Kevin Lelonek has an interesting history at Gross Shuman PC.
He joined the Buffalo firm as a law clerk in 2014 and came back as an attorney in 2017.
“One of the unique things about having been at Gross Shuman for so long is that I can look up the work I did when I was a clerk in law school. I can look at an old memo of law and compare that to a more recent one,” he said. “It helps me see how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned. Seeing my growth over the years keeps me motivated to keep learning and pushing myself.”
He knew early on what area of law would be his focus.
“From the beginning of law school I liked the advocacy aspect of law. And I was not terribly interested in criminal law, so I knew that I wanted to get into at civil litigation,” he said. “I focused my applications on firms that had openings in civil litigation.”
It’s a practice area that constantly challenges him.
“Litigation reminds me a lot of chess and other strategy board games. That is what I like most – thinking two or three steps ahead, making a plan and executing it,” Lelonek said. “I like the brainstorming sessions that we have in the office to map out procedural moves and countermoves and identifying key, substantive issues of law.”
Kevin Lelonek started as a clark at Gross Shuman PC and is now a full-fledged attorney who works as a civil litigator.
Besides his law degree, he has an MBA from the University at Buffalo.
So what’s something he wishes he had known before starting his career?
“I would have liked to know that it is more difficult to balance personal life with professional obligations. Sometimes hard deadlines take precedence over personal interests, which did not really hit home until I experienced it,” he said. “Experiencing that type of crunch has helped me maximize my downtime and enjoy my friends all the more.”
As he looks to the future, he knows he has a lot to learn about the profession.
“Right now I am just focusing on building my skills and providing the best services I can,” he said. “I think it would be cool to argue a case before either New York’s Court of Appeals or the Second Circuit."