Career Paths: Chi Ewusi ’17L

By Peter Jetton
March 24, 2017

Chi Ewusi ’17L hails from all over but most recently lived in the Philadelphia suburbs before coming to law school. Before pursuing a legal education, she worked as a writer and a dancer for several years, and she graduated from the University of Phoenix with a B.A. in English. At W&L Law, she served as the Executive Editor of the German Law Journal and the Law News.

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

After graduation, I will be working for Kirkland and Ellis, in their Houston, TX office. I’ll be doing primarily private equity and capital markets work.

Did you know coming into law school that you wanted to work for a law firm?

I knew that I wanted to spend at least a few years at a firm and get that experience.

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

Size and location were prerequisites for sure. I wanted a firm large enough in both numbers and office locations to handle large deals.

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

Going into law school, I knew that I would aim to pursue employment at a large law firm. My biggest fears were whether I could handle it and whether taking that path would prevent me from pursuing my other legal interests. Talking with my professors helped confirmed my career choice, as well as taking on interesting assignments that combined my love of corporate and international law.

What classes do you think are helpful to take to prepare for a law firm job?

I think it depends on what kind of work you’ll be doing, but generally, some corporate and business classes would be useful. Classes like Close Business Arrangements (CBA) and Federal Income Tax provide a good foundation. Because I’m specifically doing securities and private equity work, I’ve found Securities Regulation, Secured Transactions, and Cross Borders Transactions to be particularly helpful as well.

Can you describe your job search process?

I was fortunate to receive an offer from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman (where I spent my 2L summer), but I knew I did not want to start my career in D.C. Through talking to alums in Texas and following business journals/blogs, I found out that Kirkland & Ellis was expanding in that region. I forwarded my resume, visited the Houston office in August, and received an offer a couple of days later to join my preferred practice area in my preferred market.