The Path & The Practice

This episode features a conversation with Christopher Ward. Chris is a partner in Foley’s Chicago and Los Angeles offices focused on labor and employment matters. Chris reflects on growing up in Valencia, CA, his path to Northwestern University for college and The University of Illinois for law school. He discusses how he developed an expertise in California labor & employment law as well as his p...

This episode features a conversation with Steve Cade. Steve is a partner in Foley’s Chicago office focused on mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, venture capital financings and securities matters. Steve reflects on growing up in Kansas City, Missouri, his path to Iowa State University for college, and Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Steve also shares about the develo...

This episode features a conversation with Nick Benson. Nick is a 3L at the University of Iowa College of Law. In this episode, Nick reflects on his path to law school, adjusting to life as a law student, and writing-on to law review. He also shares about his experience as a virtual summer associate at Foley & Lardner during the summer of 2020. Nick also provides excellent advice to law students on...

This episode features a conversation with Joanne Molinaro. Joanne is a partner in Foley’s Chicago office. She is a member of the firm’s bankruptcy and litigation practice groups. Joanne reflects on her decision to go to law school—a decision that was sparked by a job as a professional resume writer. She shares about her experience attending the University of Chicago, how she learned of Foley, and...

This episode features a discussion with Christopher Swift. Christopher is a partner in Foley’s Washington, D.C. and New York offices. He is a member of Foley’s Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice Group focusing on national security and international law. Christopher reflects on growing-up in New Hampshire and his family’s roots reaching back to Colonial America. He discusses t...

This episode features a discussion with Anjali Desai. Anjali is Foley’s in-house attorney coach, providing executive coaching services to Foley attorneys. In this conversation, she reflects on her legal career and her decision to leave practice to become an executive coach. Anjali also explains what executive coaching is, why every lawyer can benefit from a coach, and the importance of being inten...

This episode features a discussion with Stephen Jones. Stephen is an associate in Foley’s Dallas office where he is a member of the litigation practice group with a focus on bankruptcy and restructuring. Stephen shares about growing up in Texas and Ohio. He reflects on the jobs he had after high school and his decision, a number of years later, to return to college and eventually law school. As a...

This episode features a discussion with Emily Weber. Emily is Managing Partner of Foley’s Denver office and a member of the firm’s health care practice. Emily reflects on her nontraditional legal path—one that started with her having difficulty finding a job, but due to her own tenacity eventually securing an in-house role at a hospital. Emily discusses her eventual transition from in-house counse...

This episode features a discussion with Vi Tran. Vi is an associate in Foley’s Houston office where she is focused on complex commercial litigation. Vi reflects on moving frequently during early childhood as her parents, recent immigrants from Vietnam, worked hard to establish a life in the United States. She shares about becoming a single-mom as a college student and the affect that had on her pr...

This episode features a discussion with Sonal Agarwal. Sonal is an associate in Foley’s Madison office where she is an intellectual property attorney focused on patent prosecution. Sonal shares about growing up in India and coming to the U.S. for graduate school. She discusses her decision to pursue patent law instead of staying on a more traditional career path for an electrical engineer. Sonal a...

This episode features a discussion with Larry Perlman. Larry is a partner in Foley’s Miami office focused on labor and employment. Larry shares about his former life as an internal medicine doctor and reflects on why he decided to leave medical practice to become a lawyer. He shares about the parallels between medical practice and his employment practice. And, Larry provides advice on the importan...

This episode features a discussion with Senayt Rahwa. Senayt is a senior counsel in Foley’s Washington, D.C., office where she focuses on finance, with an emphasis on the energy sector. Senayt shares about her parents moving to Denver, Colorado, from Ethiopia during the civil war. She reflects on her difficulty transitioning to law school and provides some great advice to law students on how to ad...

This episode features special guest Michelle Silverthorn. Michelle is a former law firm attorney turned diversity and inclusion expert. Michelle shares about how growing-up in majority Black environments in Jamaica and Trinidad crafted her understanding of race and self-worth. She reflects on her path to law school and her decision to leave practice to focus on diversity and inclusion education. M...

