Our class of 2020 graduates are actively engaged in the permanent job search and you can help! To connect with any of our talented class of 2020 graduates, please contact Assistant Dean for Student and Career Services, Sarah Beznoska, at s.beznoskanull@csuohio.nulledu.
Meet newly licensed attorney Daria Chalupa who passed the October 2020 bar examination and is seeking a public defender role in a rural/semi-rural area of Ohio.
What motivated you to attend law school?
I went to law school so I could become ADA Rafael Barba (from the critically acclaimed show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit). I saw Barba as a champion of survivors, someone who used the law to do what was right and give a voice to survivors of sexual based crimes. He exudes confidence, he is firm yet rarely combative, and fights with his heart. For years I watched his character on TV and thought, “that is who I want to be when I grow up.” Here I am, becoming everything I hoped.
Tell us about your legal work experience (law clerk, externship, internship, etc.).
After the Ohio Bar Exam: Pandemic Edition, I worked as a Post-Graduate Fellow with the Federal Public Defender – Northern District of Ohio. Additionally, I became an Intern-Researcher with both the Cuyahoga County Office of the Public Defender and The Office of the Ohio Public Defender in their respective death penalty units. Prior to this, I externed with The Honorable Donald Nugent in the Northern District of Ohio and with Equality Ohio. Throughout my law school career, I worked as a tutor for Civil Procedure and Property. Lastly, I worked as a research assistant to Professor Sterio (international law) and Professor Sundahl (space law).
What are the best qualities you will bring to a legal employer?
Along with my dashing good looks and wonderful sense of humor, I bring with me a deep passion for justice, hyper-organizational skills (ask me about my color-coded planner), and excellent grammar skills.
What are your goals for your legal career?
Short term: get “a” paying lawyer job, ideally as a public defender in a rural/semi-rural area of Ohio.
Long term: (1) move out west, (2) secure employ in the public sector doing death penalty defense, and (3) work in federal court.