‘I always wanted to fight for the just cause.’

Oscar Michelen, Albertson

“I was meant to be a lawyer. I was 3 years old when I came to America. As an immigrant, I can fully relate to the Latino law community’s experience of arriving into a new country and not knowing the language or the culture. More importantly, knowing their needs and struggles from my own personal experience motivates me to make sure they have the same opportunity to succeed and become contributing citizens in American society.

“I graduated from law school in 1986 and started practicing litigation four years later. I love my practice and coming to work. What I do can be frustrating at times, but that’s what the law is: frustrating. The court system can be very, very daunting, so my firm prides itself on being able to help small businesses and individuals get through the court system.

Law school gave me the foundation to start practicing, but I knew I wanted to pursue this field back in high school in the Bronx. I was a student in an AP history class taking an exam with a few other classmates. Our proctor cut our exam short by 40 minutes. None of us finished the test. I knew this wasn’t right, and I filed a petition with the signatures of my classmates to retake the exam. I had to get approval from Albany. My teacher didn’t think I would succeed, but I did. We all were able to retake the exam. This always stuck in the back of my head; I always wanted to fight for the just cause.

“I have exonerated nine men in the past 16 years for crimes they did not commit. I’ve been able to help these individuals, who have been wronged in the worst way possible, gain a measure of their freedom back.”

I want students to see me, a Latino lawyer and professor, and know they can get the big law jobs.

“I’m an adjunct lecturer, and this fall, I’m teaching a new class that I developed. It’s called “Under the Color of Law,” and it explains how Long Island has become segregated due to government policies. My parents always stressed the importance of education. I want students to see me, a Latino lawyer and professor, and know they can get the big law jobs. I want to help them get there. It’s really important not only to teach, but to teach at a diverse school.

“I’ve been on the board of the Long Island Hispanic Association for a number of years, and I’ll be president starting this September. We have a number of programs to help our members. Our goals are to provide community outreach, legal education and social networking. Some of the things we do is that we support food pantries across Long Island, host prom dress drives every year and offer bilingual legal education.

Interviewed by Melanie Gulbas