In episode 84, we chat with Clare Diegel, who is currently Director of the Professional Standards Division at the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. Clare shares how her LLM in International Human Rights, experience in big law, and Ninth Circuit clerkship, while all incredible opportunities, actually made getting a state-level public defender job quite difficult! She also discusses how she managed burnout when she eventually did become a public defender, and how starting a family played a role in her career trajectory, as well. We thoroughly enjoyed learning from Clare (you will hear a lot of laughter!), and we hope you will, too.

Not only do we have an excellent new episode for you this month, but we're also thrilled to launch our brand refresh! Personal Jurisdiction has a new look! Check our website, LinkedIn, and Substack to see what's new at Personal Jurisdiction. We can't think of a better episode to accompany our brand refresh than #83 with Tamany Vinson Bentz! Tamany Vinson Bentz is the founding partner of California IP Law, a boutique law firm in Manhattan Beach, California dedicated to helping small and growing businesses establish and protect their intellectual property. In this conversation, Tamany shares how she navigated a pivot early on in her legal education, why she earned both a law degree and a Master's in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania, how she created her own niche IP practice in the early days of social media, and what led her to found her own IP firm.

Calling all interested in clerkships and the federal court system! We are thrilled to share our first episode featuring both a circuit court judge and one of his current law clerks. In Episode 82, we chat with the Honorable Kevin Newsom of the Eleventh Circuit and his current clerk, Karissa Kang. We discuss Judge Newsom's path to the federal bench as well as how Karissa landed a clerkship with Judge Newsom, what the day-to-day looks like in Judge Newsom's chambers from both the judge and clerk perspective, the three main things Judge Newsom looks for when selecting his clerks, and so much more. We had a blast chatting with both Judge Newsom and Karissa, so we hope you enjoy the conversation!

In Episode 81, we chat with Tom Peabody, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. In this episode, Tom shares his journey from law school to becoming a federal prosecutor, emphasizing the importance of "finding your people" and building a supportive network of both colleagues and friends. He also discusses highlights from his unique clerkship experience--he clerked for the same judge at both the district and circuit court levels!--as well as how he navigated being a young associate at a large law firm in Chicago.

Why have a podcast if you don't interview all of your friends? We celebrate Episode 80 with Christina Otero Geeza - one of our very best friends and an absolute powerhouse attorney based in Miami, Florida. Episode 80 is packed with great advice about approaching law school as an opportunity to try new things, maintaining important relationships throughout your career, and focusing on all of the things that make you happy and fulfilled outside of your career.

In this episode we chat with Zac Byer about his journey to Director of Litigation and Intellectual Property at Activision Blizzard (shout out to Candy Crush)! Although Zac's resume includes working in big law as both an associate and partner, his journey to an in-house role involved a number of twists and turns. Zac shares his decision to take a year off during law school to pursue a role at Luntz Global, a political and communications consulting firm, and his decision to clerk after several years at a firm. He also gives us a detailed look into what being a litigator in-house really looks like, and how it differs from working at a firm. Although going in-house is a less common path for a litigator, Zac paints a helpful picture of how one might forge this path!

Is the July 2025 bar exam already stressing you out? Are you thinking about adding another jurisdiction to your practice? If you're taking the bar exam, this episode is for you! We chat with Rebecca Petrilli, the bar exam expert from Themis Bar Review, about the top 5 tips for bar exam study, common roadblocks in studying, how to personalize your bar exam studying to work best for you, strategies for the final week before the exam, and exam day advice.

Chris Louis-Jacques is a 3L at the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens, Georgia. Chris joins Personal Jurisdiction for Episode 77 to discuss his journey to law school, including how his family is at the center of his life and work, why teachers along the way have had an impact on his career path, how he uses LinkedIn and other tools to learn about different areas of legal practice and to build his network, and how he came excel in legal writing. Chris explains how an in-person experience during his 1L and 2L law firm summers helped him to identify his next steps and how law students are learning about and using AI.

In Episode 76, we chat with Alicia Ulibarrí a third-year law student at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Alicia shares her journey into public interest law, motivated by personal experiences of injustice experienced by her family. She discusses her fellowship at the Southwest Women's Law Center, where she worked on issues related to domestic violence and economic security, particularly for Native women. She also highlights her work with land grant and acequia communities through her work at New Mexico Legal Aid, where she will return after graduation. Alicia emphasizes the significance of building connections and the impact of passion in pursuing a fulfilling legal career. She also touches on the importance of storytelling and understanding the rich histories of the communities she serves, ultimately defining success as the ability to explore and engage in meaningful work.

In Episode 75, Northwestern Law alumna Yvette Diaz, a personal injury attorney at Freese & Goss, PLLC in Dallas, Texas, shares her inspiring journey from legal assistant to trial attorney, and highlights the challenges and triumphs that shaped her path. Yvette emphasizes the importance of community in law school, shares her passion for trial preparation, and explains why she has dedicated her career to personal injury and mass tort law. Yvette also discusses how she has developed her lawyer persona and the significance of small wins in her legal practice.

