Ruan’s Career Story

At Kirkland, my colleagues and partners are my biggest professional cheerleaders. They know that when my fellow associates and I succeed, the group succeeds. This type of culture makes it a pleasure to work hard and achieve results as a team.

As I was considering whether to join the healthcare group, I remember visiting with one of the partners about some of my professional goals, such as networking within the healthcare industry, participating in specific trainings and pursuing publication and speaking opportunities. He told me I could do all those things and more. Partners actively help associates navigate their workload so they can sustain a long-term career at the Firm. After that conversation, I was sold.

I began working with a particular healthcare client early on in my time at Kirkland, assisting with their regulatory matters. As the junior associate doing much of the day-to-day work, I became deeply familiar with the nuances of their operations and the complexities of their business structure. When the time came for the client to undergo a material change transaction, the partners in the healthcare group gave me the opportunity to lead the regulatory negotiations with the other side.

The Firm has been very supportive of me seeking out publishing and speaking opportunities. At different times over the years, I have had the opportunity to speak on artificial intelligence in healthcare in front of executives as a junior associate. Having the support to pursue these opportunities so early in my career has been incredible.

Kirkland provides every resource that you need to succeed, right at your fingertips. Our Kirkland University online portal can help answer substantive or process questions you may have.

In addition, something that has been very helpful to me is the open-door policy that attorneys in my group maintain. I work with excellent partners who have strong systems and care deeply about passing those on to the junior associates on the team. One partner specifically comes to mind. She taught me how to manage internal deadlines, a system for prioritizing tasks and the art of drafting email updates to partners within other practice groups. These are all crucial to be successful in your legal practice, and you can’t learn these in a textbook!