From Taxi Driver to Farmer to Lawyer: Associate Michael Nosanchuk's Journey
Dec 19, 2023
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Michael Nosanchuk, a former taxi driver and sustainable farmer, discusses his unique journey to becoming a successful lawyer in the premier art disputes practice. Topics include cultural fluency from driving a cab, patience and perseverance from farming, and the importance of storytelling in the legal profession.
Driving a taxi in NYC taught Michael Nosanchuk cultural fluency.
Art disputes require compelling narratives that move people emotionally.
Deep dives
The Journey to Law School and Quinn Emanuel
Michael Noce describes his path to law school and joining Quinn Emanuel. He talks about his interest in writing and politics, which naturally led him to pursue a legal career. After college, he worked as a paralegal at a law firm involved in a major art case. He then took a detour and became a New York City taxi driver for a couple of years, finding it adventurous and flexible. Eventually, he felt ready for law school and joined Fordham and later transferred to NYU. He applied to Quinn Emanuel during his summer associate program and was drawn to the firm's distinct environment and lack of dress code.
Working on Art Disputes
Michael Noce highlights his work on art disputes at Quinn Emanuel. He explains that art disputes offer a unique combination of commercial and intellectual elements, as the outcomes can shape cultural rules and dynamics. He mentions that these cases often involve smaller teams, allowing junior associates like himself to have significant involvement and responsibility. Michael emphasizes the importance of storytelling in art disputes, as the ability to move people emotionally and tell a compelling narrative is a crucial aspect of practicing law.
Parallels between Screenwriting and Law Practice
Michael Noce draws parallels between screenwriting and his law practice. He explains that his interest in screenwriting actually motivated him to become a lawyer, as he realized the power of writing with real-world impact. He describes how being economical and telling a concise yet impactful story is essential in both screenwriting and legal advocacy. Michael also highlights the importance of capturing and maintaining the attention of judges and jurors by creating compelling narratives that resonate emotionally.
John is joined by Michael Nosanchuk, an associate in Quinn Emanuel’s New York office. They discuss Michael’s unique journey from studying screenwriting, to driving a taxi in New York City, to his time in sustainable farming to ultimately becoming a successful lawyer working in the premier art disputes practice in the world. They also discuss how these experiences prepared him for his career in law, including how driving a cab taught him cultural fluency, farming taught him patience and perseverance, and screenwriting taught him the importance of carefully crafting an emotionally moving story and telling the story in limited time. Finally, they discuss what led him to join Quinn Emanuel, including its heterogeneous collection of driven people and Michael’s observations of how art disputes differ from other kinds of litigation.