Mentorship in action: Ajit Sharma ’23 gains legal experience from Antonio Musillami ’00
When aspiring attorney Ajit Sharma ’23 was searching for a job after graduation, he utilized the College’s vast alumni network to connect with real estate attorney Antonio Musillami ’00, who owns a law firm in Chicago. Musillami’s firm hired Sharma as a paralegal, and he has now been working there for more than a year.
Their working relationship has proven beneficial for them both: Sharma receives hands-on experience and an inside look into life as an attorney, and Musillami is paying back the mentoring he received at the same point in his career. Get to know them both more below.
Learning the ropes
Sharma double majored in economics and theater, studying both practical and personal passions. Hoping to start law school in the fall of 2026, Sharma will build his legal knowledge and experience while studying for the LSAT and preparing his applications.
Why do you want to be an attorney?
Higher education is a priority in my family and in our culture, so my brain has always been wired to seek out challenges. I really want to study law because the legal sector is so intellectually stimulating, and I can interact with a lot of different people. I also want to work in the areas of economic development and wealth inequality, and being a lawyer would make me more reasonable when defending certain policies that would benefit a large population rather than a corporation or a small group of people.
How has it been to work with Musillami and be mentored by him?
It’s been a really great experience, and Antonio has been a fantastic mentor. Whenever there’s any confusion or any sort of miscommunication, he is very calm and well-versed in how to handle it. If I ever don’t understand anything and I ask him for help, he explains it so clearly that it sticks in my brain forever.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from working at Musillami’s firm?
I’ve realized that when working at a law firm, you must be very detail-oriented. You need to be very meticulous because we’re hired to solve people’s problems.
Giving back to the next generation
Musillami, who majored in English, attended law school at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. He practices real estate law, encompassing commercial and residential real estate and aspects such as property transactions, zoning, leasing, and land use.
How did you get your start in the field of law?
My senior year of college, I was lucky to be able to intern at a small firm in Highland Park with an attorney who was dedicated to teaching me. I was a brand-new intern doing actual legal work and getting real experience. I had been accepted to law school, but she encouraged me to take a gap year before starting school to make sure I really did want to be a lawyer for the rest of my life. I resisted at first, but I ended up working there for the next year, traveling, and doing a summer program at the University of Oxford in England.
How did you come to own your own law practice?
I hadn’t yet found a job I loved after law school. I was talking about it with my family, and they suggested I talk to my cousin—who I had never met—who was an attorney in Chicago with his own firm. He had been planning on retiring, but he kept working for two years to train me. After that, I stepped in and took over his practice in 2006.
What has it been like to work with Sharma and mentor him?
He’s fantastic; he always wants to know more and do more. He's willing to take on big projects and uses critical thinking and analysis to do a great job. He has never missed a beat from the first day he started, and it's been fun to work with someone who went to the same school. One day when he’s a practicing attorney, he’s going to totally blow me out of the water.
What is most rewarding about being a mentor to Sharma and helping him on his journey to being an attorney?
It feels good to pass on my knwoledge to someone else. I had two fantastic mentors when I was about his age, and I'm completely cognizant of how much they positively influenced my path in life. I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today without them, and the opportunity to do even half of that for someone else is a really rewarding feeling.