Balmert Quoted in Akron Legal News Story on Mentoring Program

F. Daniel Balmert, the managing partner of the firm’s Akron office, was quoted in an Akron Legal News story entitled “Program designed to shed light on the realities of a legal career.”  The story was about the University of Akron School of Law’s Lawyer to Law Student Mentor Program, which pairs second-year law students with attorneys working at firms, companies and other businesses.

The story states:

"‘As a mentor I have found that it helps me recharge my batteries. As someone who has been practicing since 1976, it is great to interact with these students, whose enthusiasm and questions actually renew my intellectual curiosity,’ Balmert said.

Last year Balmert was paired up with Eric Sarmiento.

‘We met about once a month. I wanted to get an outside perspective of the legal field,’ said Sarmiento. ‘I know a lot of my professors have experience, but being able to get ‘face time’ with a partner who could talk about his experiences, and what he does on a daily basis really gave me an idea of what lies ahead.”

Sarmiento said he especially liked the focus on work-life balance, and the importance of learning to prioritize. ‘I have been able to put this advice to work for me while still in law school,’ said Sarmiento.

‘It also helped me to dispel some of the stigma associated with the practice of law. I was under the impression that to make it you had to be cut throat or conniving but Mr. Balmert is one of the most genuine and nice people that I’ve ever met and he has the best reputation in his field, which was nice to see.’”

To read the entire story, visit the Akron Legal News website.