Like most summer associates descending on law firms, trying to understand an industry often foreign to their classroom experience, Rebecca Simon had questions on her first day.

Her boss was leaving the room after inundating her with tasks, and she quickly called for him.

“Wait, Daddy!”

The slip of the tongue drew laughs in the office, and since then Simon has been careful to refer to her father, Berger Kahn, ALC managing principal Craig S. Simon simply as ‘Craig’.

Now she shadows him on his daily routine, which includes traveling to court and sitting in on depositions, mediation, and meetings. The two also carpool, but as Simon explained, their relationship is all business at the office.

Simon will be a 3L at Southwestern School of Law in the fall. She has also been a board member for the National Women’s Political Caucus L.A. Westside chapter for six years and has recently been accepted at the Pardee RAND Graduate School for Public Policy.

The additional classwork is a tall order for anyone, but for Simon, it fits perfectly with her interests and professional aspirations.

“I want to be an individual with policy expertise that is also a consultant,” Simon said. “Right now, I see a gap in Los Angeles politics. Everything is done on ad hoc basis where outside help is hired to come in and solve one problem.”

As far as how her experience at Berger Kahn differs from Southwestern, Simon related a quote from none other than her father.

“He always said, ‘In law school they teach you a game that looks like checkers. Then you get into the real world, and it’s 3-D space chess.”

Above all else, though, Simon said the job has instilled a greater appreciation for everything her father has accomplished. “He’s been an attorney for 38 years, and I now see what you actually do as managing partner day in, day out.” Simon said. “All the times I had moot court in high school or another event, and he never missed it. It’s incredible.”