Graduate Profile: Brian Wersan

Brian Wersan grew up only 15 minutes from Touro Law, but he never imagined that he would graduate from the law school and start his legal career with a prestigious legal Fellowship after serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. Yet, here he is. A testament to hard work, an open mind, and mentors who are able to see something in you that you may not recognize yourself.

A Spontaneous Trajectory Shift
Brian is a true first-generation law student, the first in his immediate family to even graduate from college. His original path was to be an accountant, but it seemed the stars aligned to enable him to find his true calling as a lawyer.

Brian had been working as an assistant project manager for a construction company in Manhattan after graduating from college with a degree in accounting. He was furloughed temporarily when the Covid pandemic hit and began to rethink his career. A friend worked for the court system and told him about the court analyst position and he thought he would take a chance on a new career. Shortly after, Brian began working as a court analyst for the Grievance Committee, performing analyses on respondents’ escrow accounts. He stated, “That single spontaneous decision to apply to work in the courts ended up changing the trajectory of my entire life.”

While at work, he had two bosses who each separately suggested to him that he should consider going to law school. Having never even considered law school, Brian ignored their advice for some time. His bosses persisted, insisting that he had what it took to be successful in the field of law and encouraged him to apply. “To this day, I am still unsure about what they saw in me, but my conversations with them led to the discovery of my interest in law, the profession’s endless possibilities, and the opportunities that attending law school could provide,” stated Brian. “I will never be able to thank them enough for believing in me, guiding me and supporting me throughout this journey.”

Law School and Leadership
Brian planned to continue working while attending law school part-time, making Touro Law’s part-time program the perfect fit. He applied to Touro and began in August of 2022. Brian thrived at Touro Law, enjoying the smaller class sizes and the sense of community he felt with his fellow classmates, as well as the professors and administrators. “I knew this was a place where I could be myself and do my best.”

Eventually, Brian joined Touro Law Review as a junior staff member during his second year of law school. He went on to become Research Editor, Issue Editor and, ultimately, Editor-in-Chief. And, while the role came with significant responsibility and required a lot of additional time and attention, Brian thrived. He stated, “My motivation always came from a sense of duty; at first, I owed a duty to myself to work diligently to discover my potential. Then, as I moved up the Law Review masthead, I owed a duty and responsibility to the journal and my fellow students and Law Review members. It was an extremely satisfying role.” And Brian says he learned valuable lessons from his time as a Law Review member. He reflects on working with Professor Rena Seplowitz and learning to relish the edits and comments because they were not a criticism but a method of improving his work and ultimately, preparing him for the practice of law.

The Future is Bright
Balancing work and school was not easy over the four years, but Brian learned to make it all work, driven by success and the bright future ahead of him. Starting in September, he will serve as a Mangano-Prudenti Fellow at the NYS Appellate Division – Second Judicial Department. This prestigious, highly competitive fellowship is awarded to students in the top 10% of their law school class, who have honors distinctions and are members of law review. The Fellowship is awarded to 8 students each year for a 2-year term.

Brian is excited about the opportunity and honored to have been selected. “The skills required of the Fellowship closely mirror those of being Editor-in-Chief - attention to detail, intensive legal research, clear and concise writing, and the ability to think critically.” He plans on contributing to the best of his abilities, learning the most he can while enhancing his legal skills and leaving room for potential opportunities. He says, “I have gotten this far based on chance and hard work, so I’ll continue to work hard and see where I land.”

No matter where he ends up, Brian intends to remain connected to Touro Law. He is thankful for the strong relationships he has built with alumni throughout his tenure in law school and looks forward to helping out future Touro Law graduates whenever he can.