This episode features a conversation with Daniela Valladares. Daniela is a summer associate in 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Chicago office focused on litigation. In this discussion, Daniela reflects on growing up in McAllen, TX, and earning her BA and Master鈥檚 in accounting from The University of Texas at Austin before attending Texas Tech University School of Law. Daniela reflects on her experience as a summer associate, including the assignments and various summer associate events. She also shares wonderful advice to prospective and current law schools on the importance of seeking out information proactively, using career centers, and networking to maximize opportunities.

顿补苍颈别濒补鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;笔谤辞蹿颈濒别:

• Title: Summer Associate
• 麻豆直播 Office: Dallas
• Hometown: McAllen, TX
• College: The University of Texas at Austin
• Law School: Texas Tech University School of Law

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This episode features a conversation with John Stillman. John is a summer associate in 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Chicago office focused on litigation. In this discussion, John reflects on growing up in Oak Law, IL, and earning his BA and Masters, in business administration, from the Bradley University before attending the University of Wisconsin Law School and transferring to Notre Dame Law School. John reflects on his experience as a summer associate, including the assignments and various summer associate events. He also shares wonderful advice on the importance of seeking mentorship and the importance of embracing challenges head on.

闯辞丑苍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;笔谤辞蹿颈濒别:

• Title: Summer Associate
• 麻豆直播 Office: Chicago
• Hometown: Oak Lawn, IL
• College: Bradley University
• Law School: Notre Dame Law School

Click here for full list of The Path & The Practice episodes.

You can also find, and subscribe, to this podcast on all major podcast platforms including , ,  and .

This episode features a conversation with Peyton Recer. Peyton is a summer associate in 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Tampa office focused on real estate. In this discussion, Peyton reflects on growing up in Windermere, FL, and earning her BA and Master鈥檚 degree, in real estate, from the University of Florida before attending University of Miami School of Law. She shares her approach to law school, including how she studies and prepares for exams. Peyton also reflects on her experience as a summer associate, including the assignments and various summer associate events. She also shares wonderful advice on the importance of networking and relationship building.

笔别测迟辞苍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;笔谤辞蹿颈濒别:

• Title: Summer Associate
• 麻豆直播 Office: Tampa
• Hometown: Windermere, FL
• College: University of Florida
• Law School: University of Miami School of Law

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You can also find, and subscribe, to this podcast on all major podcast platforms including , ,  and .

This episode features a conversation with Donavon Lea. Donavon is 2L summer associate in 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Los Angeles office focused on health care. In this discussion, Donovan reflects on growing up in Virginia Beach, VA, and earning his BA and MPH from the University of Virginia before attending UCLA for law school. He reflects on the variety of work experience he gained in undergrad, including serving as a CDC Public Health Law Fellow. Donavon describes his experience as a summer associate and provides advice to prospective and current law students, emphasizing the importance of openness to unexpected opportunities and the importance of maintaining a learner鈥檚 mindset. 

顿辞苍补惫辞苍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;笔谤辞蹿颈濒别:

• Title: Summer Associate
• 麻豆直播 Office: Los Angeles
• Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
• College: University of Virginia
• Law School: University of California, Los Angeles

Click here for full list of The Path & The Practice episodes.

You can also find, and subscribe, to this podcast on all major podcast platforms including , ,  and .

This July, 麻豆直播 & Lardner is proud to celebrate the 5th anniversary of its partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). 麻豆直播, the first and only law firm to partner with BGCA on a national scale, supports BGCA鈥檚 national youth leadership development strategy through programs that equip youth to lead and make meaningful contributions in their communities.

Our partnership is driven by the engagement of our attorneys and business professionals in volunteer opportunities with local Clubs in all 24 U.S. communities where 麻豆直播 practices, and through the firm鈥檚 Mexico City office in partnership with Pro Ni帽os de la Calle. These efforts range from one-off events to longer-term investments like mentoring and BGCA鈥檚 Military Youth of the Year initiative, reflecting 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 commitment to the communities we serve.

Since the inception, 麻豆直播 has hosted more than 600 unique events and contributed nearly 10,000 volunteer hours across the national BGCA organization and our local partner Clubs.

贵辞濒别测鈥檚 partnership with BGCA is an integral part of the firm鈥檚 culture, with many different avenues for our people to participate. BGCA activities are also incorporated into our Summer Associate Retreat, New Associate Orientation and employee onboarding, and other touchpoints across the employee experience. These are just a few examples:

• We have presented nine installments of our Author Series program, bringing children鈥檚 authors to local Clubs in 10 cities.
• 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 annual holiday card features artwork from Club kids across the nation.
• Each year we hire more than a dozen Club kids for summer internships across multiple 麻豆直播 offices.
• Our annual Street Law programs in , Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City give Club youth the opportunity to learn about the legal system. To date, we鈥檝e seen 281 scholars and 197 麻豆直播 attorneys participate in this program.
• Fauxly, 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 house rock band, has raised over $100k for local Clubs through Law Rocks performances across , Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.

