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.
There’s some truth to the saying that it’s not what you know, but who you know. There’s even more truth to the saying that it’s not who you know, but who knows you. It’s a given that you must have the basics in place: education, experience, and hard work. But, to boost your career advancement,…
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As Rodney King asked, after the civil unrest in Los Angeles that erupted as a result of his beating by police officers, “Can’t we all just get along?” One of the many dramatic changes that swept the legal profession over the past 30 years is the growing number of women, minorities, and others with diverse…
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The office holiday party or other business holiday entertaining can be an opportunity to further your career, ruin your reputation, and everything in between. The smart partygoer knows how to make the most of the situation, and even have a good time. An invitation to a holiday function should be taken very seriously and you…
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Counter offers often are made by employers so that you will leave the firm on your current employer’s terms, not yours. Counter offers only come into play when you have threatened to leave or given notice of your termination. Employers do not like to be “fired” (no one likes rejection), so a counter offer can…
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