PROFESSIONS IN LAW
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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
August 26, 2020 Key Takeaways from the event:
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- There are multiple paths to get to a profession in law. Often students who chose law like policy making and politics. All panelists agreed that once you are in law school, you can't realistic train at the highest level and will have to focus solely on the law.
- Our speakers recommend to "get as close as possible" to the practice of law to gain an understanding of what the industry and profession look like (shadowing, volunteer experience, networking & informational interviews, paralegal job).
- The biggest challenge of this industry is its intensity and the fact that it is a very stressful industry and occupation. It requires a lot of work hours and generally it is difficult to find good work/life balance.
FURTHER INSIGHTS FROM OUR SPEAKERS:
What does a typical day look like for you?
Whitney: I don’t know that I have a typical day. I spend a great deal of time communicating with 110 elected officials and two administrative departments on questions that every day resident’s of the State have. I also usually have at least 2 meetings a day on issues that are either before the legislature for a vote or that we have heard about as a problem and I am collecting information on how to change the law to solve the problem. I try to dedicate at least one day a week to drafting legislation – and that is everything from writing an entire bill from scratch or drafting amendments to a bill that has already started the legislative process.
Radney: My days are full of client meetings and phone calls. I would say I spend at least two hours a day on average speaking/meeting with clients. On top of that, I send dozens and dozens of emails. Most of my day is spent drafting legal documents. A portion of that is definitely researching the applicable law that I am working with. I am mostly a corporate attorney so most of my work involves guiding businesses through legal issues. But I do still occasionally deal with litigation and have handled depositions, hearings, and other court proceedings. I also do a lot of pro bono work on asylum so that involves drafting and filing briefs. I'd also say that a solid 6 plus hours a week is involved in speaking with potential clients that I get introduced to through my network or who come through my website.
What is the best part of your job? What do you like the most?
Whitney: I like that it is different every day and that I make laws that make people’s lives better. When you hear from constituents that their breast cancer was detected at an early stage because you altered how their mammograms are performed, it makes all the hard work, late hours and high-stakes negotiations worth it.
Radney: The best part of my job is helping early-stage companies to navigate all the legal issues they never thought of. It is very rewarding to help founders get their ideas off the ground and to be the one who has many of the answers to so many of their early-stage questions. I also really enjoy the pro bono work I do on asylum. You never feel more like an attorney than when you are helping someone in need like that.
What were the biggest adjustments you had to make from sports to law?
Whitney: Adjusting to how to set goals for myself to make sure my career was progressing and I was moving forward in it that are not quantifiable was an adjustment for me. Especially coming from a sport that was very black and white in who is winning, who is losing, who is improving and who is falling behind.
Radney: The biggest adjustment for me was no longer having the team atmosphere and moving from an environment (sports) where I had nearly all the answers from years of practice to an environment where I knew little even after many years of working. See sports is a kind environment where there is a limited number of things that can happen. Law is a wicked environment where anything can happen so it is not as easy to train for and become an expert at least not in the same way as in sports.
Whitney: I don’t know that I have a typical day. I spend a great deal of time communicating with 110 elected officials and two administrative departments on questions that every day resident’s of the State have. I also usually have at least 2 meetings a day on issues that are either before the legislature for a vote or that we have heard about as a problem and I am collecting information on how to change the law to solve the problem. I try to dedicate at least one day a week to drafting legislation – and that is everything from writing an entire bill from scratch or drafting amendments to a bill that has already started the legislative process.
Radney: My days are full of client meetings and phone calls. I would say I spend at least two hours a day on average speaking/meeting with clients. On top of that, I send dozens and dozens of emails. Most of my day is spent drafting legal documents. A portion of that is definitely researching the applicable law that I am working with. I am mostly a corporate attorney so most of my work involves guiding businesses through legal issues. But I do still occasionally deal with litigation and have handled depositions, hearings, and other court proceedings. I also do a lot of pro bono work on asylum so that involves drafting and filing briefs. I'd also say that a solid 6 plus hours a week is involved in speaking with potential clients that I get introduced to through my network or who come through my website.
What is the best part of your job? What do you like the most?
Whitney: I like that it is different every day and that I make laws that make people’s lives better. When you hear from constituents that their breast cancer was detected at an early stage because you altered how their mammograms are performed, it makes all the hard work, late hours and high-stakes negotiations worth it.
Radney: The best part of my job is helping early-stage companies to navigate all the legal issues they never thought of. It is very rewarding to help founders get their ideas off the ground and to be the one who has many of the answers to so many of their early-stage questions. I also really enjoy the pro bono work I do on asylum. You never feel more like an attorney than when you are helping someone in need like that.
What were the biggest adjustments you had to make from sports to law?
Whitney: Adjusting to how to set goals for myself to make sure my career was progressing and I was moving forward in it that are not quantifiable was an adjustment for me. Especially coming from a sport that was very black and white in who is winning, who is losing, who is improving and who is falling behind.
Radney: The biggest adjustment for me was no longer having the team atmosphere and moving from an environment (sports) where I had nearly all the answers from years of practice to an environment where I knew little even after many years of working. See sports is a kind environment where there is a limited number of things that can happen. Law is a wicked environment where anything can happen so it is not as easy to train for and become an expert at least not in the same way as in sports.
OUR SPEAKERS
Radney Wood
Partner Vela Wood Former Collegiate Football player |
Steven Segaloff
Managing Director - Senior Counsel Atalaya Capital Management Former Rower |
Whitney Metzler
General Counsel and ED Health Committee, PA of House of Representatives, Former Swimmer |
Edward Neufville III
Principal Attorney at Law Office of Edward W. Neufville III Former Track and Field Athlete |
Curtis Roberts
Attorney at The Founder's Attorney, Former Collegiate Lacrosse Player |
