted source for attorney job research.
Tell Us What You Think   
BCG Attorney Search
Real-Time Job Updates
Sign up free and receive new jobs by email as soon as they become available.

First Name


Email


Areas of Practice


Regions of Interest


Search Jobs Direct from Employer Career Pages
 Keywords:
 Location:
 
Free Webinar by Harrison Barnes
To Succeed in Any Job You Need to Create Work

Monday, March 22, 2010 at 1:00 PM PST.
BCG JOB OF THE DAY
Sponsored by
BCG Attorney Search

Location:
California - Other

Description:
Santa Rosa office seeks a senior tax attorney with 5 years of transactional tax experience. The ideal candidate should have corporate tax, executive compensation and tax opinion experience and a familiarity with real estate, partnership and tax credit transactions or a willingness to expand the practice into those areas. A portable book of business would be an additional attraction.
"This firm's core practice areas are corporate and commercial, real estate, tax, estate planning, ...
BMW FREE NEWSLETTER  +  A CHANCE TO WIN A NEW BMW
"The Legal Job Market Researcher" is a weekly newsletter that's absolutely jam packed with jobs, career advice, stories, webinars and more. PLUS, a chance to win a new 2010 BMW 328i sedan in Career Mission's annual car giveaway.

      Attorney   Law Student   Legal Staff    
Today at LawCrossing

152 - Jobs found in last 12 hours 558 - Jobs found in last 24 hours 116,066 - Total Jobs Found
I Love LawCrossing
Your privacy is guaranteed. We will never give out, lease, or sell your personal information. Whitelist LawCrossing
Home  |   Attorneys Channel  |   Law Students Channel  |   Legal Staff Channel  |   About Us  |   History  |   Our Mission  |   Post a Legal Job Opening  |   FAQ  |   Core Values

Browse Jobs  |   How We Help You  |   Our Promise  |   What We'll Never Do  |   Why You Need Us  |   Why We're Not Free  |   Testimonials  |   Career

The LawCrossing Guarantee  |   Press Room  |   Audio Room  |   Videos  |   Benefits of Working with LawCrossing  |   Privacy Policy  |   Terms of Use

Refer A Friend  |   Site Map  |   Law Firm News  |   Career Advice  |   Legal Recruiter  |   Resume Service  |   Resume Distribution Service
Our Company Sites:
Attorney Resume | BCG Attorney Search | JD2B | Judged | Law Firm Staff | Law School Loan Report | Law School Loans | Legal Authority | Legal Authority Financial