Jennifer Aguilar knew growing up that she wanted to be a lawyer. The opportunity for travel, good income, and ongoing education appealed to her. The one thing she didn’t know was that she would loosely follow in her father’s footsteps and end up in the construction litigation practice at Pepe & Hazard in Hartford.
Then again, Aguilar, who was sworn into the Connecticut Bar Nov. 7, admits to not having a carefully detailed life plan. Her undergraduate degree in health policy and management at Providence College was initially chosen for her by a computer glitch. (She had not declared a major.)
It was a fortuitous mistake because she fell in love with the subject and her instructors.
“I’m really lucky that I got into law school because I didn’t have a Plan B,” Aguilar added. She did have that lifelong dream, though. “I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer since I was a little girl,” said Aguilar, 26. The bright lights of attorneys on television dramas initially sparked her dreams, but the academic and social aspects of the profession whetted her desire. She graduated from the Quinnipiac University School of Law in May 2008.
Her father works in construction management, but it’s a coincidence that Aguilar is following that career track. The direction was set when she joined Pepe & Hazard, which has a burgeoning construction litigation practice. “I wanted to work with the best of the best,” she said. “I fit and they fit me.”
Her career path was determined by knowing what she didn’t want to do: mindlessly filling out forms and completing legal transactions.
“I wanted to litigate. I knew I’d be up and active and not doing rote paperwork,” she said.
Like all first-year attorneys, she carries the burdens and expectations of billable hours, but the firm also has a commitment to community activities, professional development, and continuing education.
“Pepe & Hazard has captured a big firm feeling in terms of resources and personnel, but it still feels like a small firm when it comes to opportunities for associates,” she said.
