Career Path of a Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Initially intending to pursue a PhD in philosophy and a career in academia, Josh's career path took an unexpected turn after realizing the limited job prospects. A pivotal moment involved unexpectedly finding a passion for employment law, leading to a summer internship at the US Senate Chief Council for Employment, which solidified their decision to pursue this field, resulting in a 21-year career, including 16.5 years at Seyfarth Shaw LLP.
Career Exploration, Overcoming Challenges, Achieving Goals, Motivational Stories, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Josh Rodine
Partner
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
University of California, Santa Barbara (1996)
University of Maryland, College Park (MA, Philosophy 1999); University of Illinois College of Law (JD, 2002)
Philosophy
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Josh's career path was not linear; he initially planned to be a philosophy professor but transitioned to law after realizing the challenges of academia and discovering his passion for employment law.
2. He emphasizes the importance of internships and experiential learning, highlighting how a summer job at the US Senate solidified his interest in employment law and shaped his career trajectory.
3. His experience shows that unexpected opportunities and even setbacks (like initial low grades in law school) can lead to fulfilling career paths. His journey highlights the value of exploring different interests and adapting plans based on new experiences and discoveries.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
I came to this career in a very circuitous manner. If you had asked me in college about ending up as an attorney, particularly in a large law firm, I would have said you were crazy.
When I came out of college, my plan was to teach philosophy at the university level. I started working on a PhD in philosophy and got a few years into that program. I realized how challenging it would be to get a tenure-track position teaching philosophy. There just aren't that many jobs available in academia, especially in certain disciplines. Philosophy is a shrinking rather than growing field.
However, I had friends from high school who had gone on to law school. In talking with them, and with one of my professors in grad school who was familiar with US law schools, I realized I could still study the things that interested me and teach at the university level, but from within a law school.
Even when I went to law school, I had zero intention of ever practicing law. Two things happened simultaneously that set me on the path I pursued for the rest of my career. My grades my first year in law school weren't very good. That precluded me from competing for the kinds of positions that would have landed me with a federal clerkship, which is a necessary precursor to going into academia within the law school arena.
At the same time, I stumbled into a class on employment law. To my surprise, I found I was really interested in the issues. I felt genuinely passionate about them, and I didn't know anything about employment law prior to that.
I thought to myself, if I'm not going to pursue a career in academia and I have to figure out something else to do with this law degree, it will be practicing employment law. I tested my interest by spending the summer between my second and third years in law school working for the US Senate Chief Counsel for Employment. It's effectively a captive law firm that defends senators' offices when they get sued for discrimination, harassment, or things of that sort. That work solidified my desire to practice in this area.
Once that decision was made, it set me off on the path. I've been with this firm for 16 and a half years. I've been practicing for 21 years, all in employment law.