A collection of stories covering Harvard University's 373rd commencement ceremony.
Nicolas Gonzalez found his calling in law through his love of acting.
The child actor, who landed his first professional job at the age of 12, entered mock trial and moot court competitions in high school and was instantly hooked. The acting part of arguing the case felt not only familiar, but fascinating.
“On set, you have to be able to get instructions to deliver your lines in a certain way, and you have to do it on the fly,” he said. “Likewise, when you're in moot court, you have to think for yourself and perform in front of an audience…When we started winning moot court competitions, that's when I started thinking… 'Am I going to practice law or am I going to do acting?
Mr. Gonzalez decided to apply to law school with the encouragement of his mentors and teachers who encouraged him to apply. He is currently scheduled to graduate from Harvard Law School this month.
Growing up in Brooklyn as the middle child of five children, Gonzalez was a true theater kid. Acting, singing and dancing were his favorite pastimes at school. And his passion became his family's endeavor when he was asked to audition by his director of casting for “Billy Elliot the Musical.”
As an eighth-grader, he was forced by his parents to accompany him to auditions, even though he knew nothing about show business. When he was hired to join the national tour of “A Christmas Story: The Musical,'' his older siblings accompanied him as his guardians because his parents were unable to take time off from work.
While in high school, Gonzalez became a regular on the popular show Orange Is the New Black, where he played the son of inmate Aleida Diaz, played by Elizabeth Rodriguez, who is also of Puerto Rican descent. He won the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in the Comedy His Series. Despite Gonzalez's success as a young actor, he was unsure about making a living in the industry as an adult. Despite having his parents' blessings, he decided he did not want to deal with uncertain situations.
“When you're a child actor and you're booking work, it's really exciting,” he said. “But when I was a teenager, I saw an audition room full of people who looked exactly the same and I thought, 'Is this what I want to do with my life?'” It's a very tough industry. For me, not knowing if it was going to work was something I struggled with. Then I really liked law. ”
Gonzalez attended the State University of New York at Albany, graduating in 2019 with a degree in political science. He then worked as a corporate paralegal at the New York law firm Cooley LLP, where he was also an educational opportunity (SEO) sponsor. ) Also in New York, he is a legal fellow at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP.
During his time at Cooley, he supported attorneys working with emerging companies and venture capital groups, and developed a fascination with corporate law, particularly mergers and acquisitions.
“During my time at Cooley, I didn't have much experience on the litigation side,” Gonzalez said. “But I really liked working in a company. I looked at lawyers who were corporate partners and senior employees at companies, and I thought maybe I could be like them. The pace of work was fast; I like serving multiple clients. I prefer corporate practice to litigation because of my personality and work style.”
In law school, Gonzalez studied everything related to corporations, copyright and trademark issues, and entertainment and sports law. He enjoyed extracurricular activities as much as his classes. He joins the Student Advisory Board, is co-president of the Harvard Law and Business Association, senior editor and executive sponsorship chair of the Harvard Business Law Review, and is a co-chair of the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. Became Outreach Editor and Managing Editor.
Molly Brady, the Louis D. Brandeis Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, had Gonzalez as a student in her property law class. Mr. Gonzalez was also one of her 80 students whom Ms. Brady mentored and supported during her first year in law school as a faculty leader.
“Nick is the epitome of a community builder,” Brady said. “I met him at orientation and he was incredibly friendly, chatting with other students at tables. I've watched him flourish. I'm really interested in that. It's been fun to watch it develop over the last three years. I think he's a natural negotiator because he builds connections with people. He's a problem solver. He's the kind of person any customer would be lucky to hire.”
After graduation, Gonzalez will work as a summer associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in New York.
Gonzalez hopes to eventually work in entertainment law and realize his dream of becoming a Broadway producer. However, he said he would consider it if a casting director approached him for the role of a lawyer. It will be his way of combining his two passions.
One of his favorite TV shows is the legal drama “SUITS,'' in which actor Gabriel Macht plays the role of Harvey Specter, one of television's most popular lawyers.
“I’d love to play Harvey Specter or one of his friends,” Gonzalez said with a laugh. “If I got a call tomorrow and said, 'Nick, would you like to work for me as an associate?'”You may have to postpone your degree and check the opportunity [laughs]”
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