Panel of alumnae lawyers present at PolyConnect

For the first PolyConnect lunch of the year, three alumnae lawyers returned to campus to participate in a panel discussion on their different careers and experiences. Katie Newhall Yundt '98 kicked off the conversation, outlining the diversity of the legal profession. The reason for presenting as a panel, Katie explained, was to represent a broader segment of women’s experiences in law.


Katie earned her JD from UCLA and works as an in-house counsel for Capital Group, where she finds it interesting to represent a corporation rather than individuals and has the opportunity to handle a diverse case load. When asked about overcoming the challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, Katie explained that a huge part of her job is to be able to communicate well. She also expressed the importance of mentors but urged students to also find sponsors who will advocate for them and push them forward in their careers.

Lauren Nungesser Giovannone '98 did not aspire to become a lawyer growing up; it wasn’t until attending college at Vanderbilt that her interest was piqued through various volunteer opportunities. Lauren pursued her JD at Loyola Law School and entered into commercial real estate practice after graduation, where she has worked ever since. Having worked on numerous prominent building projects, Lauren enjoys seeing the tangible results of her work and has met many well-known real estate figures including Donald Trump. When asked if she ever felt that she hadn’t been taken seriously in her career because she’s a woman, Lauren responded, “Every day,” but added that the environment is changing. “People are becoming more cognizant…. They want women to succeed in the workplace.” Her advice on overcoming this obstacle? “Always make sure you are the most prepared person in the room.”

Gia Chemsian Norian '95 discussed her journey to becoming a labor and employment litigator for the Federal Government. Gia always had her heart set on becoming an attorney. At Poly, she was involved in Government and theater, and even flirted with the idea of going into politics.  However, after enrolling at Loyola Law School and focusing on entertainment transactional law, she decided to pursue a dual JD-MBA degree because she was unsure she even wanted to practice law. Gia accepted a job at a civil litigation law firm post graduation “just to try out” litigating and quickly realized that, while she may not have loved law school, she really enjoyed the “practice” of law.  After relocating to Washington, D.C., Gia accepted a position in the Office of General Counsel for the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she currently handles a wide variety of labor and employment matters. Gia stated that working for the Government has allowed her to obtain independent litigation experience, work on meaningful projects, and have a work-life balance.

Two of the greatest takeaways for students were to view every experience as an opportunity for learning and growth and to distinguish themselves through hard work. “Everyone at Poly works hard,” Katie explained, but it’s later in life when you move beyond Poly that your hard work will truly set you apart.
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