Meet March’s Volunteer of the Month!
Meet Serena Gopal, Litigation Associate at Blank Rome, former VIP intern, and our Volunteer of the Month for March! Serena’s legal career began in college when she worked for a small law firm. She enjoyed honing her trial advocacy skills, both as an exercise in crafting effective arguments and as a way to benefit her community. Serena went to Villanova School of Law, and while there interned with VIP.
Serena recalls that during her last week interning at VIP, she was having difficulty finding a volunteer attorney for a client. She knew she was about to start as a summer associate with Blank Rome, and that their pro bono program was strong. Serena asked a partner at Blank Rome to mentor her on the case, and so she transitioned from VIP intern to VIP volunteer. Because of the firm’s strong pro bono program and the willingness of a partner to mentor her, Serena was able to take her first deposition in an arbitration case as a summer associate and settled the case for the client.
"I learned early on that when volunteers enter their names and appearances on a case, it can change everything for a client. Having a big law firm involved changes the trajectory of the case. As attorneys, we have worked hard to get this superpower that not everyone has, and we can use it in a powerful and meaningful way."
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"Meet March’s Volunteer of the Month!" was published by Philadelphia VIP on March 31, 2023.