SEO Fellow to Chicago associate: Meet Arielle Moseley
"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.
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 travelling 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."
New York associate Gabriella Klein on writing a successful brief for the Second Circuit as a law student
As a second year law student, Gabriella Klein already decided on pursuing a career in litigation. Numerous successes in national mock trial competitions and a summer working in the Queens County District Attorney's Office in New York had given Gabriella a taste of the courtroom.
Then came an invitation from Professor Stefan Krieger, who ran the law school's Law Reform Advocacy Clinic. "After taking one of his courses, Professor Krieger asked me to research and write portions of an appellate brief before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and I immediately said yes!"
A timely assignment became a real passion
Gabriella explains why she could not turn down the chance to work on the appellate brief. "As a student, it is rare to have the opportunity to write a federal appellate brief before one of the most estimable courts in the United States."
Yet the prestige of the assignment was not the driving force for her: "As more stories about instances of police brutality and social inequities began to make the news, I was working on the assault and battery and harmless error portions of this civil rights-grounded brief. Knowing how important this case was for our client—a disabled immigrant from Peru who protested during the Occupy Wall Street movement—it was easy for me to passionately work on the brief."
The reality of preparing to go before the Second Circuit
Before joining White & Case as a summer associate and during her final year of law school, Gabriella maintained focus on the brief. "In addition to my regular course load, Law Review assignments, and preparation for mock trial competitions, I worked on this brief at every available opportunity over the course of a year, including evenings, weekends and holidays.
When you are preparing a brief for the Second Circuit, you anticipate a forensic level of scrutiny: the arguments must be well developed and articulated, the law must be precise, and the format must be correct. The workload that comes with that is intense."
"Our client will get another trial, another day, another chance"
In March 2021, Gabriella was delighted to hear that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed judgement on the issues that she researched and wrote, affording the client a new trial.
"It's very inspiring to think that I've made such an impact so early in my career as an advocate," she says. "For me, it's also been a real revelation into how the law can change someone's life. I'm so pleased to have been able to help our client in such a meaningful way—our client will get another trial, another day, another chance."
The benefits of taking part in a clinic
Even though most students signing up for law clinics will not experience a successful circuit court petition as a result of their work, Gabriella emphasizes that simply doing the work is beneficial. "Taking part in a clinic makes you a better critical thinker, researcher, and writer. You'll gain so much from stepping outside the classroom and applying your knowledge to real cases that impact real people. And you will become accustomed to learning the intricacies of local rules and court procedure. This will all help you get ahead of the curve when transitioning into the work force."
Clarify expectations, keep an open mind: Advice for current and future associates
How has this experience shaped Gabriella's first few months as an associate at White & Case? "Like all new associates, I am eager to make my mark and challenge myself every minute of the day." She gives an example of how she achieves this: by clarifying expectations before starting a new assignment. "I ask the assigning associate or partner what format they prefer, how and when I can reach out with questions, and when the assignment is due. I usually repeat the assignment back to the assigning attorney in my own words to make sure I captured exactly what is needed."
"Keep an open mind and work with different practice groups"
Finally, what advice does she have for any current or future summer associates who want to make the most of their time at the Firm? "Keep an open mind and work with different practice groups on a variety of assignments. I've always been interested in litigation, but I felt that it was important to gain exposure to corporate matters during the summer program."
She explains: "It's really important to understand the moving parts of a deal or a case and working on the corporate side gives you a deeper understanding and a different perspective when litigating an issue. I was also able to develop my network across various practice groups."