Be your genuine self and seek to build relationships. That means asking questions, listening with intent and knowing how you can be a solution to someone else’s problem. I fundamentally believe that we’re all meant to help each other to better the world. Go deep, not wide in those relationships. — Samantha Villanueva-Meyer
Earlier this month, Ironclad hosted a Zoom panel for 1L and 2L students, featuring five lawyers who took different paths in their careers — from Wall Street trader to paralegal-turned-partner in biglaw, to educator teaching STEM in an urban school district in Houston.
Our panelists included:
- Simona Agnolucci, Litigation and Managing Partner at Wilkie Farr & Gallagher — responsible for managing firm business as well as complex litigation, including class action and white collar defense.
- Jason Boehmig, Ironclad’s CEO and Co-founder, who also teaches law as an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame.
- Efren Bonner, a graduate of Harvard School of Law, who partners with enterprise legal teams on implementation of the Ironclad platform in his role as a Legal Engineer.
- Samantha Villanueva-Meyer, a graduate of UC Hastings School of Law, who serves as Enjoy Technology’s Chief Legal Officer, managing global legal and compliance functions.
- Chris Young, a graduate of Berkeley School of Law, who serves as Ironclad’s General Counsel, overseeing contracting, patent filing and legal initiatives.
Hear their best, actionable advice on parlaying that law degree into a fulfilling career path (even one you might not have expected). Watch our on-demand video.
- How I Started My Career in Law – 7:16
- What Does It Mean to Be a Legal Professional – 25:24
- What Essential Foundations Does a Law Firm Provide? – 28:22
- Why Go In-House? 30:48
- Preparing for a Career in Business as a Lawyer 35:23
- How Do You Go About Pursuing Opportunities After Law School? 37:29
- Networking Tips 42:29
Be scrappy and be willing to put yourself out there. Jump off the cliff and do it because you never know what’s on the other side. For example, I got my appellate clerkship with a cold call. – Simona Agnolucci
About Ironclad
Ironclad is the #1 contract lifecycle management platform for innovative companies. L’Oréal, Staples, Mastercard, and other leading innovators use Ironclad to collaborate and negotiate on contracts, accelerate contracting while maintaining compliance, and turn contracts into critical carriers of operational business intelligence. It’s the only platform flexible enough to handle every type of contract workflow, whether a sales agreement, an HR agreement or a complex NDA. The company was named one of the 20 Rising Stars on the Forbes 2019 Cloud 100 list, and is backed by leading investors like Accel, Y Combinator, Sequoia, and BOND. For more information, visit www.ironcladapp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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