Center for Law and Business
Committed to providing law students with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to succeed as business leaders and business lawyers.
Abigail Lambert has one year of law school left to complete her J.D., but she already has professional legal experience, connections to local lawyers, and an impressive resume and LinkedIn profile. This is thanks, in large part, to her participation in the Law and Business Mentorship Program.
The program focuses on providing students with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to succeed as business leaders, business owners, and business lawyers. More than two dozen students have taken part in the program each year.
Lambert, who is participating in the Center for Law and Business Certificate Program, was partnered with Kathy Harrell-Latham ’06, managing director of Tower Legal Solutions in Minneapolis. “This program provides opportunities I did not have that would have been valuable for me as I was preparing for a career in business and law,” said Harrell-Latham.
As the leader of a full service legal staffing company that finds and places people in law firms and corporations, Harrell-Latham also finds staff for an in-house legal team that provides legal counsel and litigation support. This allowed her to hire Lambert on a few projects.
“Kathy is a terrific partner who has really provided me with a great experience,” said Lambert. “I will continue to be in contact with her throughout my career. The mentorship program was a great way to expand my network and create lifelong relationships.”
Harrell-Latham also offered advice on networking and marketing. “She looked over my resume for me and offered tips on how to improve it. She also reviewed my LinkedIn page to make sure I was publicly putting my best foot forward,” Lambert said.
But the key to a successful experience is initiative on the part of the student, said Lambert.
“Students should know that they will get out of the program what they put into it. They should not wait around and expect the attorneys to make all the plans to meet. The student should be proactive about connecting with their mentor and finding times to meet up with them.”