MEET THE HIRING PARTNERS
1. Why did you choose to practice law and how did you decide to practice in your particular area of law?
I was planning to go to graduate school for physics but worked in a physics labs three floors underground between junior and senior year and hated it. So, I took the LSAT that same summer and applied to law school. Everyone told me at law school that of course I was going to do IP, and I fought the pull for awhile but ended up loving the subject (plus IP litigation groups still hiring in fall of 2008 didn’t hurt), so here I am.
2. What do you like best about being Hiring Partner?
Getting to meet so many interesting people with different paths to end up in the law.
3. In your opinion, what makes Alston & Bird a great place to work?
I always tell interviewees, “It’s Biglaw—don’t get me wrong, it’s Biglaw—but it’s a more humane Biglaw.” When a partner calls you up to ask you to work on something in the evening or on a weekend—and they will—they will be apologetic about it, and they will be working right there in the trenches with you.
4. If there was one piece of (career) advice you could provide to a law student, what would it be?
Two pieces of advice: (1) under-promise and over-deliver, and (2) spend more time socializing with your fellow law students and less time studying, because a lot of them are going to be your network and clients one day.
5. What was the most memorable recruiting experience for you personally as a law student?
Alston & Bird was the only law firm that also flew out my spouse during my callback interview and took both of us out to dinner as well. The fact that they understood this was a joint decision spoke volumes to me about what kind of workplace it would be.
6. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I spend a lot of time with my kids (soccer, flag football, concerts, etc.). Ask me about “free time” when the last of them moves out in nine years – just kidding. I love taking time to cook great food on the weekends!
7. What is your favorite quote?
My grandpa, Legrande Mondfrans, told me, “If anyone asks if you can do something, tell ‘em you can. By the time they figure out you can’t—you can.”
8. Who inspires you and why?
People who fight tirelessly to ensure voting rights and election access. It’s so important and it’s such a hard and thankless fight.