How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin #129: Astor Heaven - Big Law Litigation Partner at Crowell & Moring
Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where it is my job to interview lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.
Today’s guest is Astor Heaven, a Partner at Crowell & Moring, where he is a trial lawyer and commercial litigator working on a range of matters, with a focus on defense industry and government contract clients. After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Astor served as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy before attending law school at American University Washington College of Law. After graduating from law school, Astor worked as a transactional attorney at Mintz before joining Crowell & Moring’s litigation practice.
In this episode, Astor shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:
🏈 How discovering his personality didn't align with a sports agent role led to a rewarding shift to law.
⚓ How his experience serving on a Navy ship gave him the perspective to realize that law school was not the only thing that mattered in his life [6:47]
🕒 How he effectively juggled his commitments as an evening student, in addition to working as a military recruiter and as a new father, by being deliberate with time management [9:43]
⚖️ How working on pro bono cases fueled Astor’s passion for being in court and led to a lateral move from a transactional practice to litigation [12:30]
📚 How thorough research and self-advocacy are key to succeeding in law firm interviews [15:56]
🎯 How leveraging pro bono opportunities can sharpen trial skills and clarify career goals [24:40]
🤝 How and why to deliberately develop a sponsor relationship [28:45]
📅 How a day in the life of a litigator combines case strategy with future client planning [32:51]
🏛️ How trial work's fast-paced, collaborative environment is intense yet rewarding, reminiscent of the teamwork in sports [35:31]
💡 How to demonstrate initiative by proactively bringing new ideas to the table [37:29]
🌐 How building a network in law school lays the groundwork for future professional opportunities [41:10]
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