Knowledgeable tutor with English and legal background.

Matt F.

Hi, English and law are my strongest fields for tutoring, but I am also currently helping my daughter with her fourth-grade math homework. I graduated college with a Bachelor's degree in English and then graduated from law school. I have been practicing law for the last 20 years.

My teaching/tutoring experience comes mostly from work as a volunteer. I oversaw a children's program with New York Cares at a public library and also started my own English class for adults who had limited to no knowledge of English (and whose first language was Spanish). There were one-on-one and group sessions for both groups. The kids in the program ranged from approximately 6- to 12-years old, and the adults from their early 20s and up. I essentially created my own plans for the children's and adult programs, and both were designed to engage the participants in discussion and activities, as opposed to simply lecturing or giving formulas to memorize. Memorization is an important part of a lot of education, but learning how to think is more important and can be a lot more fun. I am a big fan of the old saying:
Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.

Regarding my legal work, I have been involved in New York State and federal civil litigation for over 20 years, including a variety of contract, corporate, partnership and tort cases. Each case involves knowing the appropriate law, including the NY Supreme and federal district courts' rules of civil procedure. Throughout my career, I have had to explain the law and facts of my cases clearly and concisely to judges, clients and newer attorneys. It is a form of tutoring I believe will transfer well to law students studying for exams and the New York bar. I am currently studying for the Irish bar, so I will not be short on empathy.