Michael J. Surgalla, Jr. '82

Segment Synopsis: He originally was from Maryland and when he was 14 his parents moved to Buffalo. He went to Amherst High School and benefited greatly from UB; his HS had an open campus, so he spent a lot of time at UB. As an undergrad, his major was math and science, then switched to political science. He didn't have a lot of experience with lawyers growing up, but got some intern experience in the field before graduate school. Perry Mason and Gomez inspired his perception of lawyers. He accelerated his undergraduate program (in three years), then pursued graduate school. The law school was on the UB Amherst campus. He spent a lot of time in the law library and classrooms. His sister went to UB before him, so he had an advantage. He used her experience as a "trial run". His first year he spent in the experimental section; the university would try new classes in this section. He was an intimidated freshman student. He enjoyed the theory of criminal and constitutional law later on.

Keywords: Choosing UB Law School; Family; Legal Education; UB Admission; Undergraduate Education; Value of Education

Subjects: EDUCATION; FAMILY HISTORY; UNDERGRAD

Segment Synopsis: He continued his same part-time job from high school through his last semester of law school; he worked at his local YMCA. In addition, he did legal research for solo practitioners and research for law professors. His third year, he worked and did research for a criminal defense lawyer. The classes he enjoyed the most were the ones he was able to mesh into his practice. International law and constitutional law are two examples of his favored classes. At the time, his dean was Thomas Cedric. He ended up being his mentor because Cedric always paid attention to students and their needs. Cedric guided some of his programs.

Keywords: Character and Values; Law Courses; Legal Education; Mentors; Value of Education

Subjects: EDUCATION; LAW; TEACHING; UB LAW AS A STUDENT

Segment Synopsis: He had a great sense of satisfaction during his first trials. Currently, he has not been in court in years. He does more policy and legislative work, although he still does work on criminal investigations. He wasn't a participant on moot court or law review, and now he admits he didn't appreciate it enough. He was a clinic participant, and now his clinic is considered nationally to have been the first of its kind and extremely innovative. This was the International Human Rights Clinic, and it incorporated fascinating and unique projects. Approaching graduation, he was mostly just focused on the bar. After the exam, he went door to door trying to apply for a job. A UB alumni, Cory Hogan, gave him a job in a firm in Amherst. It was called Hogan and Douglas at the time and it was a general and civic practice firm. He was in private practice for 2-3 years, but he knew he wanted to pursue the LLM and work within International Laws. He went to the London School of Economics to see if another country would give him a new, and better experience. The program was great, but it showed him how great SUNY Buffalo was. He graduated from law school in 1982, then completed his LLM in 1986.

Keywords: Academic vs. Career Success; Administration; Bar Admissions and Exams; International Issues; Law School; Post-Graduation; Regrets; UB Preparation; Value of Education

Subjects: LAW; PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Segment Synopsis: After his LLM, he learned patience as he started to apply to federal jobs. The period of breaking in (background check, etc.) is pretty lengthy, so he moved back to Buffalo while he applied. Jobs opened up at the Immigration an Naturalization services and there was a huge need for lawyers. He notes to students, always look for where the open jobs are because it's important to stay on your feet. He worked for a couple years in NYC and met a ton of interesting people/worked with a bunch of different cases. He left and went to DC and worked in the criminal division ever since. Through his jobs, he has visited and worked in Africa, UK, US, China, etc. He worked on United Nation issues, and other varying worldly problems. Knowing everything he knows and if he could go back, he would still pursue a legal career.

Keywords: Academic vs. Career Success; Advice; Career / Early; Choice of Law; Criminal Law; Labor; Legal Career; Travel

Subjects: LAW; PROFESSIONAL EXPERINCE

Segment Synopsis: He teaches law school part-time and has a lot of contact with students. He recommends UB law school for those trying to become lawyers because there will be great preparation and little-to-no debt. State schools are great options for potential law students. More advice he gives to students is that overall there is a trend in trying to specialize so early, so he promotes trying to get a well-rounded and diverse experience in your early years. Opportunities can come along that you weren't aware of, so be open-minded and take all paths.

Keywords: Advice; Choice of Law; Choosing UB Law School; Experience as Student; Other Law Schools general; Student Culture; Study Habits

Subjects: ADVICE; LAW; PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE; TEACHING; UB LAW FACULTY

Segment Synopsis: He became involved with a DC alumni group. He would get in touch with with other alumni a couple times a year for a lunch, and get to know others similar to him. He later joined the DC steering committee, and served as the co-chair and then the chair for a year. The alumni chapter formed afterwards and he was a founding member. He believes that the law school is on the right track, but if he could change something, it would be the national perception. The size of the school should be a natural gateway to global practice. One thing he learned from his LLM program in English, was just how important NY law is. Buffalo is well-placed and the world should note that.

Keywords: Advice; Alumni; Career / Professional Experience; Chairs; Expectations; Relationship with UB Law; Training; UB

Subjects: PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE; TEACHING