Travis Hill, JD ’05, currently serves as Senior Trial Counsel for the SEC’s New York Region. Previously, he was a partner at Nixon Peabody where he specialized in white collar defense and government investigations. But before he began his career as a litigator, he was a student in Professor Peter Joy’s Criminal Justice Clinic. As a law student, Hill knew he wanted to litigate but had not yet chosen a focus area. The Clinical Education program at WashULaw was his opportunity to gain real world litigation experience prior to graduation.
Hill signed up for the Criminal Justice Clinic and never looked back. As a clinic student housed at the St. Louis County Public Defender’s office, he was able to second chair a robbery case that went to trial. After experiencing the thrill of litigation, Hill knew he wanted more. Upon graduation, he became a prosecutor in the Office of the District Attorney in Queens County, New York. This led to a position as an AUSA for the District of Columbia, and then to a long stint in the NY State Office of the Attorney General, where he focused on public integrity and real estate enforcement issues.
Hill’s advice to litigation focused students? Choose a litigation focused clinic and participate in real trials. While moot court and simulated courses offer terrific learning opportunities, employers truly value real world legal experience that can only be provided in a clinic or externship setting.
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