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The past 12 months have been a tumultuous time in the legal industry. One year ago, federal lawmakers approved a $700 billion bailout for the financial system. Around that same time, many of the 2008 law school graduates were just beginning their careers. Despite the turbulent times, some of those still-new lawyers are flourishing.
Texas Lawyer is following the careers of five attorneys who graduated from Texas law schools in May 2008 and began diverse fulltime careers in different parts of the state. Four are with the same firms or organizations where they started their careers in 2008: Ronn Paiz Garcia, Paul Sebastian Di Blasi, Juliet M. McBride and Alexis Allen. The fifth, Josh Adam Fogelman, clerked for the Texas Supreme Court and now has joined a small Austin firm.
This is the second installment of Texas Lawyer 's annual update. [See "First Steps: Baby Lawyers Set Off on Disparate Professional Paths," Texas Lawyer , Nov. 17, 2008, page 1]. Texas Lawyer will check in with each of these attorneys for the next several years and share their career stories.
Associate in West Texas
"It's just amazing how much you can learn in a year," says Ronn Paiz Garcia, an associate with Amarillo-based Underwood, Wilson, Berry, Stein & Johnson.
A graduate of Texas Tech University School of Law in Lubbock, Garcia primarily works with the firm's school district clients.
"Basically, we just work as GCs for school districts," he says. "There are a ton of different things that can arise," Garcia says.
| Ronn Paiz Garcia Texas Tech University School of Law Law school debt at graduation: about $50,000 Job: associate, Underwood, Wilson, Berry, Stein & Johnson City: Lubbock Salary: about $80,000 Car: 2001 Ford Explorer |
The lawyers in the firm's school practice group, for example, counsel districts on everything from handling bond elections and employment issues, such as hiring or terminating employees, to providing guidance on open meetings laws, he says.
Garcia works in the firm's Lubbock office with shareholders Ann Manning and David P. Backus. During the past year, Garcia says, he has been able to build a rapport with some of the firm's school district clients and handle their questions and project requests himself.
For some of the firm's clients, "I've worked with them enough that if they call and David is not available, they are very comfortable speaking with me," he says. "If I can't address their question over the phone, I can do quick research and get right back to them."
For instance, a school district may want to exchange land with the county and needs help getting the transaction completed.
"Sometimes I can get a start and work on projects like that," he says. "When I look back, I've been able to grow relationships with a lot of our existing school district clients."
The firm has six or seven lawyers who practice school law and represent about 120 school districts, he says. Garcia says he is comfortable asking any of the practice's lawyers for help or advice.
"One of the things that I've gathered as an associate here is that if somebody can help you, they are going to help," Garcia says.
In addition to school district work, Garcia says he has also worked on employment matters with shareholders Ann Manning, Kelly Utsinger and Dan Schaap, such as drafting an affirmative action plan. He also has worked with shareholder Gavin Gadberry, researching Medicaid regulations for firm health-care clients. During September and October he was an adjunct instructor at Wayland Baptist University in Lubbock, teaching a 12-week course on school law to educators on Monday nights 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.
"It was a lot of fun," he says. "It kind of boosted my general knowledge on school law, which is crucial for somebody like me to have. And it's an opportunity to meet possible future clients because the people in that class are all existing educators getting their masters degree or certification to become an administrator, like a principal."
A Lubbock native and Wayland Baptist University alumnus, Garcia says he is looking forward to teaching the class again during the fall of 2010.
Garcia says describing a typical work week is difficult, but he usually arrives at the office by 8:15 a.m. after dropping his son at school.
"If there is work that is pressing, I may not get home till after 7," he says. Garcia, his wife Gaila and their two children live in a three-bedroom, two-bath home the couple bought in 2002 that is only a few-minutes drive from the office.
Garcia's goal is to bill 1,800 hours during 2009.
"If I can bill 150 hours a month, then we're good," he says. "Typically I try to bill more than that if I can because you never know what is going to happen next month. A little cushion at the beginning of the quarter can help."
Garcia says he took a few days off in August when his second child was born and during the year took the family for several weekend trips to Sea World in San Antonio. Garcia's annual salary is $80,000. He says by hitting his billable hour goals he has also qualified for quarterly bonuses. Garcia declines to reveal the bonus amounts but says he is on target to hit his 1,800 billable-hours goal for 2009.
Garcia says he pays about $400 a month on the $50,000 debt he incurred for law school loans. His salary and quarterly bonuses may change in 2010, but Garcia says he will not know the details until the end of this year.
