Future Attorneys of America Scholarship Winner: Martin McSherry!

We on the board of the Answering Legal Foundation were once again faced with the daunting task of choosing the best candidate to receive the Future Attorneys of America Scholarship. Again, we sifted through hundreds of applications, read essays, and noted each candidate’s school and work history in order to find whomever we felt was the most deserving. We do feel that we have once again chosen an exemplary student and future attorney in Martin McSherry.

“Martin’s work history, personal statement, and interests aligned perfectly with what we were looking for in giving away our scholarship for the second year,” said Director of Marketing, Michael Garcia, when asked how Mr. McSherry was chosen. “We service law firms of all sizes and niches across the country, and Martin seems to be about as versatile as a potential lawyer can be."

Michael is of course, referring to the multitude of areas in which Martin has excelled. As an undergraduate, Martin founded the GW Justice Journal, where he was editor in chief. This publication focused on creating articles regarding domestic and international legal news, with a focus on criminal justice. Martin then took his talents to political campaigning, where he was a campaign director for the GW College Democrats. Mr. McSherry has been a legal assistant in a medium sized law office, has clerked at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and interned for the Office of the Attorney General. That’s a lot of ground to cover for a young man just about to finish law school!

Michael and I travelled from Long Island to Columbia’s main law school building, the Jerome Greene Annex to meet with Martin, present him with an award, and of course, a check in the amount of $5,000. As soon as we entered the building, we saw Martin who greeted us confidently, and with extreme courtesy. He asked us if we had eaten, what our plans were for the day in the city, and seemed more interested with how we were than receiving an award. We laughingly told him that we’d soon be back on the train and headed back to work. We took a few pictures in front of the Columbia Law School sign outside of Jerome Greene Hall, and shared some laughs, good conversation, and learned that Martin will soon be starting a position at the Bronx Defenders. Again, we were impressed.

It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Martin was soon headed home to be with his family, something we could tell he was eager about. We bid Martin goodbye, and on the train ride home, he sent a text message thanking us again for the scholarship and wished us both a Happy Thanksgiving. We felt even more assured that we had picked an exemplary young man.

It is our pleasure to congratulate Martin McSherry, and wish him good fortune in his career path. Martin, we are thrilled to have found and met with a deserving student like you. We are eager to see what the future holds for you.

Students, and Future Attorneys of America, visit our scholarship page and apply to be our next recipient!