Alumni Spotlights are Q&A's with former Brandeis student-athletes, across a myriad of disciplines, as they reflect on their Brandeis experience and how it has shaped their lives today. Read more spotlight features here.
Name: Will Friedman '09
Sport: Fencing
Current job: Attorney specializing in energy law
BIO
Will Friedman is a native of Newton, Massachusetts, and the son of a Brandeis graduate. He joined the fencing team and was a key member of the foil squad from his first year with the Judges. Friedman helped Brandeis win three-straight Northeast Fencing Conference six-weapon championships and helped his squad to a landmark performance at the Duke Invitational as a junior. Individually, Friedman became just the third fencer in Brandeis men's history history to qualify for the NCAA Championships four straight seasons, highlighted by a 7th-place finish and All-America honors as a junior.
Friedman graduated from Brandeis in 2009 magna cum laude with a degree in philosphy. He went on to earn his law degree from George Washington University in 2012, where he was notes editor for the George Washington Law Review. After interning with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Energy and Telecommunications division in 2010 and the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division in 2012, he has been active in energy law in the Washington, D.C., area, while also doing pro bono work for clients seeking asylum in the U.S. Since 2022, Friedman has worked as legal counsel at Amazon Web Services in helping with energy issues.
Will Friedman will be one of six Judges inducted into the Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame during
Homecoming on September 28th.
Registration for the Hall of Fame is open now!
Q: What attracted you to Brandeis in the first place?
A: My mom is a Brandeis alum, so I've always had a connection to the school. When I was looking at colleges, Brandeis had the right mix of a strong fencing program, academic rigor, and values (Truth Even Unto Its Innermost Parts). I also have to shout-out Coach Shipman and some friends who preceded me to Brandeis (Brendan Doris-Pierce in particular) that I knew from the fencing world who recruited me.
Q: Describe your overall experience as a student-athlete. What does it mean to you now/what did it mean to you while you were an undergraduate?
A: Being a student-athlete taught me to push to my boundaries and grow from my setbacks, both educationally and athletically. Even today in my professional life, I use skills from fencing to put on a game face, rise to the occasion, and always compete. Every time I appear before a judge or sit down for a high-stakes negotiation, I'm drawing from my experience stepping onto the fencing strip at a big tournament.
Q: Do you have any advice for current or future Brandeis Student-Athletes?
A: Figure out your game and play it. I wasn't the biggest, strongest, or fastest fencer. My game was to outsmart my opponents tactically and keep them guessing. The same applies to academic and professional life. I've followed a path - law school and my legal practice - that plays to my strengths and keeps my interest. I still get to compete and out-maneuver my opponent, just in negotiations and legal proceedings that are far less gripping than a fencing bout.
Q: Do you keep in touch with any of your former Brandeis teammates? How?
A: Oh yeah. A bunch of my Brandeis teammates were at my wedding and Damien Lehfeldt was a groomsman. I've been to their weddings. Some of us (Jessie Newhall, Caitlin Kozel) did New Year's Eve together for years. Many of us text frequently and stay in touch. Sharing photos of our kids, internet memes, and other typical millennial modes of communication.
Q: Looking back on your career at Brandeis, do you have any one or two moments that you look back on and cherish?
A: Way more than one or two. There are some obvious ones - NCAA Nationals, best foil squad at the Duke Invitational, beating Harvard. But there are a couple of other moments that really stand out. I believe it was my junior year we had a really tough loss to Brown. I was subbed out for Dan Lanzara, and a Brown foil fencer was downright disrespectful to Dan, making an "obscene gesture" towards him. I started barking at the Brown fencer and was immediately joined by my entire team. I maybe had to be physically restrained a little bit. But it was a unifying experience and it hammered home the importance of acting with dignity and respect, whether you win or lose. Another one was my freshman year, watching my teammate JD Carrol score the winning touch to beat NYU 14-13 against a much stronger opponent. Everyone went crazy. That was the moment I understood that college fencing is a team sport and we can all lift each other up to new heights. That's the reason I was able to accomplish anything of note.
Q: Did you always know you wanted to pursue a legal career?
A: Nope! I went to law school due to some combination of graduating into a bad economy, being a philosophy major, and watching too much West Wing. It wasn't the most thought-out choice I've ever made, but it's worked out.
Q: How did you get involved with energy law?
A: My first summer in law school I worked for the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. They asked for my interests and I put impractical things like constitutional law and cyber crime. They assigned me to the energy division instead. I kept an open mind and asked a bunch of questions. Eventually I saw that energy law touched on a bunch of areas I wanted to be a part of like climate change, technology, infrastructure, and economics. And now I get to annoy my family by excitedly pointing out substations and power plants when we drive.
Q: What personal or professional accomplishments are you most proud of since you graduated?
A: Having two amazing children and a fantastic wife is easily #1. I got asylum for an immigrant who fled El Salvador fearing for his life. I recently led a first-of-its-kind deal that has reinvigorated interest in nuclear energy from most major technology companies. One time during a cross-examination I embarrassed a witness so badly the judge laughed at him.