Garcia notes some advice he obtained from Texas Tech tax law professor Michael Hatfield during his third year in law school. Hatfield's advice to his students was to strive to be the happiest lawyer one could be rather than the lawyer with the biggest firm, the most money or the greatest fame, Garcia says.
"That is what I've done, and I am very happy, very happy," he says.
Legal Aid in South Texas
Paul Sebastian Di Blasi began his legal career as a staff attorney in September 2008 with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) in Edinburg. He is a May 2008 graduate of the University of Texas School of Law in Austin and plans a long-term career in public law.
For TRLA, his primary practice area involves handling federally subsidized housing matters for the organization's clients. He also has handled some workers' compensation, unemployment benefits and employment discrimination matters.
| Paul Sebastian Di Blasi University of Texas School of Law Law school debt at graduation: about $50,000 Job: attorney, Texas RioGrande Legal Aid City: Edinburg Salary: about $40,000 Car: 2009 Honda Fit |
"I've been learning a lot," he says. "It's hard to capsulate a year's worth of legal work."
TRLA attorneys begin working one-on-one with clients immediately. Di Blasi says he has learned how to look at a case and determine what law is involved, how to determine what may be a valid defense and whether he may be able to help a client reach the solution he or she wants.
Di Blasi was handling two dozen cases when he recently spoke with Texas Lawyer .
"When I'm responsible for a case, I really am ultimately responsible for the case," he says. "I have a network of people with expertise that I go to."
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| Paul Sebastian Di Blasi |
Many of his resources are TRLA team supervisors, such as Fred J. Fuchs, he says. "I've done successful eviction hearings and negotiated with landlords and housing authorities," he says.
Di Blasi says sometimes he can figure out the course of action on his own; other times he will call a more experienced attorney with questions such as, "How do I do this motion? How should I handle this discovery? What are the procedures to try and deal with this complaint? Does this person have a decent claim?"
Di Blasi says that Linley Boone, a TRLA housing attorney in Weslaco "has been great being a mentor with helping me out and going to court with me when I've needed it," he says.
In employment cases, he says he has turned to Kathryn Youker, team manager for TRLA's low-wage workers project in Weslaco.
He also has handled matters involving unpaid wages, foreclosure defense and clearing property titles. Handling a case means determining which state or federal laws are involved, figuring out what procedures are required in a particular court, setting up meetings with clients and third parties, and determining a strategy, he says.
"There are more than 100 lawyers at TRLA, and many are expert in their field and are very helpful," he says. "With those kinds of resources, there is a lot of room to learn something first- or secondhand."
Di Blasi says he generally arrives in TRLA's Edinburg office at about 8:30 a.m. and leaves at about 5:30 or 6 p.m. Sometimes he works in the office until 8 p.m. or takes work home to his studio apartment in McAllen, he says.
When he first became a staff attorney with TRLA, Di Blasi was earning $37,500. During the past year, Di Blasi says he has received a raise and is now earning more than $40,000 annually. Monthly payments on his $50,000 law school loans are covered by the UT Law Loan Repayment Assistance Program, which provides financial assistance for UT law school graduates working in public service.
Di Blasi says he will spend this second year trying "trying to learn to be a better attorney. I'll be doing what I've been doing, but doing it a little bit better."
Associate in Houston
Of her first year as an associate with the Houston office of King & Spalding, Juliet M. McBride says, "It's been amazing."
A May 2008 graduate of Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston, she joined the firm as a health-care associate in September 2008.
"I've worked on so many different types of projects; transactional, regulatory, operations and even litigation," she says.
| Juliet M. McBride Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law Law school debt at graduation: less than $50,000 Job: associate, King & Spalding City: Houston Salary: $160,000 Car: 1999 Toyota 4Runner |
During this first year, McBride says she has provided research and advice about Medicare affiliation agreements for Houston partner Gary W. Eiland, clinical compliance issues for Houston partner Nancy C. LeGros, and nonprofit health organization certification or recertification with the Texas Medical Board for Houston partner Dennis Dunn.
"I've also worked on a litigation matter, which has been fascinating — a breachof contract and misappropriation of trade secrets," she says. Working with Atlanta partner James W. Boswell, McBride says she prepared motions for the case.
