Radiah Rondon’s legal career might have followed an altogether different path were it not for a scholarship she received from a law firm. In the fall of 1998, Rondon, then a first-year student at UCLA School of Law, received a $5,000 scholarship from Foley & Lardner, one of several that the firm awards each year to minority law students.
Then personal circumstances forced Rondon to leave Los Angeles — and law school. However, the connection to Foley & Lardner continued. One of the partners who had interviewed her for the scholarship, Charles Oppenheim, helped her land a paralegal job in New York City during the time she was away from school. He and other Foley & Lardner partners kept in touch with her and helped her eventually get back on the law school track. Once Rondon graduated, Foley & Lardner offered her a job. She is currently a second-year associate in the firm’s Los Angeles office.
