Javier Melendez ’25 was drawn to Fordham Law’s Jesuit values and abundant sense of community. Belonging to the Fordham Business and Law Association and the Dispute Resolution Society, he appreciated the mentorship relationships he formed, whether as a mentee or as a mentor to 1Ls and 2Ls. Melendez has experience working with venture capital firms, and, coming from an immigrant background and as a person of color, he is especially interested in working with minority startup founders. This passion leads him to his upcoming role at Clifford Chance back in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
Where did you grow up, and where did you study before Fordham Law?
I grew up in Houston, Texas, and I went to Georgetown University where I got a B.A. in philosophy.
What are your areas of interest?
I worked prior to law school for around three years. During that time, I did a lot of venture capital and startup work. I carried that interest over into law school, where I really enjoy working with startups and venture capital firms. However, my niche area within that is working with first-time founders, and also working with minority founders, minority investors, and fund managers. I think it’s a really unique opportunity to work in the corporate area but still have the impact of servicing a community. I was able to see the impact of how that can trickle down, as to being able to invest in minority-owned businesses and how that can lead to employment opportunities for others. I feel like it was very much a domino effect. If you’re able to diversify at the top, then you’re going to be able to diversify at the bottom as well. Coming from an immigrant background and as a person of color, I wanted to make sure that I continue that forward.
Why did you choose Fordham Law?
I really liked the Jesuit aspect of Fordham, because Georgetown, where I went for my undergraduate education, was a Jesuit institution, too. I knew the School’s values would align with my own in terms of being mission-oriented and community-focused. It’s a place where I would be able to use my degree to better society.
What has been the best thing about studying law in New York City?
One thing that I found really helpful in New York was that the legal community was very much willing to provide mentors and be mentors. So I think the ability to just easily access those resources and access those communities has been very valuable to me, especially coming from a first generation background where sometimes you don’t really know what OCI (on-campus interviews) or working on journals might be like. Being able to have that opportunity to reach out to either an actual attorney or someone at School and ask those questions has been invaluable.
Is there something special you were involved in at Fordham Law?
I was co-president of the Fordham Business and Law Association (FBLA), and one of the things I found really rewarding was being able to be a mentor towards others. I took on the position because FBLA provided a lot of mentorship opportunities to me, so I wanted to pay it forward and be a mentor towards others, whether that meant providing advice on the job search process or class selection.
What was your most memorable law school moment?
I was part of the International Mediation team of the Dispute Resolution Society, and our competition was in Chicago. We started prepping in September, and we had our competition in March. During those seven months that we were together, I was able to get really close with people who I knew before but I wasn’t really super close with. Because we were constantly preparing with each other, I really bonded with my teammates. We also managed to win the meditation competition, which was an added bonus.
What do you have planned for after you graduate?
I’ll be working at Clifford Chance back home in Houston, Texas, and I’ll be part of their corporate group.
What is one piece of advice you would give to incoming 1Ls?
The biggest piece of advice I can give is don’t be afraid to ask questions and reach out for help. I think a majority of the time, we feel as though everyone is super busy and that nobody has time to answer any questions. But if there are people out there that put themselves out there to be mentors, or to be of assistance to you, that means they want to help, and they don’t feel as though you’re bothering them. Feeling free to reach out either to your formal mentors and informal mentors, your friends, and also to your professors, I think is the biggest key.
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