Career Paths: Catalina Perez ’24L After graduation, Catalina Perez will head to Kennedys in Philadelphia, working in insurance coverage.

Catalina Perez ’24L

Catalina Perez ‘24L is from Virginia Beach, Virginia. She attended the University of Virginia where she is a double “hoo,” receiving her B.A. in Government and Master’s in Public Policy & Leadership. Her 1L summer, Catalina clerked with the Honorable Claude V. Worrell. Her 2L summer, Catalina was a summer clerk at Motley Rice. At W&L Law, she is on the German Law Journal and is the head law clerk of the Immigrant Rights Clinic.

Where will you be working after graduation and in what practice area?

I will be working at Kennedys in Philadelphia, working mostly in insurance coverage (and some insurance defense) work.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work in this field?

No, and to be honest I didn’t know much about what insurance coverage and insurance defense were (or even that there was a difference!) until my 3L year.

What role did the size and location of the firm play in the search and decision process?

Location was everything to me. I decided that I wanted to be in Philadelphia to be closer to my family, and set that as one of the parameters for my job search. As for size, I think that the nature of the work that I am interested in, namely working internationally, lends itself to include mostly firms that are larger in size. What drew me to Kennedys is that it’s the best of both worlds (at least in the Philadelphia office). Kennedys has 71 offices/associations/co-operations throughout the world and over a thousand attorneys worldwide. However, in the Philadelphia office it is a very tight knit environment with about 13 attorneys. I think I really struck gold in having the international connections I was seeking while still working in a close, familiar environment in Philly.

Was there anything in your law school or summer job experience that confirmed this career choice?

Working in the Immigrant Rights Clinic has taught me that I thrive in smaller, close-knit environments where teamwork and communication are key. I knew going into my job search that I wanted to find a place with a similarly collegial environment.

At Motley Rice, I learned a lot about the law firm world, and my writing skills improved immensely. I am grateful for that experience because Motley Rice makes a huge impact in plaintiffs side work, and I was so drawn to the large-scale nature of the cases that the firm handles. I knew that after graduating I wanted to work at a firm that similarly made a large impact in the legal field and handled high profile cases.

What classes do you think are helpful to prepare for this job?

Definitely Contracts. After speaking to a couple of professionals in the insurance coverage field, I found out that the crux of the work is largely based on evaluating contracts and having a good understanding of contract principles.

Can you describe the job search process?

During thanksgiving break 3L year I wanted to maximize my time as I was staying with family in Philadelphia, so I reached out to the attorneys on the alumni list that were in Philly and whose jobs sounded like something I would be interested in learning more about. My primary goal was actually not to interview or find a job, but rather to make connections with the attorneys in the area so that once I moved there I could have a couple of people to touch base with. One of the alumni I reached out to happened to work at Kennedys, and he forwarded my resume along to the HR department. I received an interview offer, a second interview, and the rest is history! I had a couple other interviews/options at the time, but when I received the Kennedys offer, I knew that I clicked with the attorneys I met from the Philly office and was so drawn to the international nature of the work that I could not let this opportunity pass.

What are you most looking forward to about this job?

I am very excited to live in a big city for the first time. I am also looking forward to building connections with my fellow first year associates and working alongside the attorneys in Kennedys Philly office.