Meet Natalie Beers ’25L: Rachford Fellow Natalie Beers lends her previous experience as a legal recruiter to students as they navigate their job searches.

By Law Communications
March 7, 2025

Natalie Beers ‘25L is from Wayne, Pennsylvania and received her BA in English Language & Literature from William & Mary. After college, Natalie worked as a Legal Recruiter for three years in Washington, D.C. Being around brilliant attorneys (and getting to plan Summer Associate programs for law students!) inspired Natalie to apply to law school. Natalie considers herself a lifelong learner and always knew that she wanted to go back to school. Working at a law firm helped her crystalize her plans to practice law someday.

During her first summer at W&L Law, Natalie served as a judicial intern for The Honorable Thomas T. Cullen in the Western District of Virginia. For her 2L summer, she worked as a Summer Associate at Arnold & Porter in Washington, D.C. Following her graduation in May 2025, she will clerk for The Honorable Michael F. Urbanski in the Western District of Virginia. She will then return to Arnold & Porter as an Associate in 2026.

Why did you choose W&L Law?

I picked W&L Law because I didn’t want to be lost in the crowd. There are many excellent law schools on the East Coast and in Virginia especially, but I felt confident that the small class size at W&L Law would be beneficial for my learning. I could also sense that there was something special about engaging in rigorous intellectual efforts in such a small town—the focus gets to be all about school, developing friendships, and enjoying the process as much as possible.

Share an experience, class, professor/staff member that has had an impact on your time as a law student.

I have been incredibly fortunate during my three years at W&L Law. One impactful experience that comes to mind is recent—the way I felt the support of both faculty and staff as I submitted my clerkship applications on a tight timeline. Professor Murchison, Professor Trammell, Professor Hasbrouck, Professor Weiss, and Dean Wilson all jumped into action, writing letters of recommendation or offering words of advice for the interview process. It was wonderful to feel my network rallying around me in encouragement of my success.

The Clerkship Committee at W&L is full of professors who firmly believe in the value of spending a year (or more!) in a judge’s chambers, and I have been so inspired by the number of students who receive the opportunity to clerk for a judge following graduation. W&L Law continues to punch above its weight with clerkships, and the work of the Clerkship Committee should not go unnoticed!

Why did you choose to be a Rachford Fellow with the Office of Career Strategy (OCS), and what are some responsibilities you have in this role?

I am not shy about admitting that I wanted to serve as a Rachford Fellow from the moment I learned about the role during Orientation. My background before law school was in legal recruiting at a large law firm. I stumbled into that industry, but it became a large part of the reason I applied to law school. I learned so much about the norms and standards of attorney recruiting, summer associate recruiting, and I even helped plan summer associate programs for law students.

Once I started law school, I recognized how much recruiting lingo I had acquired, and I realized I could assist my peers by providing basic information: “What is OCI? What is a screener interview vs. a full-round/call back interview? Will the firm reimburse my travel? To whom should I address my cover letter? Is this an auto-generated reply or is this firm actually interested in my candidacy? Should I reach out to this attorney to learn more about the firm? When do I need to figure all this out?”

By the end of my first year, I was already informally supporting classmates by providing answers to these and many other “legal recruiting etiquette” questions. So, by the end of my second year of school, applying to serve as a Rachford Fellow was a no-brainer. I feel so lucky to have been selected and to share my knowledge with other students.

My responsibilities include editing resumes and cover letters, meeting with students to be a sounding board or answer questions, and providing interview prep sessions. I also helped coordinate some of the firm-sponsored events in the fall and continue to support OCS events throughout the school year.

What do you enjoy about working with OCS and other law students?

Editing cover letters and resumes is my favorite part of serving in this role. I abhorred writing my own cover letters, but helping other students sell themselves on paper has been much more enjoyable. Everyone has a unique background and great experience—it’s all about figuring out how to present it. My love of language and writing has come in handy when editing, and I’ve especially loved learning about the cool accomplishments of my peers while working on their documents.

I am passionate about helping our students put their best foot forward as they represent W&L Law to the broader legal community. After meeting with so many students this year, it has been very fulfilling to watch as they navigate the interview process and ultimately secure summer jobs. The recruiting world remains unpredictable, but I am glad to have been able to offer my industry insight to my classmates over the years.

Anything you are looking forward to in your 3L year spring and post-graduation?

I have so much respect for every single one of my classmates. Earning a law degree is no small feat, and I am excited to celebrate our successes together.