Joel Lopez
I am a first generation college graduate and law student. I was born in Queens, New York, but my parents are from Cali, Colombia. I have always had a primary interest in becoming a lawyer, partly due to having family in Colombia who are lawyers. My late uncle was a lawyer as well as four of my cousins who are lawyers.
I graduated from the University at Albany in 2020, double majoring in Political Science and Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino Studies. My secondary interests lie in the U.S. Automotive industry, particularly in insurance. As a post-grad, I went on to work with my brother-in-law to help start-up his third auto repair shop in New York. I had been working with body shops intermittently since I was a teen so i have prior knowledge working with the automotive. After a year, I began working for Geico as an auto insurance adjuster, which further cemented my interest in insurance law.
After three post-graduate gap years of working and studying for the LSAT, I have finally pivoted my career to the direction I’ve always dreamt of. I am a 1L at St. John’s School of Law where I was granted a full-ride which I am very proud of. My goal is to not only become a great lawyer, but to also apply the legal knowledge I will gain into other endeavors. I am currently working on building an Airbnb rental business, as well as an independent auto damage appraisal business, both of which I plan on expanding, automating, and supplementing my legal career with.
I live in New York, however my two sisters, my two nephews live in Miami, Florida. I visit them frequently and I am thinking of moving to Miami upon graduation. My brother in-law also lives in Miami but travels frequently between New York and Florida as needed by the business to which I also have an interest in and am helping with.
Areas of Interest
In-house corporate governance
insurance law
Mergers and acquisitions
intellectual property law
tax law
business law
Education
Brooklyn technical high school 2016
Suny Albany 2020
St. John’s Law 2026
Relevant Experiences
legal assistant at Kramer & Dunleavy
legal assistant at the law office of Elmer Robert Keach
Languages
Fluent in English and Spanish
