Note: Thank you to co-author Joe Mankowski for contributing this post.
Foley’s Legal Talent & Development department recently hosted a Diverse Attorney Panel for law students.
Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion led a discussion with a panel featuring, Byron McLain, Joanne Molinaro, Von Bryant, and Jessica Gonzalez. The panelists discussed life at Foley, gave advice on how students can navigate law firm interviews, and how to leverage one’s personal experiences to succeed in law.
Regarding the experience of being a diverse attorney, Joanne Molinaro and Jessica Gonzalez touched upon the importance of being proactive:
When it came to interviewing as a law student and starting ones’ professional career, Von Bryant and Byron McLain expressed the importance of rising to the challenge and learning how to balance one’s confidence:
Each of these attorneys were previously featured on Foley’s podcast ‘The Path & The Practice’, which explores the professional origin stories of the attorneys at Foley. Each episode of the podcast features a one-on-one conversation exploring an attorney’s unique background, path to law school, and path to Foley & Lardner.
To replicate this up-close experience from the podcast, Foley opened up four breakout rooms after the panel discussion. Law students were encouraged to listen to the podcast episodes in advance and attend these more intimate settings to ask their questions in an unscripted open forum. The four breakout rooms featured:
As one firm, Foley continues to work towards providing diverse and insightful experiences that reflect the world it serves.
If you’re a law student that missed the Diverse Attorney Panel event, or if you’d like to learn more about Foley, check out these links: