help them learn and grow
By Faye A. Silas
As a stopgap measure, Leslie Blunt and Silvia Castillo applied for welfare last summer just until they could find jobs to care for their young children. Today they work for two prominent Bay Area law firms. These jobs have not only given them valuable work skills and experience, but also an innate sense of self-sufficiency. Blunt at Latham & Watkins, and Castillo at Lillick & Charles, are among 15 women participating in the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Legal Employment Action Program. Blunt is 29, a single mother with two daughters; and Castillo, 34, is separated from her husband and has two daughters and one son, aged two, four and six. Both women say their goals are to provide a good life for themselves and their children. They believe they are well on their way to accomplishing that goal. Leslie BluntLeslie Blunt says welfare will not be a permanent part of her life. That goal and the sheer enjoyment she finds in her new job at Latham & Watkins have motivated her over the last three months.
Blunt is one of three LEAP interns at the law firm, which has a staff of 200, including 80 lawyers. The firm occupies seven floors of a 23-story office tower in downtown San Francisco, and Blunt works on the 18th floor as an administrative assistant to Donna Oliver, the law firm administrator. The other interns work in the records and docket departments.
Dissatisfied with a job at a toy store and hoping to find a better one, Blunt filed for welfare in September so that she could concentrate on a serious job search. (She received welfare once before after she gave birth to her second child.) Coincidentally, at this time, a friend passed along a flyer about LEAP. So she signed up. After completing the appraisal and training program, Blunt interviewed with three of the law firms that are participating in the bar’s welfare-to-work program. Blunt says she was attracted to Latham & Watkins because of the friendly interview, the firm’s extensive computer training program and a special program that provides back-up child care for employees.
"They seemed very nice, . . . let me know they were interested in me," she says of her interview. "They made me feel comfortable. It was a very welcoming atmosphere."
Drawing on the job search information gained from the Urban University, Blunt says the resume writing and interviewing sessions were particularly useful. (See "Hard and soft skills are keys to work readiness," page 17.)
"Before, I would just send a resume, but no cover letter. They taught us to include a cover letter with the resume. After an interview, they told us to send a thank- you letter. I did these things and that’s why I knew my resume presentation was complete," Blunt says with confidence.
When the law firm selected her as one of the interns, she was pleased, in part, because she felt she had done well during the interview. "I’m a confident person and I have no problem projecting that," she says. As administrative assistant to Oliver, Blunt explains, "I do a little of everything. Faxing, Xeroxing, answering the phone. I assist Donna in doing her job." Working in the Administration Department puts her in contact with most departments in the firm, she adds.
Blunt is enthusiastic about the firm’s in-house training program, called the University of Latham & Watkins. The extensive curriculum includes classes that focus on computer skills ranging from Word and Excel to PowerPoint. The sessions, about an hour in length, are designed to improve employees’ understanding of how certain software is used at the law firm. Credits are given for class completion, which can be used to receive technical certification. Blunt has taken several classes.
While secretaries and word-processing operators are required to take two credits per quarter, all other staff--paralegals and lawyers included--can take any class they are interested in. The year-old program is believed to be the most comprehensive in-house training program offered by a San Francisco law firm.
Clerical work is not new to Blunt, however. She took accounting classes at San Francisco State University, and has worked in clerical positions at the General Services Administration and a temporary service, where she also gained computer skills. Her last position was an administrative assistant at the toy store.
Helpful mentor
Each intern was assigned a mentor, who is available to talk to, answer questions and generally serve as a resource during the adjustment to the job and workplace. The mentor is someone other than the intern’s supervisor, and usually works in another department. Blunt’s mentor is Martina Pedlar, a legal secretary in the Litigation Department who works on the same floor. "If I have any questions any time, I feel comfortable asking Martina. And we go to lunch once a week," Blunt says.
Pedlar has worked at the firm for three years and has been as a legal secretary for 12 years. "We talk about everyday occurrences. We both have children, are working mothers and enjoy our jobs," Pedlar says. They usually get away from the office for lunch and enjoy relaxed, informal meetings.
"She’s progressing very well. Leslie has always had a positive attitude. She’s very energetic and willing to learn. It seems as though she just can’t get enough information," she remarks.
Pedlar had a mentor when she started out, and says she understands the invaluable benefits of having one. Her mentor, whom she describes as being "like a mother to me," helped her become a legal secretary. "Sometimes it’s difficult to get ahead in a workforce as a woman," she adds.
Blunt’s support also comes from the other interns, Yehimi Olvera and Lyketa Robinson. "We go to lunch together and relax. It’s an added plus having others here from the program," she says.
When the San Francisco bar approached the firm about participating in LEAP, officials enthusiastically agreed and said they could use three interns, says Donna Oliver.
"We were interested in helping with the welfare-to-work program and involve (women) in the legal community. We have positions in our firm," says Oliver, who coordinates the LEAP interns at the firm. Also, the extensive in-house training program makes it easy for the firm to supplement and enhance the interns’ computer training, she adds.
