Career Paths: Ross Reggio ’24L After graduation, Ross Reggio will be working with Manning Gross + Massenburg in the Irvine, California office.

Ross Reggio ’24L

Ross Reggio ‘24L is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California, where he received an Honors B.A. in Government and Legal Studies. After college, he worked as a paralegal and business immigration analyst for a business immigration firm in Los Angeles, California. Ross spent his 1L summer working for Schonekas, Evans, McGoey & McEachin, L.L.C., in New Orleans, Louisiana. He split his 2L summer between Hinkle Shanor L.L.P., in Roswell, New Mexico and Joseph Kaufman & Associates in Pasadena, California. At W&L, he is an Executive Editor on the W&L Law Review and spent his 3L Fall Semester working for the Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility in Washington D.C.

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

After graduation, I will be working with Manning Gross + Massenburg L.L.P. (MG+M) in the Irvine, California office. At MG+M, I will be participating in complex tort litigation, focusing on toxic exposure cases concerning substances like asbestos.

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

Not at all! My interests drastically changed in the middle of my 2L year. Originally, I thought I would be better suited to corporate law work because I preferred writing and taking a lot of time to think through complex problems. I began to feel otherwise after the second‑semester oral argument for 1L writing, but I still held reservations about becoming a litigator. Everything changed after taking Civil Litigation with Professor Peppers my 2L year. Not only did I realize I had a knack for litigation, but I discovered I really enjoyed complex litigation. Funnily enough, the Civil Litigation practicum brings students through an asbestos trial, and I will be working on asbestos and other toxic torts after graduation. It’s almost like it was meant to be!

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

I knew I didn’t want to return to big law. I had worked as a paralegal in a big law firm before entering law school, and the atmosphere just wasn’t for me. I sought out primarily small and medium sized law firms. As for location, I always planned on getting back to Southern California. I attended undergraduate school forty-five minutes outside Los Angeles and many of my close friends live in or around the city.

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

My 2L summer experiences solidified my career choice. I worked for Hinkle Shanor, L.L.P., a prestigious litigation firm in New Mexico, for the first half of the summer. The firm gave me many opportunities to experience litigation and confirm my interest in complex litigation. The experience also gave me more practice with depositions and discovery requests, which I had limited exposure to during my other law school experiences. I then worked for Joseph Kaufman & Associates, a small firm that focuses on consumer liabilities litigation, which allowed me to experience litigation in California.

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

Legal Writing and Legal Research will always be the most important classes for 1Ls. If you can’t write or research, then being a lawyer will be tough. The skills I learned in those courses have been vital for my success in law school and while working with firms over the summers. More specifically, the Civil Litigation and Trial Advocacy practicums are incredibly helpful for students who want to litigate. Both courses have taught me a great deal about litigating and making strategic decisions, and I think anyone interested in litigation should try to take both at some point in their law school career.

Can you describe the job search process?

The job search was tough because I wanted to go back to California. I was constantly reaching out to alumni, some of whom were responsive and some who were not, to try and find opportunities in California. Additionally, I requested reciprocity with California law schools’ career offices, which allowed me to view job postings, but many of those were specific requests for law students from those schools. I was incredibly fortunate to find MG+M when I did, and even more fortunate that they were hiring at many offices around the country.

What are you most looking forward to about this job?

I am looking forward to working with the incredible individuals at MG+M and learning more about complex litigation. MG+M has an amazing track record in this type of work, and I know that I will gain a lot of experience in the next few years.