On February 23, the Women's Law Association (WLA) hosted its semi-annual Spring Coffee and Conversation on "Life After the Bar." Three attorneys from the region spoke about their experiences entering the legal profession.
The event is designed to encourage a casual and open conversation between experienced attorneys and students. This semester’s WLA Coffee and Conversation panel featured attorneys Heather Quinn, Kim Gatling, and Karen Schaede.
“We chose the speakers that we did because we wanted attorneys from a wide variety of backgrounds, fields of law, and firms/agencies so that we could get multiple perspectives on our topic of ‘Life After the Bar,’” explained the event’s co-chair Jen Crissman, a first-year student.
Quinn, a recent Elon Law graduate, began a clerkship in 2009 in Manchester, N.H. with the Superior Court. She clerked for three judges during the 14-month clerkship. Afterwards, Quinn began working for the federal government at the Social Security Administration in the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review in Greensboro, N.C.
Gatling is an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood in Greensboro. She has been with the firm since 2001, working primarily in the intellectual property department.
After earning a B.S. in Nursing, Schaede worked as registered nurse for more than 10 years before going for her J.D. She has practiced healthcare and employment law in the Carolinas since 1992. In 2003 she founded the firm Karen McKeithen Schaede Attorney at Law, PLLC.
“As for the purpose of the event, we want to foster open communication between students and practicing attorneys in order to have genuine conversations about topics that interest our students,” said Crissman. “By starting this dialogue we are hoping to establish a lasting relationship between the students and attorneys in the area.”
WLA’s Professional Committee plans the semi-annual Coffee and Conversation, as well as the organization’s annual Women in the Profession Dinner.
Each of these events is organized to encourage networking between the members of WLA and women in the North Carolina legal community.
The purpose of the WLA is to create a system of educational, professional, and personal support and development for all individuals who are concerned with women’s issues and the law.
WLA focuses on the legal, social, cultural, educational, and political issues facing women on both a domestic and international level, as well as in the law school community.
Click here for a report on the WLA’s annual Women in the Profession dinner from 2010.
By Danielle Appelman, L’12.