In addition, 10 of our attorneys, including our chairman and CEO, serve on local BGCA boards, giving their time, expertise, and passion to Clubs in their communities.

Driven by the firm鈥檚 volunteerism and engagement, 麻豆直播 received BGCA鈥檚 Corporate Philanthropy Award in 2024, which honors companies that create both financially and safe, supportive environments for youth. In 2025, this commitment was recognized at the local level, with 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 New York office named Corporate Partner of the Year by the Boys & Girls Club of Hudson County and the firm receiving a 鈥淔rom the Heart鈥� Award from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade.

To commemorate these five impactful years, during the month of July each of our North American offices is hosting an office celebration, bringing our employees, clients, and Club partners together to engage and connect.

As executive sponsor, I am extremely proud of everything our firm has contributed to this partnership over the past five years. 麻豆直播 is committed to supporting BGCA鈥檚 mission of helping young people build the skills and confidence to lead in their communities.

Concluding our celebration of Pride Month, 麻豆直播 & Lardner invited Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff in the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015, for an engaging fireside chat with LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group vice chair Katie Harrington. A self-described accidental activist, it was an unexpected series of events that led Obergefell and his partner of more than 20 years, John, to their decision to marry and ultimately become part of the legal fight that led to nationwide marriage equality.

Obergefell began the conversation with his story of coming out as a gay man to his family and friends, shared the history of his relationship with John, and described the life of love and community they built together in Cincinnati, Ohio, at a time when the city was not welcoming to the LGBTQIA+ community. 鈥淓veryone around us knew that we were a couple,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut we wanted marriage and everything that marriage signifies.鈥�

That desire grew more urgent after John was diagnosed with ALS. In Ohio, marriage still came with certain rights and privileges upon the death of one of the partners in a couple, and not being legally married would have had serious implications for Obergefell once John passed. So as the barriers to same-sex marriage began to fall in some places, they seized the opportunity and were able to marry in Maryland in 2013. Obergefell described the experience as transformative: 鈥淚t made us feel more complete,鈥� and 鈥渨e were finally able to use the word husband in the same way as everyone else.鈥�

The conversation then turned to the legal fight that ensued when Obergefell soon learned that Ohio would not recognize the marriage on John鈥檚 death certificate. 鈥淓ight days after being married we filed our lawsuit in federal district court,鈥� he said. They successfully argued that Ohio could not treat same-sex couples as 鈥渁 separate class of citizens.鈥� John died a married man three months after the trial court decision.

Ohio appealed to the Sixth Circuit, and the case ultimately made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of marriage equality on June 25, 2015. Harrington highlighted one of the key lines in the decision: 鈥淣o union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family.鈥�

鈥淚t stuns me that I was part of something so important for our country鈥檚 civil rights history,鈥� Obergefell said, reflecting on the scale of the victory, adding that over 600,000 couples have gotten married, and many kids have the names of both of their parents on their birth certificates because of this decision.

Obergefell and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Debbie Cenziper documented his and John鈥檚 story, as well as the stories of others involved in the Obergefell case, in the book Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality. Their story shows that the Supreme Court decision was about more than just the law and policy. It was about the right to love openly, to be recognized as family, and to give future generations 鈥渢he opportunity to survive and thrive.鈥�

Obergefell acknowledged that marriage equality cannot be taken for granted, and he continues to fight for equality for all marginalized communities because 鈥渨hen one right is taken away then all other rights are at risk.鈥� He finds inspiration in the ability to keep the memory of John alive and in younger generations who 鈥渟ee all people as human beings and don鈥檛 get hung up on their minor differences.鈥�

In closing, he encouraged attendees to 鈥渢reat every single colleague with respect, be careful with the words you use and don鈥檛 be afraid to apologize if you misspeak, and don鈥檛 stay silent when someone says something discriminatory.鈥�

This timely program was presented by 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 LGBTQIA+ & Allies Affinity Group to help us navigate this more difficult environment and honor the views of those we may disagree with. Follow the link to learn more about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at the firm.

麻豆直播 & Lardner鈥檚 national partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) is driven in our 25 North American offices through the commitment and support of our attorneys and business professionals who create unforgettable experiences for youth at local Clubs. This year, 麻豆直播 is proud to celebrate the five-year anniversary of this impactful partnership.

