The Path & The Practice

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...

Join Alexis Robertson, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Foley & Larder LLP, in exploring the professional origin stories of the attorneys at Foley & Lardner —a full service law firm with over 1000 lawyers in 21 offices across the U.S. Each episode is a one-on-one candid conversation with a new attorney guest sharing their unique background, path to law school and path to Foley & Lardner.