q&a A C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H C O A S TA L L A W ’ S D A N I E L C O H N
Third-year Coastal Law student Daniel Cohn was born in Greenville, South Carolina, and grew up in Atlanta. After graduating from the College of Charleston in South Carolina, he worked in three local law enforcement agencies and the Federal Bureau of Investigation before ultimately deciding to attend law school. While at Coastal Law he has externed for the chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Georgia and the chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.This fall he is externing with a federal magistrate in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
What prompted you to come to Coastal Law? I decided to enter law school in the spring semester. Since Coastal was one of only a couple of schools in the Southeast that allowed for spring admits, and was the only fully accredited school, the choice was simple. It turned out to be a good decision. What have been your favorite classes/faculty and why? The first-year doctrinal courses were great. They provided the foundation for legal analysis and the first exposure to blackletter law. I am looking forward to more practical courses in this last year, such as Pretrial Litigation Drafting. As for faculty, Professor Moody is a wonderful professor to have in the classroom, and Professor Reiber was outstanding as well. Each has a demeanor and style that provides for a great classroom dynamic and learning experience. You chose to clerk over the summer in Tallahassee. How/why did you make that decision? The externship was a prestigious opportunity offered to few students. It was easy to accept for that reason alone. But it also provided me an opportunity to have a glimpse at the
34
Coastal Law Magazine | Fall 2011
inner workings of this state’s highest court, and to work on some of the difficult and complex legal issues presented to it for disposition. Aside from a federal appellate court, there isn’t really a better externship experience out there, in my opinion. You’re advancing into your third and final year of law school. What are you looking forward to the most? Of course I am looking forward to finishing school and getting into practice. But I am also looking forward to the courses that I have been most interested in, including an independent study next spring. I haven’t picked a topic yet, but I will enjoy the opportunity to research an issue in depth and, hopefully, have some analysis to offer that is worthy of scholarly publication. Any advice for the incoming class? Buckle down. Study hard. Accept that law school is different from anything you’ve ever done before. Get rest and exercise. But most importantly, maintain perspective: it lasts only three years, during which you should be sure to include plenty of time for your friends and family. Then you have the rest of your life to enjoy as an attorney.