In the summer of 1994, John Zervopoulos was hired as the front desk manager of Manor French Cleaners in Roslyn Heights, N.Y. Little did he know that a local customer would change his life.
The customer was Robert Sack, a founding partner of personal injury law firm Salenger, Sack, Schwartz & Kimmel. Sack was a frequent customer of the cleaners, and he noticed young Zervopoulos going out of his way to help another customer who was having trouble getting into a car with a load of freshly cleaned clothes. “I was impressed with his customer service and fast action,” Sack said.
In time, Sack learned that Zervopoulos was working full time and attending Hofstra University School of Law. Impressed with Zervopoulos’ work ethic and his ability to juggle the demands of his job and school, Sack offered him a clerkship at the firm.
Zervopoulos was surprised. “Bob had been a customer for two years before I found out he was a partner at a law firm,” said Zervopoulos. “I was totally unaware of my impression on him. I was doing my job the best way I could.”
Personal contact and interaction are more important than résumés, said Sack. “It’s more important to hit it off with somebody than what is written on paper. It was almost a done deal before I saw his résumé.”
At law school, Zervopoulos was focusing on international and maritime law and knew that his clerkship at a personal injury firm wouldn’t provide much interaction with those kinds of clients. After clerking at the firm for a few years and watching the other attorneys, Zervopoulos changed his focus to personal injury law. “I changed my focus based on what I saw at the firm,” said Zervopoulos. “Under the tutelage of Sack and the other partners I developed a passion for the practice of personal injury and medical malpractice law. When Bob asked me to clerk at the firm, he completely changed my life.”
After graduating from law school, Zervopoulos was invited to join the firm as an associate in the New York office. Four years later, when the firm opened an office in Woodbury, N.Y., Zervopoulos relocated to Woodbury and was promoted to managing attorney of that office. “John continues to validate my initial assessment of his talents,” said Sack. “He has proven himself to be both a superior attorney and manager.”
Send associate news to Tasha Norman at [email protected].
