Ask any seasoned professional if they’re still doing what they thought they would be doing in college, and you’ll likely hear stories of unexpected pivots, discoveries and transitions (sometimes several times over).
That adaptability is one of the lessons students learn while at the 法学院 — how to continue learning and growing after graduation, even if it takes them outside their predicted career path.
这是三位威尼斯人娱乐城校友的故事，他们一直对新的机会持开放态度，并在此过程中点燃了新的激情和兴趣。
Tim McNamara (J.D. ’80), Chief Legal Officer, BKD, LLP
Tim McNamara (J.D. ’80) has always loved being in the midst of the action. 从威尼斯人娱乐城法学院（威尼斯人娱乐城 法学院）毕业后，他直接进入了现在被称为Lathrop GPM的律所从事商业诉讼工作，为约翰迪尔（John Deere）和《堪萨斯城之星》（the Kansas City Star）等知名客户处理审判、仲裁和调解。 He even became the firm’s municipal court lawyer early in his career.
“Everything’s a lot more specialized these days, but I was lucky enough to have a diverse set of experiences,” he says.
多年来，麦克纳马拉建立了人际关系，接手了高风险的案件，并成为了合伙人。 2015年的一天，他的长期客户BKD找到他，就聘请他们的第一位首席法律官征求意见。 谈话结束时，他得到了一份工作。
“I hadn’t thought about it until they suggested it that day, but the idea appealed to me,” he says.
作为客户，麦克纳马拉对他们非常了解，但他表示，加入BKD带来的变化比他想象的要大得多。 他不仅更加独立地工作，而且还学会了更自如地参与决策过程，同时扮演律师和客户的角色。
“To me, it’s been one of the more challenging and rewarding parts of the job,” he says. “I had to learn so much about the business world. I’d always thought that getting an MBA would be interesting and fun. I kind of got a mini-MBA on the job.”
他在莱思罗普的36年广泛而多样的经验，以及他管理和与法律团队合作的经验，证明是有益的。 He doesn’t see the inside of a courtroom much these days, but McNamara says that’s okay with him.
“I’m enjoying the challenge of what I’m doing now so much that I haven’t missed it at all,” he says.
麦克纳马拉最近宣布，他将于2022年5月31日退休，这几乎正好是他开始从事法律工作的42周年。 An avid cyclist, he’s now looking forward to taking more rides and spending more time with family, including his young grandchildren.
Lischen Reeves (J.D. ’18), Corporate Counsel, Privacy and Cybersecurity, Cerner
在Shook， Hardy & Bacon， LLP工作了两年之后，里夫斯（Lischen Reeves）表示，她并没有在寻找另一个机会。 但当她看到Cerner公司隐私和网络安全公司法律顾问职位的招聘启事时，她知道自己必须申请。
“I told my husband, ‘This job has my name on it,’” she says. “I don’t shy away from opportunities. If it comes my way, I’ll put myself forward.”
对里夫斯来说，这是一个自然的转变。 作为舒克律师事务所（Shook, Hardy & Bacon）商业诉讼团队的一员，她曾处理过就业和复杂的商业事务，但一起涉及《美国残疾人法案》（Americans with Disabilities Act）的案件影响了她的下一步行动。
When she expressed interest in the privacy portion of the case, the senior partner she was working with encouraged her to reach out to the chair of the firm’s privacy and cybersecurity practice at Shook. 事实证明，他们需要一名健康保险可携带性和责任法案（HIPAA）和隐私方面的专家，所以里夫斯专注于成为一名专家。
“That was a pivotal moment in my career because this is exactly the work I do for Cerner,” she says.
在Cerner，里夫斯专注于医疗隐私和网络安全。 她最近完成了美国认证信息隐私专家认证，这是一项针对隐私专家的专业认证。
里夫斯从三年级起就知道自己想成为一名律师，她说她一直有意发展自己的事业，但她也强调要保持开放的心态。
“I’m moving through this career that I didn't imagine before law school, and I am so glad about how it's turning out,” she says. “I truly thank God for my career. 我的心态的发展也很大程度上要归功于我的母亲。 She supported and encouraged me in every endeavor and challenged me to never stop learning and dreaming of all that could be.”
Sara Rittman (J.D. ’81), Deputy Chief Counsel, Litigation Division, Missouri Attorney General’s Office
During her four decades in the legal profession, Sara Rittman (J.D. ’81) has taken a practical approach to moving up the career ladder. 她的故事不仅仅是一个突然的转变，而是一系列的转变，这些转变导致了不同但又相关的角色。 多年来，她在控方和辩方都有工作经验，在公共服务部门工作，然后是私人执业，然后又回来了。
“I’m one who tends to look for things to build on,” she says.
Rittman started her career at the Missouri Attorney General’s Office, representing professional licensing agencies in the state and helping various agencies — like the nursing, podiatry and funeral director boards — with disciplinary litigation against those who violated their professional standards. 合规和道德成了她的利基。 最后，她担任了类似的工作人员法律顾问，然后担任了副首席纪律法律顾问，确保律师遵守职业行为规则。 Next she moved from compliance to advising, serving as legal ethics counsel, where she provided informal advisory opinions to attorneys and served as counsel to the Missouri Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee.
但她职业生涯中最戏剧性的变化发生在2012年，当时她开了一家私人防务公司。 在她的私人执业中，里特曼帮助面临投诉或违反道德规范的律师实现合规或回答针对他们的投诉。 她就与他们的做法有关的道德问题向他们提供咨询。 里特曼说，在国家起诉方面工作是有帮助的，但也有一个学习曲线。
“I did find that there were certainly some perspectives that I hadn’t really understood as fully as I thought I had before I actually made the change,” Rittman says. “I think it is always valuable for attorneys to be able to understand the perspectives of the people that they’re dealing with.”
Rittman re-joined the Attorney General’s Office in 2019, and in July of 2021, became deputy chief counsel in the Litigation Division, essentially the defense firm for the state. 里特曼说，尽管她的角色不同，但有些东西是通用的。
“At every stage of a legal career, you’re going to have to learn new things,” she says. “A constant that I’ve learned is, as a lawyer, if you are prepared and you behave professionally, those are the two most important things.”