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| Juliet M. McBride |
"When I look back at all of the projects I've worked on over the course of one year, I'm so grateful, because it's been so rewarding, the range of projects," she says. McBride says firm partners are "really, really good about facilitating the work among the associates." While she mostly works with firm partners, McBride says on occasion she also has worked one-on-one with clients, such as when she has worked on nonprofit health organization certifications.
How does a first-year associate know how much time she should spend on a particular project or task? McBride says that the partners usually give associates a sense of how much time a matter should take, such as by asking her to spend one or two hours looking into an issue. But she also turns to more senior associates for guidance.
"One thing I love is that we have a really collegial environment, and they can definitely provide guidance on how much time should be spent on a project," she says.
McBride says she will feel like a second-year associate in January, when a new class of first-year associates will be joining the firm's 99-lawyer Houston office. McBride declines to discuss her salary, but first-year associates in King & Spalding's Texas offices had starting salaries of $160,000 in 2008. McBride says she pays $700 per month for her law school loans, which totaled less than $50,000 when she graduated from Thurgood Marshall Law.
McBride says Amy M. Hollis, a Houston counsel in the firm's global transactions group, has been a "remarkable mentor." She also says Hollis has a "good grasp on work-life issues because she is a successful lawyer, wife and mother."
The question of balancing work-life issues is important to McBride, who is six months pregnant. She and her husband, Frederick, are expecting their first child, a boy, in February. McBride says the attorneys in the firm's health-care group were extremely supportive and congratulatory when she shared the news about her pregnancy. McBride says she believes the norm is to take a 12-week maternity leave, but she has not yet sorted out those details. She also wants to remain on a firm partnership track.
"I'm confident things will continue to progress on track as I hope and dream because I've seen other people do it successfully, she says. "I hear people talk about their families and what they did with their families on the weekend, so this environment really appreciates family."
McBride says she usually gets into the office by 9 a.m. and leaves at about 7 p.m. She occasionally works later in the evening and on weekends. McBride says she tries to stay in line with the amount of billable hours other associates are reporting but declines to discuss what the billable hour expectations are at her firm.
She and her husband will celebrate their second anniversary on Dec. 30 and live in a three-bedroom, two-bath home near Texas Southern University.
Without hesitation McBride says that health-care law is a good match with her interests and background. Prior to law school, McBride had been a marketing and sales representative for Dallas-based Physician's Education Resource, a company that hosted educational meetings and seminars for oncologists.
"I've really been able to build on the experience as it relates to interpersonal skills and working in teams," she says. The marketing and sales background also helps with communication skills, she says.
"I want to be an expert in health-care law; that's a goal of mine," she says. "Long term, it's what I want to do."
Assistant Attorney in Fort Worth
Alexis Allen loves being in a courtroom. She has been an assistant attorney with a small group of criminal defense attorneys in Fort Worth — Tim Evans, Mark G. Daniel, Tim Moore and Lance Evans — since November 2008. Daniel is the city attorney for the city of Watauga. Allen says she gets to act as assistant city attorney, which includes handling prosecutions on behalf of the city in Watauga Municipal Court. She prosecutes cases before Judge Stewart Bass involving class C misdemeanors such as speeding and driving with no insurance.
"It's pretty neat," she says. "It's fun because I get to be in a little court, but still it's a court. Still, there is full preparation to prepare for the case."
| Alexis Allen Texas Wesleyan University School of Law Law school debt at graduation: $85,000 Job: assistant attorney, Evans, Daniel, Moore & Evans City: Fort Worth Salary: $20/hour Car: 2007 Mazda 3 |
Trial preparation includes preparing the jury charge and verdict form, visiting with the officer or witness, and preparing for trial opening, direct examination and closing, she says.
"It's good experience for me getting my feet wet doing that," she says.
Allen says she has also had the opportunity to assist Lance Evans with jury selection.
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| Alexis Allen |
"Basically I would sit second chair with Lance, for example. While he's asking questions, I'm actually observing the whole panel of 18 to 24 on the jury panel for facial expressions. . . . After the questions, we would huddle and compare notes with the client. He would share what he thought. I would share what I observed, how they reacted."
Allen says that each day she has different issues to handle and that in addition to working on Watauga matters, she does a lot of research for the group of attorneys on subjects such as how courts have interpreted statutes on a driver's refusal to give a breath test and whether the driver's vehicle license can be suspended, the definition of "operation" in DWI cases, penalties faced for failure to pay taxes on counterfeit cigarettes, and motions used to suppress a DWI charge.
