Angela’s Career Story

This is an environment where people work hard, and it’s also a place that acknowledges that people have family and friends outside of work. The people I work with are very smart, confident and gregarious. I’ve been impressed by everyone I’ve worked with here — it makes me proud to be a Kirkland attorney.

I am valued here, my opinion matters and I work with people who are invested in my growth. If someday I want to move on, I would be leaving one of the best law firms in the nation with the confidence that I received the highest-level of training and on-the-job experience.

At some firms, corporate lawyers just do M&A work. Here, we do M&A, debt work, capital markets, asset securitization, restructuring, and more. You can fundraise for a fund worth billions of dollars, attend drafting sessions for an IPO and push a deal toward the signing of a purchase agreement — all in a single day. This is the experience I was looking for when I chose to join Kirkland — it definitely keeps me on my toes.

As a first-year associate, I did not expect to have so much interaction with clients right off the bat. In my first week, I had a lot of client interaction. Within a few months, I was the leader on all the calls for a client and was drafting substantial ancillary documents. I took the reins, and in the eyes of the client, I was their point person.

I commit the majority of my pro bono practice to communities in the west side of Chicago, where some of my extended family lives and is very close to where I live now. It is extremely important to me to help organizations that are investing in these communities.

This experience has also contributed to my growth, as I’ve been able to lead the pro bono work. I’ve presented at board meetings and taught a new organization about bylaws, operations and their responsibilities as a board.

I’ve formed relationships with these pro bono clients. They’ve invited me to their holiday parties. I’ve had a lot of really cool experiences made possible by pro bono work. It has taken my relationships with the community where I have roots to another level.

I was already an efficient person when I joined the Firm, and I became much more efficient here. I know the value of my time — I know what I can get out of even five minutes. I have learned how to find balance in life. I can be a great wife, mother, friend and lawyer — all at the same time. I’ve learned that when I make time for my personal self in my professional life, I am happier and more engaged.