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.
The partnership track at most major law firms is seven to ten years long, and wise associates will make use of the entire time to position themselves for the nod. Making a concerted effort during the last year or two may be too little, too late. At the beginning of an associate’s career, the top…
Read article
A great lawyer is one with clients that pay! Excellent work is not enough to guarantee your long-term success in the legal profession. If you want to have control over your destiny, you must control business. With a significant client following, you will dramatically increase your chances of becoming partner, keeping your position within your…
Read article
Now that you are not working night and day to keep up with the business crossing your desk, what should you be doing to make the most of these slow times? Besides catching up on your sleep and getting reacquainted with family and friends, there are specific steps you can take to position yourself to…
Read article
During the course of your career, you may contemplate switching practice areas-either by choice or necessity. Some attorneys discover that the area of practice they chose, or fell into, after law school, is not right for them. Others find that the economy or political or technological developments necessitate a practice change. The ease or difficulty…
Read article