Current Job: Associate at Kennedy, Childs & Fogg, P.C. in Denver

How did you get your current job? I am now in my third legal job since I graduated just over four years ago. Every position has fed off the one before. I began as a clerk for a judge on the Colorado Court of Appeals, which I got by mailing out my resume and offering to fly myself out for an interview. With a helpful recommendation from that judge, I was hired for the next year by a justice on the Colorado Supreme Court. By the time that clerkship was ending, I had developed relationships with past clerks who worked at my current firm.

When you interview, you should learn as much as possible about the job you are seeking. If you can, find someone else that works there and buy them lunch before your interview to get their take on the job. I have heard many stories of interviewees who are lost on what the job duties would be, and those people do not get hired. Also, keep in mind that with smaller groups, often they care just as much about your qualifications as they do about how well you will fit on the team. You need to find common areas of interest during the interview.

What is the best part of your new job? The best part of my job is I do not sit behind a desk every day. Of course there are many days of drafting motions and sorting through records in my cases, but I am often out of the office in depositions, meetings with clients and witnesses, and at court hearings. I am fortunate that I work at a firm that demands I get real experience very quickly. This experience includes not only legal work but also developing client relationships, which are skills I can use anywhere I go.