One of the partnership鈥檚 marquee programs, launched in 2023, is the BGCA Author Series, which invites celebrated children鈥檚 authors to local Clubs across the country where they lead interactive readings and discussions. Earlier this year, 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Boston office hosted author and artist Harmonia Rosales at the national historic landmark King鈥檚 Chapel to discuss her critically acclaimed book Chronicles of Ori for our eighth installment of this unique program.

Most recently, from Monday June 29 through Wednesday July 1, 贵辞濒别测鈥檚 Milwaukee office hosted local author at three different Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee locations. Inspired by her nieces and nephew, Hoppe鈥檚 The Adventures of BLT book series follows Brooklyn Bacon, Lucy Lettuce, and Theo Tomato as they venture into worlds of magic and make-believe in three separate stories.

Hoppe, along with special appearances by the real Lucy Lettuce and Brooklyn Bacon, visited the Pieper-Hillside Club, Daniels-Mardak Club, and Mary Ryan Club. She read all three of The Adventures of BLT stories to the Club kids followed by a coloring activity and BLT-inspired lunch. Over the three-day, cross-town tour, nearly 80 Club kids were treated to an interactive experience and were able to bring home a copy of each of the three books along with a brand new The Adventures of BLT coloring book.

This was the ninth installment of our BGCA Author series that has featured eight authors across nine cities in the United States and Mexico (and showings of the recordings in many more).

This (inter)national initiative is a great way to engage with our local Clubs, provide age-appropriate books to Club kids, and support youth development.

In celebration of Juneteenth, 麻豆直播 & Lardner welcomed MS NOW Senior Contributor for a firmwide program on June 22. An award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author, and one of the most recognized voices in radio, Norris engages audiences in candid discussions about current events, social issues, and bridging the divide in America.

Norris opened the program by sharing that she has been a story collector since a very young age. 鈥淚 grew up around storytellers; my family practiced an oral history tradition,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tories are how we understand and change the world.鈥�

In connection with her work as a journalist, Norris created a powerful way to invite people into conversations about race and identity: asking them to tell a story in just six words. That prompt became the foundation of the Peabody Award-winning , which offers an accessible 鈥�on-ramp鈥� for discussing race, cultural difference, belonging, and lived experience. What began as blank postcards Norris tucked into menus, hotel rooms, and airplane seat pockets for people around the country to fill out and mail in has since grown into a digital archive of more than 700,000 submissions.

Norris connected the Race Card Project directly to Juneteenth, sharing one person鈥檚 submission that read: Torn between two worlds, always worried. 鈥淭he actual history of Juneteenth is one of people living in two worlds because information was kept from them,鈥� she said, reflecting on the reality that enslaved people in Texas did not learn of their freedom until two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had already declared it law.
鈥淛uneteenth stands as a reminder of the painful distance between what is written and what is lived, and what it means to exist between promise and reality.鈥�

Norris encouraged attendees to create brave spaces in the workplace, rather than simply comfortable ones. 鈥淭he true representation of power is making space for everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淩eally seeing people and thinking about their lived experiences is not just for the moral good. It鈥檚 a business imperative for building a culture of retention.鈥�

In closing, Norris offered four principles for creating a culture of belonging:

• Curiosity: Demonstrate a genuine interest in knowing those around you and listen more than you talk.
• Courage: Be brave in the face of topics that seem personal or risky.
• Hope: Believe that showing up each day can make a difference.
• Action: Find something you can do to contribute to the culture of belonging in your own space and the larger world.

Click here to learn more about Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at 麻豆直播, and to explore how discussions like these contribute to a more inclusive workplace and society.

This episode features a conversation with Tim Casey, General Counsel of Numotion. In this discussion, Tim reflects on growing up in Lindenhurst, IL, and attending Lewis University for undergrad before earning his master鈥檚 and then J.D. from Marquette University. He reflects on the early days of being a lawyer, including clerking for a district and circuit court as well as working as an associate at 麻豆直播. Tim discusses his transition in-house and the experiences he gained at A.O Smith Corporation and GE Health before joining Numotion as GC. He also provides advice to law students and junior lawyers, emphasizing patience, openness to new experience and the importance of learning how to responsibly incorporate A.I. tools into your legal practice.

罢颈尘鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;笔谤辞蹿颈濒别:

• Title: General Counsel
• Company: Numotion
• City: Nashville, TN
• Hometown: Lindenhurst, IL
• College: Lewis University
• Law School: Marquette University School of Law

Click here for full list of The Path & The Practice episodes.

You can also find, and subscribe, to this podcast on all major podcast platforms including , ,  and .