Carol M. Matorin '76

Segment Synopsis: Carol states that a recurring theme in this discussion will be how she was "clueless" most of the time. She was very happy in Buffalo and had many friends. UB was also affordable, she only applied to two other law schools. She noted most others would not take this approach today, and she only applied to just three schools because she didn't know any better.
Carol was born and raised in Brooklyn, was public school educated, went to UB as an undergraduate, and was involved in the antiwar movement, which spurred her interest in law. Everyone initially thought she would go into art. However, during her years at UB, she thought she had to be more "socially useful." Also, she was very young when she went to college and many of her decisions might have been different had she been older. Civil Rights attorneys also inspired her to go into law.
When Carol entered the law school, she was part of the first entering class on the new campus. As an undergraduate, she was at the Main Street Campus, and the new campus at the time was a "wasteland" with just a few buildings. However, it was a progressive school, and an intense experience for her as it was for all law students.
Carol's class was larger than previous classes, since they were in a larger building, and she recalls it was made of at least 20% women, which was large at the time. At the time, there were many more people from downstate than there are now, it was predeominately middle-class people and a minority of students of color.

Keywords: Amherst Campus; Choosing UB Law School; Class Composition; Ethnicity / Diversity; Law School / Gender; Undergraduate Education

Subjects: FAMILY HISTORY; UB LAW AS STUDENT; UB LAW: GENDER

Segment Synopsis: Carol mentions a professor named Red Schwartz but also that she doesn't remember much else about him. What she really remembers was the friendships she made at the law school, which are her fondest memories. They were a close class and she's still friends with. Carol was part of Law Women, at least, but more generally, the class of 76 was a tighter-knit, more caring and noncompetitive class. Many were friendly and hung out together, so there was always a lot of support from her fellows.
Carol says her class was "out in the boonies" then, and couldn't have known what the law school would look like today. There was really nothing there, the campus was "barren."
The interviewer asks if Carol ever had a tough time at law school in any respect, or if she thought a legal career wasn't for her at any point. She replies that while at law school, she wasn't even sure if she wanted a legal career yet. Her son had died shortly before starting law school and she was still suffering from the emotional repercussions. Law school is always stressful, so there were a few times she felt like she was in a "sausage grinder." Those feelings mostly passed with the support of friends.
Carol fondly remembers professor Grace Lundberg, who helped her deal with the reaction of some of the students and faculty to a woman going to law school. That's what primarily comes to mind in terms of mentorship for Carol.

Keywords: Amherst Campus; Faculty / Professors; Law School / Gender; UB Academic Advisors; Women and Gender

Subjects: PERSONAL ISSUES; UB LAW AS STUDENT; UB LAW: GENDER

Segment Synopsis: During the summers off UB, she would come back to NYC and worked at a talent agency to earn money. After her second year in law school, Carol worked at a law firm in the summer. That experience ended when a partner took her out to lunch and put a hand on her knee under the table. Carol was very interested in intellectual property law, perhaps because it was the area of law most related to her original interest of art. The two areas she thought of with the most jobs in that field were LA and NY. Washington wasn't on her radar, but there were jobs there. She wound up practicing in that area for 10 years after leaving.
Carol notes that one of the lessons she learned in law school was to be "more reality-based." She went to Law School without understanding what a lawyer was or having any role models in her family, and sadly enough her influences were TV and movies. She had a non-linear progression in her career, and describes how she went from the public sector to intellectual property. Carol notes that talking about her transitions would be a long, non-linear story. She does share a few anecdotes if she mentors a student. She says she's never been a square peg that fit into a round hole, and that it has been a long and winding journey for her. Carol graduated in 1976 and at that time UB didn't have much of a presence in NYC. UB gave her the tools she needed to build her career, though what she did with those tools was up to her.

Keywords: Areas of Scholarship; Career / Early; Career / Gender; Employment / Jobs / Wages; Relationship with UB Law; Value of Education

Subjects: CAREER: GENDER; CAREER: LEGAL; PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE; UB LAW MISCELLANEOUS

Segment Synopsis: Carol says she doesn't second-guess, as it's not "reality based" to ask "what if questions"--no-one really knows. The bottom line is that she's had an interesting, challenging, and rewarding career that she's enjoyed, and she doesn't say she should have done something else or gone to another law school. Carol always feels she has more to say to a young person considering going to law school. At that point, her advice is to speak to lawyers of all types and make sure this is something they'd be happy doing for many hours a day. She doesn't like she has the same kind of ability to counsel someone coming out of law school today, since things are so different than they were in 1976, though there are still issues for women in law. She would find it hard to say anything other than "whatever hand you're dealt, you have to take that hand and use it to build your future. The interviewer asks if there's anything else Carol wants to share. She says she has too many fond memories of her class to pick just one--they were a bunch of friends, and it was a very supportive place to be, though she doesn't know if it was like that for anyone else. She doesn't know if she has any anecdotes which would be useful to others or just funny to her, and apologizes that she seems to 'flow' better when she's not in front of the camera.The interviewer again asks if there's anything else Carol wants to talk about. She says she feels she's been droning a bit, and he assures her that this was a productive interview. He also gives her several reassurances about how the interview will be used. Carol restates that she felt easier discussing things when it was just one-on-one. The interviewer says next time they should consider doing real one-on one interviews, and then this one ends.

Keywords: Advice; Anecdote; Career / Gender; Career / Professional Experience; Fondest Memory; Women and Gender

Subjects: CAREER: LEGAL; PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE