Summer Job Diaries: 3L Explores Water Law at Top Environment and Infrastructure Law Firm
After completing previous summer internships in the judicial setting, Michael Melkonian ’27’s final summer position before he graduates in May went in a completely different direction: a summer associateship in Nossaman’s Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation practice group, where he worked on cases involving water and commercial property. At Nossaman, he worked with several Loyola alumni, who offered guidance and collaboration.
How did you land your summer job?
A close friend who had worked as a legal administrator for 25 years told me that Nossaman was the best firm she had ever worked for. After hearing that, I applied directly through the firm’s website for a summer associate position with Nossaman’s Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation practice group. I was also drawn to the specialized nature of Nossaman's condemnation practice because it offered an opportunity to gain experience in a unique area of the law. Later in the application process, I interviewed with a senior associate in the practice group and, shortly thereafter, received an offer to join the firm as a summer associate.
What is the most interesting part of your job?
The most interesting part of the job was that every condemnation matter presented a completely different fact pattern. One case might involve dams and reservoirs in Southern California, while another might concern the development of commercial property in the Central Valley. The legal issues, particularly in inverse condemnation matters, were equally varied and allowed me to gain experience across property, water, and tort law.
What has been your most challenging assignment thus far?
My most challenging assignment was preparing a research memorandum analyzing whether a municipality had affirmative defenses grounded in water law to an inverse condemnation claim arising from a dam release. The assignment required me to work through older water-law cases involving complex and unfamiliar terminology. Through that research, I identified and applied precedent involving California municipality pueblo water rights dating back to the eras of Spanish and Mexican rule that could support an affirmative defense for our client.
What new legal skill have you acquired during your summer job?
I learned how to work effectively within a law firm practice group and contribute to a matter as part of a larger team. I worked closely with associates on assignments, incorporated their feedback, and saw how work product progresses from an initial research assignment to partner review and, ultimately, to advice or work product delivered to the client.
What bit of legal knowledge have you been able to display?
I was able to draw on my knowledge of California Civil Procedure, which I developed in Professor Alexander Eisner’s California Civil Procedure course this past spring. I used that knowledge throughout the summer, such as while preparing a research memorandum for a firm partner addressing Cal. Code of Civil Procedure § 128.7 (frivolous pleadings statute), its safe-harbor provision, and the sham pleading doctrine.
How has Loyola helped you map your career path?
One of Loyola’s greatest strengths is that it encourages students to explore different areas of the law. With the support of my career counselor, Marlee Rangel, and the Career Development Office, I had the opportunity to extern for state and federal judges, serve as a certified law clerk with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and ultimately work as a summer associate at Nossaman. Those experiences exposed me to the judicial, public-service, and private-practice sides of the profession and confirmed my interest in becoming a litigator.
​The knowledge I gained in the classroom also prepared me for those opportunities. In Professor Eisner’s California Civil Procedure course, each class included a slide highlighting something he wished he had known as a law student before entering practice. Those lessons offered valuable practical insight that I was able to apply directly at Nossaman. In Trial Advocacy, Professor Lawrence Riff, a supervising judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court, taught me courtroom advocacy through repeated trial exercises that helped prepare me to conduct preliminary hearings at the district attorney’s office. In Professor Nadine Tan’s Legal Research & Writing course, I developed objective and persuasive writing skills that I later applied during my judicial externships and at Nossaman.
Together, these classroom and experiential opportunities have helped shape the type of lawyer I hope to become and prepared me to contribute meaningfully during my summer at Nossaman.
Talk a little bit about what it was like to work with LLS alumni this summer.
I had the opportunity to work with several LLS alumni this summer. One of them, Aleene Madikians ’15, was in my practice group, and I worked closely with her on a research memorandum supporting a legal issues motion under Cal. Code of Civil Procedure § 1260.040.
I also received valuable advice and guidance from other LLS alumni at the firm, including Nossaman’s managing partner, David Graeler ’98, and associate Joshua Imeria-Garcia ’22.