Career series: Sasha Lazarevich
Why and how did you become an IP prosecutor?
My career path to becoming an IP crimes prosecutor evolved organically and was unexpected. I have always been interested in justice, public policy, and government.
At Columbia University, I majored in political science with the intention of attending law school in the future. Upon graduation, I needed to save money to apply for law school as I was not able to apply directly upon graduation, so I was hired into Google’s advertising division.
Once in law school, I seriously considered corporate and technology law, but found transactional practice to be a bit mundane. The year I graduated from law school, the job market was especially bad so I temporarily explored practice areas such as immigration law, but I never thought I would become a trial attorney or a prosecutor.
Growing up, I had a fear of public speaking, which kept me focused on research and writing. Some time after finishing law school, I learned of an opportunity at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office to gain training in the area of trial advocacy. I applied on an impulse and was accepted.
Once in the programme, I pushed myself to practise opening and closing arguments at four in the morning to overcome my fear of public speaking. Much to my surprise, I discovered I had a talent for oral advocacy and found that I enjoyed developing a mastery of the courtroom setting.