Another reason why the firm felt comfortable with the program is because it had just come off the San Francisco bar’s high school summer intern program for students interested in law-related careers, so it was familiar with how to structure a work experience that would be valuable, Oliver notes.
While Blunt’s work days are busy at the firm, her personal life is equally absorbed. Daughters Corjenay and Courtney Stuart (five and six, respectively) occupy her attention after work and on weekends. Blunt says they know she is going to work when she puts on her "church clothes."
School, community and church activities are also part of her life. Blunt is secretary of the PTA; serves as the school liaison to the African American Resource Center, a community group; and is a member of St. James Baptist Church. And her mother, Mae, provides the greatest support. "She’s the reason I am able to go after my goals."
Blunt says she appreciates the opportunity and the caring support she has received from Latham & Watkins.
"I love my position. At the law firm, you have to look, dress and act professional. Being here keeps me on my toes," she adds. Silvia Castillo
Collecting welfare benefits is a temporary move for Silvia Castillo. It was necessary after she separated from her husband last year, and had to care for Joshua, six, Rebecca, four, and Isabel, two, all by herself. Up to that point, she had been a full-time mother for five years.
"My income just wasn’t enough, so I applied for welfare," she says.
She learned about LEAP and applied for the program. While she says she hated to leave her children, she had little choice.
"I saw all of the training, and felt the life skills are very necessary," Castillo says. The motivational aspect of the life skills was particularly beneficial, she adds.
"We talked about our goals, what we wanted in life, how to change our lives, how to deal with problems. They tried to make us see that . . . we would be able to make it. There was a lot of motivation and support," she says.
During the six-week training period, the women were given journals and asked to write in them daily. "This helped me a lot. When you start writing, you learn about yourself. It makes you think about what you want to do," she says.
Before the job interviews at the legal employers, the women held mock interviews. This gave them an idea of what questions they might be asked and what to expect.
So when Castillo went on her three law firm interviews, she felt relaxed. "Lillick chose me first. I was very, very proud."
Castillo works in the Records Department of Lillick & Charles, where she indexes files, adds material to a database, and handles labels along with about nine other employees. "Files that go to storage must be indexed first," she explains. "By doing this, little by little, I’m learning more about the firm and all of the departments."
She had acquired some computer skills in previous jobs, so the database work at the firm wasn’t completely foreign. Still, she had to learn new software programs and how they applied to her work.
Not having worked since 1994, Castillo says she was excited, but nervous about her new job. But her supervisors and co-workers have been helpful and made her feel comfortable. Only a handful of staff knows that Castillo is part of a welfare-to-work program.
"We wanted to make sure that her history would be something she would decide to share," says Allen Gebhardt of the firm’s desire to respect Castillo’s privacy and not discuss her background. Gebhardt, who heads the records department and is Castillo’s supervisor, participated in a training session for staff of the legal employers who would be working directly with the interns.
"It wasn’t our place to communicate this. We just wanted to make sure she felt welcomed and relaxed, and that we provided a support structure to ensure that she succeeds," he explains. The firm strives to do this for all new employees, he adds.
Castillo was assigned two mentors--Elizabeth Krivatsy, a lawyer, and Maria Osorio, a legal secretary. Osorio, her principle mentor, has worked at Lillick & Charles for three years. Before participating, she attended an orientation session for LEAP mentors that explained the welfare-to-work program and discussed how to maintain a relationship with the interns.
Osorio says she has a comfortable relationship with Castillo. They meet weekly over lunch to talk about how work is going. "Sylvia is a self-starter, a go-getter. She’s always cheerful and positive," she says.
Osorio also mentors two teen-aged girls. And she does volunteer work with children and homeless organizations and teaches bible classes.
"I believe in this program," Osorio says, adding that she was pleased to be asked to participate. "There are good goals behind it."
Nancy Seigel, who co-chairs the LEAP planning effort and is one of the people with whom Castillo interviewed, suggests that while the program may be helping the women on welfare get back on their feet, the legal employers are beneficiaries as well. "It’s gratifying to find a motivated employee," she remarks. Castillo’s performance is "exceeding expectations," she adds.
Lillick & Charles, a mid-sized firm with 90 lawyers and 200 total employees, does not have a formal training program. Castillo was placed in the records department because a job was available there and the position exposes a worker to the variety of operations of the firm.
"In learning the documents, you learn about the structure. This entry-level job exposes a worker to legal practice and can be a stepping stone to becoming a legal secretary or paralegal," Seigel says.
Castillo enjoys her job, and acknowledges that it--and the training and mentoring she’s received through LEAP-has boosted her confidence and helped her overcome shyness.
Her parents have also helped. She remembers when they moved to San Francisco from Guatemala 17 years ago to provide a new life for her sister, brother and herself. They succeeded and Castillo says she will, too.
"I can do my job. I think I’m a hard worker. They (firm) have confidence in me, and that means a lot," she says.
