FTG 0062 - The Importance of Connections with Jack Yoskowitz ’89 and Henry Deteskey ’21

Following the Gong is a podcast for Schreyer Scholars that brings mentoring on demand from Scholars Alumni across a wide array of industries and experiences, with new episodes released bi-weekly here on RUclips, and audio version available on major podcast platforms. Here’s a breakdown of this episode:
Overview: Attorney Jack Yoskowitz ’89 Lib and soon-to-be-attorney Henry Deteskey ’21 HHD join Following the Gong’s first ever vide episode to discuss legal careers and the power of leveraging resources, connections, and networks. Jack is a partner and attorney at Seward and Kissel in New York where he works on complex litigation primarily in the financial services sector. Jack is also a longtime volunteer with the Schreyer Honors College where he began to mentor Henry, who is, at the time of publishing, nearing the end of his law school experience at Fordham. Jack and Henry discuss their respective paths to Penn State as New Yorkers and first-generation students, their experiences in the College including their thesis experiences working with psychological testing and incarcerated individuals, respectively, and life in law school and in “big law.” Any Scholar can gain wisdom from this episode, and especially any interested in legal careers. Jack and Henry’s bios are available below along with chapter markers detailing the topics discussed.
Guest Bios:
Jack Yoskowitz ’89 Lib is a partner in Seward & Kissel’s Litigation Group where he specializes in complex commercial and corporate litigation and regulatory matters predominantly for financial services institutions and individuals. He graduated with a BS in Psychology with Honors from Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts in 1989 and a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1992.
Henry Deteskey ’21 HHD is a third-year law student at Fordham University School of Law in New York City. Upon graduation in May 2023, Henry will be starting as a first-year associate at Seward & Kissel LLP. Henry graduated with a BS in Biobehavioral Health and obtained Honors in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State’s College of Health and Human Development in 2021. During law school, Henry has worked as an intern at the Queens District Attorney's Office, a paralegal at Schilling Law LLC, and a summer associate at Seward & Kissel. Henry is happy to speak further about going to law school straight through undergrad and being a first-generation law student. Henry's interests include blockchain, artificial intelligence, and investment management. Please feel free to connect with him on Linkedin: / henry-deteskey-8b654b19b .
Episode Topics & Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
00:20 What brought Jack and Henry to Penn State
04:31 Jack's experiences as a Scholar in the 1980s
07:22 Henry's experiences as a recent Scholar - like working with incarcerated individuals
10:14 The Honors Thesis!
18:37 Henry's experience as a Scholar in a fraternity
20:23 All things law school - from deciding to go to succeeding through graduation
23:22 The power of connections and utilizing resources, aka, how Jack and Henry met and what it's meant to both
28:16 Advice for law students in their summer internships
32:17 The differences between trial and non-trial work
36:12 Working pro bono
37:37 What a first-year associate can expect in their job after law school
40:21 What law school is like in the 2020s
41:56 Working in business law - without majoring in a business discipline
45:30 Continuing education for attorneys
49:18 Life outside of work for lawyers & company culture at work
55:06 Thing the host didn't think to ask about law school and legal careers
59:19 Success and mistakes for Jack and Henry
01:05:03 Thoughts on mentorship
01:10:25 Shoutouts
01:12:58 Final pieces of advice for Scholars and aspiring attorneys
01:14:37 How to get in touch with Jack and Henry
01:15:13 Which Creamery flavors Jack and Henry would be
01:17:41 Wrap up and final thoughts
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Schreyer Honors College Links:
Website: www.shc.psu.edu
Instagram: / psushc
LinkedIn: / mycompany
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Join the Penn State Alumni Association: wwww.alumni.psu...
Credits & Notes:
This show is hosted, produced, and edited by Sean Goheen '11 Lib (Schreyer), '23g Bus.
The artwork was created by Tom Harrington, the College’s Web Developer.
The sound effect is “Chinese Gong,” accessed via SoundBible used under Creative Commons License.