Valerie A. Fontaine earned her JD from UC Hastings College of Law 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 Secretary to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Legal Search Consultants (NALSC) and Chairs its Newsletter Committee.
Elder law is a rapidly-growing practice area driven by a graying American population with diverse legal needs. In addition to handling matters traditionally encompassed by estate planners, elder law attorneys take a more holistic approach to address the client’s financial, physical, and emotional requirements. Few practice areas touch upon the range of issues that elder…
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[spacer] Just as with most career transitions in any market sector, a large percentage of in-house lawyer moves are accomplished through networking and personal referrals. While in-house hopefuls should actively network, they should not overlook other sources for possible job leads. Outside Counsel [sm_hr] General counsel typically hire other in-house lawyers in the same…
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An effective business development plan lays out exactly how the potential lateral lawyer will advance the target firm’s strategic plan, most commonly through expanding its client base. Moreover, it demonstrates that the candidate has that “It Factor” to justify the firm’s investing the time and money necessary to complete the hire and execute the plan.…
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Secondment; si-kond-muhnt Noun, British, The transfer of a military officer or corporate executive to another post for temporary duty In the legal marketplace, secondment is the loan by a law firm of one of their lawyers to a corporate entity in need of in-house expertise on a limited basis. The law department may need an…
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