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.
Janice is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. Upon graduation, she began her legal career as a litigation associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She later worked as an associate at 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.
* JD, LLM, and Alumni counselor
* Alumni/ae counselor (new graduates to partners)
* Presents Podcasts and Orientation/Skills Training Programs
* Office Hours Tuesdays and Wednesdays
June is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Brooklyn Law School where she was the Academic Chair for the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, and a member of the Community Development Clinic. She has also received a Masters of Arts in Higher & Postsecondary Education from Teachers College and has worked in legal and compliance at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and American Express. Prior to joining OCS, she worked in the Columbia University Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development.
Lois is a graduate of Fordham University School of Law and practiced at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton and Garrison LLP prior to joining the Office of Career Services.
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.
Mary is an attorney, originally from Australia, and is admitted to practice in both Australia and New York state. She holds a law degree from the University of Sydney and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Chicago. She practiced for six years in both Australia and the United States, primarily with Baker & McKenzie in the area of labor and employment law. She was the Associate Director in the Career Center of Northwestern University School of Law for over three years advising both international and domestic LL.M. students and J.D. students pursing international opportunities. She is also the Researcher and Co-developer of the International Directory of Lawyer Qualification, a comprehensive guide to the legal education and admission requirements of almost 50 countries. Mary is based in Chicago and she joined the Law School as a Career Advisor in October 2010.
Sara advises students and graduates regarding legal and non-legal career options. Previously, she was a litigation associate, and worked in the Legal Personnel Office of a large international law firm; she ran the firm's lateral recruiting program for domestic and international offices, and the international attorney program, and also organized new partner orientations, partner compensation committee, and firm executive committee efforts and associate evaluations.
* Career Services database administration/ management
* Liaison to outside technology vendors
* Judicial Clerkship Database Administrator
* Liaison to Columbia IT Department
* Manages all employment statistics
Diane manages all legal recruitment programs for students, including the Early Interview Program, Fall and Spring On-Campus Interview Programs, and the Overseas-Trained Student Interview Program. She also acts as the liaison to employers for any and all recruitment, sponsorship and job posting inquiries. Prior to joining CLS, Diane was a member of the Legal Recruitment Department of Allen & Overy LLP. She received a B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Bucknell University.
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.
