I sat down with one of Burns and Farrey’s newest associate attorneys in our Boston office, Christina Gregg, to discover more about her background and path to a career in law.

Q: Tell me a bit about yourself.

C: I’m originally from Boston. I went to public high school in downtown Boston at Boston Latin School. I double majored in Journalism and Political Science at UMass Amherst. After college, I worked in New York City and Washington DC in Political Media and Communications for four years. I then returned to Boston to pursue my law degree at Suffolk University Law School. 

Q: Why did you decide to become an attorney?

C: I always thought of the law as a foundational way to help people and always prided myself on my love for advocacy skills. I’m kind of admittedly a nerd when it comes to research and writing, that’s my background in journalism kicking in, but I like marrying those two skills sets to advocate for people who need representation in the courts. With that background, I always knew I wanted to pursue litigation as opposed to transactional or corporate work.

Q: What surprised you the most about being an attorney versus law school?

C: Law school is focused on theory and doctrine while the work of an attorney involves more concrete ways to advocate effectively for your clients. Being in the weeds, whether it be figuring out procedurally how to best approach a problem or making sure the stated goals of the client are clear is something that distinguishes practicing law from law school.

Q: When did you join the firm?

C: I just joined the firm in February 2022. I am still learning and getting caught up to speed, but the mentorship I’ve received thus far has already made me feel like I am an integral part of the team.

Q: What is your favorite part of the job?

C: I am handling a good amount of discovery and being able to sift through documents or review deposition transcripts and build out key pieces of a particular case is something I enjoy. It’s exciting to be able to identify key pieces to a case and then explain to your managing directors or partners their importance.

Q: Who inspires you?

C: My mom. Every day.

Q: What passions do you have outside of your career?

C: I am big on balancing self-care but also giving back to the community. I have a background in dance, so I really love any sort of body movement. Yoga is my favorite because it’s both restorative and rejuvenating. On the community side, the past few years I have been involved with a ‘Big Sister Little Sister’ program with a high school student in Boston. It’s extremely rewarding to be a part of someone’s life in that way. 

Q: What advice would you give to new attorneys?

C: I always tell new students ‘the fact that you called me is always the first step’. My advice is to always send that email or pick up the phone to make that call because when you are both in law school and a new attorney starting your career, you have the benefit of having senior attorneys who 90% of the time want to be a resource to younger attorneys. So, stay curious and don’t be afraid to pick up the phone.