Meet the Bar Leaders: Steven Harkavy became a lawyer against his father’s advice
Many parents dream of having children who go to law school and become an attorney. However, in the case of Steven Harkavy, his father, former Brooklyn judge Hon. Ira B. Harkavy, tried to actively discourage his son. Luckily, the younger Harkavy didn’t take his father’s advice and went on to become a key part of the Brooklyn legal community.
“My father was tough,” Harkavy said. “He was a no-nonsense guy with a dry sense of humor. He tried to help me decide what I wanted to be in life, but he didn’t think that I should have been an attorney. He knew that I was good with numbers and wanted me to become an accountant.
“Once I became a lawyer, he was very proud, but he wasn’t sure if I was fit to be a lawyer,” Harkavy added. “He had a high standard.”