October 2023: "I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was six years old," says Arielle Moseley. "But when I graduated from college in 2014, I felt that I had spent four years doing intellectual work that had no direct impact on society and I wanted to give back."
A year spent tutoring math in a Chicago Title One school was a revelation: "It was both spiritually uplifting and possibly the toughest year of my life. Above all, it made me realize that I wanted to be an educator." Arielle then signed up for the Teach for America program, hoping to continue her work with high school students—but instead, she was assigned to a preschool class.
Applying classroom lessons in her next roles
She says that her experiences as a teacher, and later as a nonprofit program director, gave her invaluable experiences for her legal career: "First of all, I can find a way to relate to people. Whether that's getting down on the same level as a non-verbal three-year-old or persuading a 14-year-old to work through an algebra problem, I've worked out how to negotiate, to manage multiple workflows and keep a lot of different stakeholders satisfied."
Next, Arielle took a position as a policy fellow with the House Democratic Caucus, while also studying for the LSAT. "Working in a leadership office for members of Congress was a great opportunity, and my first foray into policy regulations. I got to see the legislative side of the law and I was intrigued." She successfully applied to the Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO) program and was accepted as a Fellow.
“I appreciated working and interacting with people from so many backgrounds and cultures”
She spent her SEO Fellowship at White & Case and made the decision to come to White & Case for her 1L summer. "I liked the integration of summer associates, both 1Ls and 2Ls and from multiple offices. And I appreciated working and interacting with people from so many backgrounds and cultures."
A global Firm with a strong local presence and startup ethos
"At this stage, I had worked in Washington and in New York, and I was keen to come back to my hometown, Chicago. I also wanted a major firm, a market leader plus somewhere where I could make my own mark. From what I saw of White & Case, there were all the benefits of a big firm but with a startup mentality, and in Chicago, it was a great match."
Arielle also worked out that the relatively smaller office in Chicago could provide a better opportunity to showcase her skills and personality. "As a first generation lawyer, I wanted to show my skillset to as many people as possible. The deals in Chicago were staffed leanly, it was still a growing office, and I knew I'd get a lot of personal attention from partners and senior associates. I wanted to be in a place where I knew the Firm would be supportive of meeting my needs and my development."
A warm welcome to the London office
Arielle returned to the Firm during her 2L summer and participated in a two-week overseas rotation in White & Case's London office. "It was my first time travellng out of the US, so there was definitely a culture shock, but I also recognized the same Firm culture, the same welcoming spirit and I appreciated everyone who reached out to me for a coffee, a meeting or just to say hello."
Making the right choice of firm
In the end, she decided that White & Case offered the best platform for her interests and skills. "By the time I decided to come back here, I knew that it was absolutely the right fit for me. And I'd encourage any other candidate to be just as inquisitive in their assessment. I learned that it's not a one-way street. Nothing is more important than finding the right firm to embark on your career."
Arielle will start as a Law Clerk in the Chicago office in Fall 2024.
