I considered being a lawyer as a young child, but lost sight of that dream as I grew older. I did not rediscover my passion for the law until May 2001 when a restaurant in Myrtle Beach kicked me and several other African American students out simply because we were African American (yes, they told us this was the reason). The experience left me feeling humiliated and powerless. I knew what the restaurant did was wrong but did not know my rights in such a situation. I decided to learn them by going to law school to help others avoid similar experiences.

Utilizing Furman’s Engaged Learning program, I applied for and received an internship with the public defender of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties. For a variety of reasons, I decided I would not be happy doing criminal defense work in that setting. However, I still wanted to defend the rights of the “little person.” Thus, I worked through the Engaged Learning program again the following summer and interned for a small, civil rights law firm in Greenville. This experience confirmed civil rights were my passion, but I realized I could also make an impact on doing defense work. If I represented the defendant, I could work with them to avoid discriminatory practices or to help remedy such practices when they occurred.

I obtained a summer associate position with a large law firm (now Kilpatrick Townsend) during my first summer of law school and loved it. During that summer, I did a few projects for the labor and employment law team and realized that practice area was aligned with my passions—people and civil rights. In addition, there was not the sense of powerlessness I disliked about my work at the prior internships. I have enjoyed practicing employment law ever since.

After law school I went to Kilpatrick Townsend and worked there for nine years. During law school I never thought I would stay at a firm long enough to make partner, but I did and enjoyed my time there. However, one day one of my clients called and advised me of a position within their company that was the perfect match for my skill set. In addition, it would expose me to another aspect of employment law, the client perspective. Thirty days later, I resigned from Kilpatrick Townsend and went in-house with AT&T.

I would advise anyone considering the legal profession to do what interests you but be open to where the process takes you. Although I always stayed true to myself, I was flexible enough to be open to interests I did not know I had. Had I been unwavering on my desire to practice civil rights law in the traditional context, I would not have found my passion for employment law. Similarly, I was open to leaving my comfort zone at Kilpatrick Townsend to explore the position at AT&T.

Other people have been the best resource in my professional development. I have learned from the successes and mistakes of others and frequently look to people more advanced in their career for guidance. I have always maintained mentors at various stages along my desired career path. While all of your mentors should be senior to you, it is important not all of your mentors be senior in their careers. Junior mentors, who have recently been when you are, will be able to provide the most practical advice about moving to the next level. They will also most vividly recall pitfalls they faced on their journey. In addition, senior professionals are frequently busy and it is wise to be judicious of your use of their time. Each of my mentors has continued to provide guidance throughout my career. All of my mentoring relationships have developed organically, typically through the person offering a random but sage piece of wisdom along the way, which resulted in my soliciting their advice on subsequent occasions.

Not every relationship you have will turn into a mentoring relationship, but every relationship you have is important. Many in the legal profession define success as becoming partner at a law firm or becoming in-house counsel. I have done both, and largely credit the strength of my relationships with others for these successes. Two years into my practice, a partner I previously helped with a project approached me late on a Friday evening to work on a project. This partner had previously looked out for me so I agreed to help him. The project was actually for another partner, who neither of us knew would be elected to chair the firm a few years later. My work on the project that Friday evening turned into my being the only other attorney working on this case with the future chair of the firm. We developed a close relationship and he fully supported my application for partner and continues to support me today. In addition, the case was for a good firm client—AT&T. Five years after the case, the client approached me to see if I had any suggestions for a new position at the company. That job ultimately became mine.

I believe the value of law school is often misunderstood. While working hard and getting good grades is a must, law students who buckle down and focus only on their course do themselves a disservice. The relationships you develop with your classmates are almost as valuable as the information learned in class. Networking with your classmate is just as important as networking with future employers. You never know when you will need them for something or whom they know. I cannot count the number of times colleagues asked one another about potential hires who attended each other’s law schools. If one of your law school classmates receives this call, you want them to remember you in a positive light.

Although lawyers come from all types of backgrounds and majors, I believe there was no better preparation for law school than my Furman history and political science double major. I learned to challenge conventional wisdom and to think outside of the box. I also learned the process you undertake to reach a conclusion is often just as important as the conclusion that you reach. In addition, the structure of the classes and the fact that students are encouraged to share varying viewpoints helped me learn to view issues and problems from different angles. I credit Furman with teaching me to simultaneously look at the forest and the trees.

Furman’s role in my career trajectory is not limited to giving me the tools to succeed. I did not have lawyers in my family so I turned to my professors at Furman for help, Dr. Strobel and Dr. Aieisi in particular. Dr. Aiesi assisted my mother in submitting my law school applications while I studied abroad in Southern Africa. Thank you, Dr. Aiesi and Dr. Strobel, for living and being the Furman Advantage for me, before there was a Furman Advantage!

I strongly recommend any student interested in law school take Dr. Aiesi’s constitutional law classes as they are conducted like law school classes. I was extremely well prepared when I took constitutional law in law school. I received a 4.0 in the class and the professor distributed my essay as the model exam to my classmates and to future classes. These grades allowed me to obtain a summer associate position at Kilpatrick Townsend my 1L year, which led to a summer associate position at Kilpatrick Townsend my 2L year, which turned into a job offer after graduation.