Tell us a little bit
about yourself. I am a southern California native who can never get enough
of the beach! I majored in English at BYU and I have minors in music and
Spanish. I love running, hiking, basketball, volleyball, and surfing--to
name a few. I am currently training for my first Olympic Distance
Triathlon!
Why did you decide to
go to law school? Law school has been my plan since grade school. In
middle school, I was on our Mock Trial Team and I even wrote an essay in 7th
grade about how I wanted to be a lawyer when I grew up. It feels awesome
to be living my dream.
You passed the July
2012 bar, what has been most challenging in your job hunt since passing? It took me more than 5 months to get a job after I was sworn
in as an attorney. During that time I was networking like crazy! By
and large, seasoned attorneys were willing to meet with me to offer advice and
suggestions, but often I got the cold shoulder because it seemed that I was
"begging" for a job when really I was just attempting to expand my
network.
Do you have any
suggestions for experienced attorneys that would help new attorneys in their
job search? I would have loved to work part-time at various law firms
during my period of unemployment. I was a brand new attorney, hungry to
put my skills to work and I felt that even if I worked only 5-6 hours a week at
a firm, I could gain valuable experience, decrease some over-worked attorney's
work-load while increasing their productivity, and best of all, at 5-6 hours a
week, there would be little risk to the firm! I thought I could do this
at 2-3 firms but no one ever took me up on the offer. It still seems like
it could be a good idea for new attorneys...
What area or areas of
law are you interested in and why? I am currently practicing Social Security Disability Law.
This area of law was never on my radar, but I was open to applying for the
position and I am so happy that I did! I LOVE my work and I think it is a
perfect fit for me. I feel privileged to meet people from various
backgrounds and it is extremely rewarding to be a part of their life changing
for the better. I frequently get emotional when my clients are granted
social security benefits--often after many years of suffering--and they look me
in the eyes and sincerely thank me for helping them. It's hard to have a
bad day after something like that happens.
Share with us why
you're involved with the JRCLS and how WIL is a part of that. I love being a part of the JRCLS! I feel an instant
camaraderie with fellow members because I know we share the same core values
and beliefs. I get especially excited when I meet other women members
because there are fewer of us and I love seeing how successful these women have
been professionally as well as with their families and in other aspects of
life. WIL is so inspiring to me!
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