Week 1 Interning with Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP

Jared Levine

6/1 – 6/4

My first week interning at Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff, LLP brought me a variety of new challenges and experiences. On my first day, I was warmly welcomed to the office by my site supervisor, Mr. Blinkoff. He directed me to a very nice open office space that I now get to call my own, and took it upon himself to introduce me to all of the firm’s attorneys and most of the other office staff. Everyone I met expressed excitement about my internship, and to let them know if I needed anything. This allowed me to find comfort in this setting far more quickly than I was expecting.

Prior to my first day, I was told to review multiple statutes related to the work done in the field of child welfare by the firm. They outline what is cause for the termination of parental rights based on abandonment and permanent neglect charges. These are the laws most frequently cited by childcare agencies and the attorneys that represent them in cases involving a parent’s termination of rights. Without much prior context, I was unsure exactly how this would connect to what I’d see on my first day. 

One of my first tasks wound up being to review a filed petition for this exact kind of case. I was told that all of the information I read within cases is confidential, and I am not to share these details with anyone outside the firm. Mr. Blinkoff explained the process attorneys must take to eventually free a child for adoption. It is a process that can take several years, and so the firm keeps track of many cases at the same time. Beyond petitions, I also reviewed large stacks of notes chronologically filed by child care agencies keeping track of a family’s progress. These are vital to future cases and so organized documentation must be maintained. 

This first week, I also had my first experience in village justice court. I met Mr. Blinkoff, who is the village attorney for a variety of Long Island localities,in a village court about 40 minutes from my house. There I observed Mr. Blinkoff’s defense of “the people” against civil offenses, met a variety of judges, attorneys, and government employees, and learned from all those who were eager to share their wisdom with me. I look forward to more of these experiences.

Lastly, Thursday of my first week was my first experience pulling case files for the week ahead. I was immediately taken aback by how many case files there are in the back of Jeff’s office, organized into understandable chaos. Searching for and stacking up case files was an immense physical task that I was not expecting. Over time, I will gain a better understanding of their filing system and hope to be able to pull cases on command. My first week was filled with new positive experiences and my expectations of personal enjoyment have already been surpassed.