Valerie A. Fontaine earned her JD from UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings) and her BA, Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude, from UCLA. She was on the Editorial Board of COMM/ENT, a Journal of Communications and Entertainment Law. Valerie practiced law with a prominent Los Angeles law firm and entered the legal search profession in 1981. Valerie is past Secretary to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) and former Chair of its Newsletter Committee. She currently serves as a consultant to NALSC headquarters.
Law firm recruiting is a year-round process, covering lateral hiring at the associate, of counsel, and partner levels alongside student recruiting for summer associate programs and entry-level classes. Different priorities dominate at different times of the year. Understanding this rhythm helps lateral candidates time their search more effectively, or at least understand the competing demands…
National Jurist, August 17, 2026
Many good lawyer job opportunities aren’t advertised, so you need to dig deeper than publicly posted openings. Obvious sources include online job boards and law firm, corporate, government, and nonprofit websites. However, you also can uncover leads by reading legal and business publications, utilizing undergraduate and law school career services offices, networking strategically, and working…
National Jurist, July 20, 2026
