Our Interview With Carly Glaser, Attorney at Osborne & Francis

Carly Glaser is a Mass Tort attorney at Osborne & Francis and is originally from New City, New York. She discovered her passion for law in high school through a Business Law course. She attended Quinnipiac University and majored in Legal Studies with a minor in Psychology, graduating magna cum laude a semester early. During her time at Quinnipiac, Carly clerked for a New Haven defense firm specializing in medical malpractice, continuing with them post-graduation in a research role. She earned her law degree from Florida State University College of Law, gaining experience in personal injury, medical malpractice, and business litigation through clerkships and associate programs. Carly now focuses on mass tort and medical device litigation and is a member of the Florida Bar. In her free time, she enjoys soccer, softball, family time, and the Florida sunshine.

What motivated you to pursue a career in law?

My high school offered a college-level business law course, which I thought sounded interesting. I ended up taking the class and absolutely loved it. We had frequent debates on different business-law-related topics and it was my favorite class I took in high school. I then decided to Major in Legal Studies at Quinnipiac University and it further proved that I was on the right path towards a legal career.

What do you wish you had known about the law school application process before you applied?

I wish I knew that law schools each require different documentation along with the application. Some have different essay prompts, and some ask if you’d like to do interviews. I always recommend saying yes to an interview.

A lot of students struggle with the law school personal statement. What did your brainstorming, writing, and editing process look like, and what do you think made yours stand out from the crowd?

With my personal statement, I tried to use the practical experience I had working at a law firm in my undergrad and tie that into my degree in Legal Studies to show my background understanding of the law. I also added my own personal flare to it. I didn’t think too much about standing out but rather having myself show through the statement, so they could get a sense of who I was as a person. 

What was the biggest challenge that caught you off guard when you sat down to write the LSAT?

The biggest challenge was just the difficulty of the exam itself. I think no matter how much you prepare for that exam; you still don’t feel that prepared once you’re sitting down actually taking it. 

How much work experience did you gain before applying to law school? What opportunities did you pursue, and what helped you the most during the application process?

In my undergrad, I was a legal intern at an amazing defense firm in New Haven, Connecticut. I balanced my internship while in my last year of playing Division 1 soccer. It was hard work, but so rewarding. I learned so much from the Medical Malpractice Department that I was working under. I ended up graduating a semester early and worked what would have been the spring semester of my senior year, at that firm doing research. I think having experience working for any law firm or shadowing an attorney in any capacity is extremely helpful when applying to law schools and later looking for jobs or summer internships. The attorneys at my firm also knew I was applying to law school, so they gave me tips and helped edit my resume.

Did you have any setbacks or rejections during the law school admissions process, and what did you learn from those experiences?

I wouldn’t necessarily call them setbacks, but I did receive rejections from reach schools, which was somewhat expected. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so it’s always worth applying, in my opinion. 

What led you to specialize in Mass Tort? What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue your specialty? What activities/events/opportunities would you recommend for students wanting to pursue Mass Tort?

I fell into the mass torts world by researching different firms in the geographical area that I wanted to work in. I was originally looking for medical malpractice firms, and I happened upon Joseph Osborne on a Superlawyers or Bestlawyers list and sent him an email asking if he would hire me for a summer internship. I’ve always found the medical side of law to be fascinating, so mass torts were the perfect way to get exposed to a new level of injury-related law that I previously knew nothing about. My best advice would be, don’t be afraid to reach out to attorneys and ask for a job. Send out emails with your resume, call offices, and don’t be afraid to be bothersome. Sometimes it takes more than one email to get someone’s attention. Any attorney will tell you that their inbox is constantly full, so sometimes an email from a law student or potential law student might fall through the first time, but the second may be all it takes to get a callback. You have to be your own advocate. 

What are some emerging fields of law that you would recommend potential students to start thinking about if they want to future-proof themselves in the industry?

There are plenty of areas of law that are ever-changing. We’re starting to see AI more and more in the area of law as well as everywhere else. I think Intellectual Property law will continue to grow in the modern world. There’s always a need for family law and estate attorneys as well. We constantly get asked if we can help our clients make a Will or set up a Trust.

What are the biggest sacrifices you’ve had to make to pursue a career in law?

The biggest sacrifice would be the time commitment. During law school, there were life events I had to miss out on because getting my law degree was the most important thing at that time. I also dedicated months to studying for the Bar, but it all paid off in the end. Once you find a great work-life balance, you’re set.

Bonus question: How much would we have to pay you to take the LSAT again?

You couldn’t pay me to take the LSAT again. Maybe I’d do some logic games, but that’s about it.

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