She also handles research on development issues for the Watauga city manager and has drafted an ordinance for the city, which is considering implementing an automated red light camera that will send out driving violation tickets.
"It is interesting," she says. "I didn't realize how much is involved in municipal law. Watauga is not a big city, but there is a lot involved in keeping it running."
A May 2008 graduate of Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Allen's long term goal is to have her own criminal defense firm. She hopes to eventually work as a prosecutor with the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.
"That's really what I would like to do," she says, "just be able to be in the courtroom and hone my skills." Allen would like to spend about seven or more years as a Dallas county prosecutor, where, "You don't have to worry about clients, billing and everything else private attorneys have to do. Your role is the case, and you don't have to worry about overhead but can focus on cases," she says.
Allen has been paid $20 an hour for her work this past year, with a slight increase for the Watauga work, she says. She married Toby Allen in October, and the two live in a Fort Worth house owned by her mother, Anita Hoff. Allen recently reduced her monthly student loan payments from $700 to $400 with the help of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, which went into effect on July 1, 2009, and lowers monthly student loan payments on federally guaranteed student loans based on a borrower's income bracket. When she graduated, Allen's law school student loans totaled $85,000.
"I'm only 27 now and have a long, full career ahead of me," she says. "Right now my focus is on improving my skills. At this point I have a lot to learn."
Associate in Austin
Josh Adam Fogelman joined Austin's Keel & Nassour on Sept. 1, after serving for one year as a law clerk for Texas Supreme Court Justice Harriet O'Neill. Fogelman says the experience with the court, honing his research and legal writing skills, has already been helpful.
"I'm preparing pleadings, preparing motions, and preparing orders," he says. "There is no question that my year at the court has benefited me, and I've been here under two months."
| Josh A. Fogelman Baylor University School of Law Law school debt at graduation: more than $100,000 Job: associate, Keel & Nassour City: Austin Salary: draw-based Car: 2000 BMW 323 Cic |
The firm has four lawyers, including Fogelman.
"I was put on a case immediately when I started here that deals with the Killeen Police Department," he says. "It's a civil-service type case interpreting local government code."
"I got to give the opening and closing statement on that," he says. "It was a packed courtroom full of Killeen [police] officers. It was really, really cool."
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| Josh Adam Fogelman |
Fogelman says that having the opportunity to represent clients such as the Killeen police officers in court so early in his career is a reason he wants to work with a small firm.
"It's times like that when I don't regret not seeking out big firm employment opportunities," he says. "I imagine it would be years before I would be able to handle something like that."
While he was an undergraduate at the University of Texas at Austin and then as a law student at Baylor University School of Law in Waco, Fogelman worked for firm partner Jason Nassour. The two had discussed Fogelman's joining the firm while he was still in law school, but Nassour supported his decision to clerk at the Texas Supreme Court for a year. Now Nassour and partner Terry Keel are giving him cases and letting him run with them.
"They let me go and say 'good luck'," he says. "I constantly nag and harass them and ask them questions."
During his first two months on the job, Fogelman says he has also worked on a personal injury case and a breach of contract/fraud case. He says that Nassour has done a great job of challenging and encouraging him.
"I'm probably overly cautious at this point, and as a result I will walk in the door, and every time I make a change to a draft, I will knock on the door and ask if it's okay," he says. "If I get stumped or come to a crossroads, his door is always open, and that has been extremely helpful. Teaching me the ropes is what he's been doing."
Fogelman says he is usually in the office between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and out of the office between 5 p.m.and 6 p.m. He married in June 2008, and he and his wife Stephanie settled into a two bedroom apartment west of downtown Austin. The two are now looking to buy a home in central Austin.
His compensation is based on a draw: The firm pays him a monthly salary, and he is expected to pay it back through production.
"Once you've fully paid back your draw obligations, a percentage of what you bill will still go to the firm," he says. Fogelman is uncertain how much he will make but hopes it will exceed the $43,000 annual salary he earned while with the Supreme Court.
The monthly payment for his law school student loans, which total more than $100,000, is about $1,100 he says.
Although the firm has enough work to keep Fogelman busy, he says he hopes to soon start generating new business. He also hopes to work with Habitat for Humanity and join a softball league.
"I'm interested in getting out there and getting involved in the community," he says. "Now I'm just trying to get my feet on the ground."
Fogelman is convinced that joining the Austin firm has been a good career move.
"Everyday that goes by, I'm more certain that I made the right decision," he says.