Happy New Year! We're starting 2025 by reflecting on perspectives on success from our Season 3 guests. We hope this episode inspires you to consider what success means to you this year. Cheers!

In this episode, we chat with Jeremy Wilson about his experience in a number of transactional practice areas both in big law and in-house. Jeremy discusses how his MBA and training in leadership have informed his in-house practice, what he does to learn a new area of the law when switching jobs, and the variety of work (from corporate contracts, to privacy, to employment) he does in his current role at Fabletics. Jeremy also shares how his daily yoga practice helps him to be a creative legal thinker and how it has helped him handle challenging workplace dynamics. He is also a proud girl dad, and highlights why his definition of success changed when he had his daughter almost a year ago. Enjoy!

If you're interested in an in-house counsel role, this is the episode for you! Episode 72 features fellow podcaster and healthcare attorney, Stacy Rummel Bratcher. In this episode, we chat with Stacy about all things in-house counsel, including the importance of being a curious observer, learner, and detective, as well as why connecting with others is often more important than knowing the right answer in an in-house role. We also talk about how taking on debt to go to law school might influence your career down the line, why the first job you get doesn't have to pigeon hole you into a certain career path, and why authenticity when networking makes it more enjoyable. Of course, we also got to hear all about Stacy's wonderful podcast, The Legal Department, where she aims to deliver the bottom line of what busy in-house attorneys need to know to level up their careers.

Episode 71 features former professional baseball player and current Legal Director of US Regulatory at Uber, Jason Burch. In this episode, we chat with Jason about tuning into what makes you tick to find true happiness in your profession, as well as how he intentionally cultivates a more beautiful life by stretching himself to be a bit tired at the end of every day and a bit scared for the day ahead. We also talk about the importance of acting like a rocking chair (yes, you heard that right), picking up the phone, and avoiding loneliness in an in-house role. And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention our shared love for administrative law (we’ll forgive you if you don’t feel the same), and Jason’s incredible advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights as part of his service to the community. Enjoy!

Curious what it's like to be a law professor? Want to know what it's like to be an international bestselling author? Interested in learning why perseverance and tuning into your internal compass may be key to finding job satisfaction? Check out this episode! In our 70th Episode (!), we chat with Amy Chua about her non-linear path to academia, why something that may be perceived to be a failure may actually be the best thing that happens to you, and how Amy's background and upbringing helped shape her career trajectory. We also dig into Amy's teaching style (spoiler, it's not the traditional Socratic method), her internationally bestselling memoir, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, and her recent historical murder thriller, The Golden Gate. Enjoy!

If you're getting ready for On Campus Interviewing (OCI) or are trying to pick a law firm job more generally, this is the episode for you! In episode 69, we chat with Bryan Nese about why choosing a law firm should be more like choosing a law school or college, why you should pay attention to the culture and vibe of law firms, and why networking isn't really a "dirty word." Bryan also shares with us why he is an aspiring rock star (and why you should be too), and why legal writing is a skill that we can all practice and improve on. Not to mention that Bryan gives us an in-depth perspective into what it's like to be both an IP associate and partner at a large law firm.

Our conversation with healthcare attorney Katie O'Neill takes us from the emergency room to the administrative law classroom, from Chicago to California and back again. In episode 68, Katie emphasizes the importance of understanding clients' businesses to provide effective legal advice. She explains how she draws from her nursing background in her work as a healthcare attorney and highlights the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that translate from her nursing experience into her legal work. Katie also encourages law students to focus on their strengths and passions, advising them to leave room for creativity in their careers and in their personal lives.

For the first time on Personal Jurisdiction, we are excited to speak to a state Supreme Court law clerk! In this episode, Jacob Abudaram shares his unique experience clerking for the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawai'i, including how the history of the state impacts judicial decision making and why policy and advocacy work is part of his role. We also chat with Jacob about his desire to pursue a career in public interest and how his personal and educational background led him to seek out a Skadden Fellowship at the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) Disability Rights Program, where he will focus on the intersection of climate change and disability rights and justice for the 2024-2026 term. Not to be missed: Jacob shares the secret to making delicious hummus and why he started a hummus business in law school!

Calling all July 2024 Bar Exam Takers! We have the perfect thing for you to listen to during your breaks from studying. Rebecca Petrilli and Taylor Williams are the experts when it comes to preparing for the bar exam in any jurisdiction. Rebecca and Taylor provide concrete tips for studying for and taking the bar exam, and they also share their career journeys and why they enjoy engaging with the legal industry in a way that does not include the practice of law.

We may have recorded Season 2 back in 2022 but our guests' answers about the meaning of success are just as fresh as they were two years ago. Even if you have been listening since the beginning, we're sure you'll enjoy hearing 19 answers to the question, "What does success mean to you?"