By, James Bradicich
Prominent African-American attorneys gave USC Law students an inside look at what their lives will be like post graduation at the “Black Law Students Association (BLSA) Employment Panel.”
Topics included how students can strategically manage their demanding work life, pay back their student loans and choose an appropriate practice area.
The event, hosted by BLSA co-presidents Derek Kigongo ’13 and Gabrielle Bass ’13, included panelists George Clayton Fatheree III, an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Monique V. Robinson, a corporate associate at Kirkland & Ellis; Yaphett K. Powell, director of Business & Legal Affairs for the International and Emerging TV Networks Group at FOX Cable Networks; Tiaunia N. Bedell, an associate with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and Michael H. David ’11, a first-year corporate associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.
The most pressing issue discussed was how first-year associates can effectively manage their workload while still maintaining a healthy personal life.
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| BLSA co-president Gabrielle Bass '13, George C. Fatheree III, Monique V. Robinson, Yaphett K. Powell, Tiaunia N. Bedell, BLSA co-president Derek Kigongo '13 and Michael H. David '11. |
“You want to make a name for yourself as someone who works hard and is always on top of it,” said David, who graduated from USC Law last May. “If you’ve been around for four or five years, if there’s a rush project, you can give it to someone else. When you’re new, you want to say yes to everything and it is a little more demanding.”
Although the first few years may be arduous, Robinson warned that even though first-year associates may want to take on every responsibility, they should be cautious not to overburden their schedules.
“You have to learn how to say no sometimes,” Robinson said. “If you don’t set reasonable boundaries early on it will be difficult to deal with your responsibilities later.”
The consensus from the panelists regarding the heavy workload was to prioritize responsibilities, work hard and know when to allocate time for personal life.
“In corporate transactions, your schedule is a lot more erratic, even if you’re a fifth year,” Bedell said. “In litigation, you know what’s coming. If you prioritize your time, you will be able fill up your social calendar and work within your own parameters.”
Fatheree added that although the workload as a junior associate will be demanding and somewhat unpredictable, there is always a silver lining in that associates will have more control of their schedules later on.
The panelists advised students not to spend their salaries frivolously in their first couple years on the job. Instead, students were advised to save as much money as they could to pay back their students loans. Eventually, the rewards will come, Bedell said.
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| Monique V. Robinson |
“I am a fifth-year and I still don’t spend more than I did my first year,” Bedell said. “Every year I calculate how much money I need to pay back for student loans and by this time next year I will have bought my first house.”
When it comes to choosing a practice area, the panelists explained that they took different paths to determine what was best for them.
It took Fatheree eight years after graduating Harvard to decide to attend Loyola Law School. Although he currently practices real estate law, he said he initially never considered it.
In Robinson’s case, she was a public school teacher before she went to NYU Law. She ultimatelydecided to pursue a career in corporate law after realizing in law school that she enjoyed contracts and disliked civil procedure.
Fatheree said that he joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom because of the emphasis the firm put on maintaining a healthy family life. Fatheree said he enjoys meals with his family every night and that every Wednesday night, he takes his wife out to dinner.
Although not all of the panelists had their futures set in stone initially, they all ended up in fulfilling positions and have thriving work and home lives.
“It’s a fun job,” Powell said. “Television itself is a bit more businesslike than working for a film. FOX is a great place because we have smart and personable attorneys.”
Ultimately, students must create their own opportunities for success and use their resources to manage their time, pay back their student loans and decide what practice area they want to work in. A first step would be attending student organization events or reaching out to USC Law’s Career Counseling here: http://weblaw.usc.edu/careers/counseling/.
To learn more about BLSA, please visit: http://www-scf.usc.edu/~blsa/.
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