Robin Gonzales '19

What advice would you give to a new colleague?

Do not give up. Whether you want that job in big law, or want that clerkship with a federal judge, or want to go in house. Do not give up because you were not able to get your dream job out of law school. There are many ways to get to where you want to go. Sometimes you just need to go through some challenges to get there. It is often said our first jobs don’t define us. And it is very true. This is probably true with the job market during the COVID times as well. So, if you are not happy where you are or had a dream of where you wanted to be, but you are not quite there yet, just don’t give up and keep going.
 
Tell us about a case that you are particularly proud of.

One case that I am particularly proud of but has also been very challenging for me is a shareholder derivative class action that I work on as lead associate. I did not understand the true meaning of complex commercial litigation until I was knee-deep into thousands of pages of multi-party discovery and a myriad of cases in state and federal courts accompanying this lawsuit. Now we are getting ready for an appeal to the Ninth Circuit. It will be interesting times!
 
Do you have a motto and what is it?

The last words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s Ulysses always come to mind – “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” I have found this motto to apply both in my personal and professional life. If I am not striving for and searching for something, then I know I have grown stale and it’s time to reassess my direction and make a change.