Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law alumna Ashley Coleman (\u201908) graduated with one thing on her mind: civil litigation. However, she soon learned that life and the law can lead graduates to unexpected paths as they grow in their practice.<\/p>\n
Coleman fell in love with employment litigation shortly after passing the bar, when the firm where she clerked during law school \u2013 Koeller, Nebeker, Carlson & Haluck, LLP \u2013 invited her to join its growing Orange County team. While there, she built her skills as a new attorney, and developed a love for employment law until a fellow Fowler School of Law alumnus, Marc Holmquist (\u201908), contacted her about an opportunity at his firm. After one more change of firms \u2013 again, thanks to her connections with alumni \u2013 Coleman found herself looking at an opportunity to join an expanding in-house counsel team at Universal Services of America, the largest U.S.-owned security provider.<\/p>\n
Since joining the company last year, Ashley has been the Assistant General Counsel of Labor and Employment. Her day-to-day activities include working with the EEOC, facilitating in-house mediation, creatively strategizing with the human resources department, and assisting with corporate merger plans.<\/p>\n
The change from litigator to in-house counsel has been a refreshing adjustment, Coleman said. Although she had never considered in-house work before, she enjoys the change of pace.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not always as reactive as litigation and I often have the opportunity to strategize with our business and human resources teams and resolve issues before they develop into litigation,\u201d she said. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve also really enjoyed working with our growing in-house legal department since our recent merger with Allied Barton.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thanks in part to her experiences as both law student and practicing attorney, Coleman offered some sound advice for future lawyers. She recommends getting a wide variety of experience as early as possible in your legal career to find the path that best suits you.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many areas of the law to consider, and by getting exposure to as many different areas as possible, you might find an area you never thought about previously, much like I did with employment law,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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