Petal has extensive experience working as a lawyer and an executive at top international law firms. She began her legal career as an associate in the Finance Group at Shearman & Sterling, LLP where she represented lenders, borrowers and underwriters in sophisticated financing transactions. Prior to joining Columbia Law School, she served as Senior Director and Strategic Advisor for Legal Recruiting at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP where she worked with firm management to assess hiring needs and objectives and to develop attorney recruiting strategies and implement initiatives for summer associates, full-time associates, lateral associates and partners.
Petal is an active member of NALP, the National Association for Law Placement, the NY State Bar, the American Bar Association and several similar organizations. She often speaks on several topics including: the realities of legal practice/law firm life, managing law firm recruiting programs, the importance of diversity in the legal work-place, interview preparation, transitioning from lawyer to law firm executive, and communicating effectively. Petal received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Secondary Education, cum laude, from Andrews University and her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Howard University School of Law where she was an Editor of the Howard Law Journal and the President of the International Moot Court Team.
Marta Ricardo is the Director of Alumni and International Career Services. Marta spent most of her professional career working as a lawyer, rating analyst and investment banker in the structured finance industry. Prior to joining the Law School, Marta was a Managing Director at HSBC Securities Inc. where she had responsibility for credit card and student loan ABS origination, Latin American structured finance and covered bond product introduction to US banks.
Marta came to New York City in 1991 to attend Columbia Law School where she was the Chair of Latino/a Law Students Association and the Coordinator of the Moot Court Program. She grew up in Coral Gables, Florida and attended the University of Florida.
Katie Brethel is the Director of JD Career Advising. She joined the Office of Career Services in 2005 as our Recruitment Manager. In this role she worked to manage our recruiting programs and expand employer relations. After receiving her EdM in Psychological Counseling from Columbia’s Teachers College, she moved into a career advising role. At CLS, she oversees JD career advising, designs and implements professional development programs and coordinates with student groups to create career focused events.
Tracey joined the Office of Career Services in July 2009. She received a B.A. in Political Science from Spelman College and a J.D. from The Ohio State University. Upon graduation from law school, Tracey worked in legal recruiting and attorney development at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in Washington, DC and and then at Paul Hastings in Chicago, IL. In her capacity as a legal recruiter, Tracey focused on hiring entry level and lateral associates. She also handled all aspects of the summer program, and managed various aspects of attorney training and development.
* JD, LLM, and Alumni counselor
* Alumni/ae counselor (new graduates to partners)
* Presents Podcasts and Orientation/Skills Training Programs
* Office Hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Janice is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. Upon graduation, she began her legal career as a litigation associate in the Delaware office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She later worked as an associate in the New York office of Loeb & Loeb LLP. Immediately prior to joining the Office of Career Services, Janice worked as an Associate Director of Career Development at Fordham Law School.
Marsha has spent many years working with law schools and law firms teaching legal online research and creating national programs for the legal profession. In addition, she was a principal in her own consulting company focused on advising administrators and teachers, writing communication courses for corporations, creating and leading workshops for schools and national companies, and writing grants.
For several years, Marsha has counseled law students and lawyers. Marsha was the Director of Continuing Legal Education at New York County Lawyers’ Association where she introduced the Bridge-the-Gap program for recent law school graduates. She joined the staff as a Counselor in the Career Services Office of Columbia Law School a few years ago and now is a full-time member of the CSO.
Natasha Patel formerly served as the Interim Dean and Director of the office before returning to her native Atlanta, Georgia. Her experience spans both the private and public sector as well as geographic regions. She was a former attorney at Morrison & Forester in Palo Alto, California and Cravath Swaine & Moore in New York, and worked on the Obama for America Presidential Campaign and Martin for Senate Runoff Election in Georgia. She earned her law degree at Hastings College of Law and earned her Masters in Psychology at Columbia University. She currently works as a career adviser with Shannon & Manch, a nationwide Lawyer Development and Transition Counseling firm.
* Career Services database administration/ management
* Liaison to outside technology vendors
* Judicial Clerkship Database Administrator
* Liaison to Columbia IT Department
* Manages all employment statistics
Meghan joined the Office of Career Services in May of 2009. At CLS, Meghan manages all legal recruitment programs for students -- including the Early Interview Program, Fall On-Campus Interview Program, Overseas-Trained Student Interview Program, and 1L On-Campus Interview Program -- and acts as liaison to employers for any and all recruitment, sponsorship and job posting inquiries. Prior to joining CLS, she was a member of the Recruiting Department at DLA Piper, where she was involved in both lateral and summer associate hiring for the New York office. Before entering the recruiting field, Meghan attended the Columbia Publishing Course and worked in the editorial department at Bantam Dell. She graduated with a B.A. in English from Middlebury College.
Anna joined the Office of Career Services in 2005, after receiving a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University. She handles the Office’s website and other multimedia needs, including podcasting and video recording, and is working on a Masters in multimedia journalism at the Journalism School.
Diane joined the Office of Career Service in February 2009. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Bucknell University. Upon graduation, she was a member of the Legal Recruitment Department of Allen & Overy LLP. At CLS, Diane coordinates all aspects of career-related student programming, J.D. and LL.M Practice Interview Programs, and all Spring 1L and Rising 2L Summer events. She also manages the job listings database, reciprocity requests, and acts as the front office liaison to students.