This episode features a discussion with John Atallah. John is a senior counsel in Foley’s Los Angeles office where he focuses on consumer class action litigation. In this episode, John shares about growing-up as a first generation Lebanese American in Garden Grove, California. He also explains a bit about his litigation practice and reflects on the many interests that he has outside of law. John a...

This episode features a discussion with Phil Phillips. Phil is Managing Partner of Foley’s Detroit office and a member of the Labor & Employment group. Phil shares about life growing-up as the youngest of nine kids in Saginaw, Michigan, and the incredible role models he had in his older, very high achieving, siblings. Phil also shares about his labor & employment practice and how, as a former pros...

This episode features a discussion with Katie Catanese, a partner in Foley’s New York office focused on bankruptcy and restructuring. Katie reflects on her path to Foley and to her restructuring practice—the one practice she promised she’d never do, but ended up loving. Katie also shares about how difficult it was for her to transition to law school, but how she was able to turn it around and grad...

This episode features a discussion with litigation associate Katie Harrington. Katie has spent the majority of her career in the firm’s Houston office, but recently moved to Boston. Katie shares about her passion for sports and how she started college focused on doing PR for a professional sports team, but later decided to focus on law school. She also shares about her experience navigating higher...

This episode features a discussion with Jay Rothman, Foley’s former Chairman and CEO. Jay is a partner in Foley’s Milwaukee office focused on mergers and acquisitions and capital markets. Jay reflects on growing up on a working farm, clerking for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, as well as his corporate practice. Jay also shares his thoughts on the values and culture of Foley & L...

This episode features a discussion with Patrick McMahon, an associate in Foley & Lardner’s Chicago office. Patrick is a litigation attorney focused on labor & employment and general litigation matters. Patrick shares about his decision to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy and the 6 years he served in the Air Force following graduation. Patrick also explains why it was that he decided to switch fro...

This episode features Vaitiari Rodriguez, an immigration law associate in Foley & Lardner's Miami office. Vaitiari shares about immigrating from Cuba to California, when she was 17, and the culture shock of moving to the U.S. Vaitiari also discusses how she decided on both college and law school, as well as how she became an immigration attorney.

This episode features a discussion with Jack Lord. Jack is a partner and co-chair of Foley’s Labor & Employment Group. Jack reflects on his 25-years practicing at Foley, including what it was like being a junior employment associate in the mid-1990s, when a variety of new labor and employment laws were adopted, navigating legal practice as an out gay man, and the progress that has been made regard...

This episode features a discussion with Galen Yu, senior counsel in Foley & Lardner's Los Angeles office. Galen is an IP attorney focused on patent prosecution. Galen shares about moving to the U.S., from China, when he was in middle school, as well as how he decided to become both an engineer and IP lawyer. Galen also shares tips for both cross-cultural communications and gardening.

This episode features a discussion with Lauren Champaign, senior counsel in Foley & Lardner's Washington D.C. office. Lauren is a litigation attorney focused on securities litigation, product liability defense, antitrust, and consumer finance matters. Lauren shares about growing-up in a military family, relocating frequently, but never losing connection with her family in Charleston, South Carolin...

This episode features a discussion with Von Bryant, senior counsel in Foley & Lardner's Washington D.C. office. Von is a corporate attorney focused on venture capital financing and M&A transactions. Von shares about growing-up in West Philadelphia and the suburbs of New Jersey, navigating high school as the number one Ivy League recruit, as well as life as a college football player at Duke Univers...

This episode features a discussion with Marcella Jayne. Marcella is a litigation associate in Foley’s New York office. Marcella shares her long and winding journey to law school and to Foley, essentially a journey in which she was able to pull herself, and her family, out of poverty. Marcella shares about dropping out of high school, getting her GED, and setting her sights on law school while in c...