Meet Sam Wice, the incoming
Student Representative to the Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory
Practice. Below, he discusses his experience
with administrative law and his goals for the Section.
1. Where do you
attend law school and what led you to a career in law? What are your plans for
after law school?
I am a third-year student at
Duke University School of Law. I became interested in the law when I worked for
two years at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). I enjoyed the legal aspects
of working with legislation and I decided to make law a career. For post-graduation
employment, I am seeking a variety of positions, including judicial clerkships,
government agency work, and law firm work.
2. What experiences
with administrative or regulatory law have you had?
I learned
about administrative law and regulatory practice through my work and
internship experience. Before law school, I worked for two years on Unfunded
Mandates Reform Act issues at CBO. As an intern at the U.S. Solicitor
General's Office, I saw how the United States decided to argue City of
Arlington v. FCC. As a summer honors law clerk at the Security and
Exchange Commission's Office of the General Counsel, I have seen how the
Commission defended Dodd-Frank regulations.
3. How did you
become interested in pursuing a career in administrative law?
At CBO, I saw how a law's
impact depends largely on regulations. For instance, one of the most specific
provisions that I reviewed would have required seatbelts in motor coaches. But
the Department of Transportation had regulatory discretion whether to apply the
requirement to existing motor coaches, whether to require three-point or lap
seatbelts, and how much force a seatbelt should be able to withstand. The range
of possibilities had about a $1 billion difference in aggregate costs.
4. Based on your
experiences thus far, what do you perceive to be challenges facing
administrative law practitioners?
One challenge facing
practitioners is that at the same time that some agencies are required to
increase their regulatory purview, their budgets are being cut. With reduced
funds, the government might not be able to hire top administrative law
attorneys and citizens who require administrative assistance will have to wait
longer for services.
5. For law students
or new attorneys considering a career in administrative law, what do you think
would be a good way of familiarizing themselves with the field?
Law students considering a
career in administrative law should take an administrative law class and try to
intern with a government agency that engages in administrative work. Students
should remember that administrative law does not just occur in Washington, DC.
States and local governments practice administrative law too, and federal
agencies have satellite offices throughout the country that practice
administrative law. New attorneys considering a career in administrative law
should read a hornbook on the subject and attend administrative law hearings in
their spare time — students should feel free to do these too. Also, new
attorneys should try to clerk with an administrative law judge.
6. From a law
student’s perspective, how would you characterize the dialogue between
academics, students, and practitioners in the area of administrative law?
The Section does a good job of
facilitating dialogue. By offering free admission into the Section and free
attendance at many conferences, the ABA Section of Administrative Law and
Regulatory Practice encourages law students to attend conferences where they
can meet academics and practitioners. But because of geographical, cost restrictions
many students are not able to take advantage of these benefits.
7. As the incoming Law
Student Division representative to the Administrative Law & Regulatory
Practice Section, what are your goals for the year? What do you think could be
done to foster interest in administrative law or joining the Section?
I want to increase outreach to
students who might not be able to attend the Section's events. Thus, I hope to
have a series of teleconferences or webinars about careers in Administrative
Law, where students can ask practitioners about their jobs and how to enter the
field. Likewise, hopefully the Section will be able to schedule some CLEs on
law school campuses and we can encourage students to attend the classes.
8. Outside of the
law, what are your favorite activities or hobbies?
I am a big baseball and St.
Louis Cardinals fan. I also enjoy baking.
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