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Attorney By Attorney Career Profiles of the Profession Who? Celia Guzaldo Gamrath Partner cgamrath@sdflaw.com What? Primary Practice Area & Subspecialty Fields: Matrimonial Law; Appellate Law When? Years in Practice Area: Since 1997 Years in the Legal Profession: Since 1994 Where? Employer: Schiller, DuCanto and Fleck www.sdflaw.com Size/Sector: 33 attorneys/private sector City/State: Chicago, IL Law School: The John Marshall Law School, J.D. cum laude (1994) Undergraduate School/Degree: Indiana University, B.S. (1991) Why? Pluses/Challenges of Practice Area: Matrimonial law is constantly evolving and various areas of law and issues arise in the context of divorce-from contracts and torts to tax and valuation to evidentiary and constitutional issues-it is not just about reading the IMDMA. This keeps the practice both challenging and exciting. Core Skills/Key Knowledge Needed in Your Practice Area: Written and oral communication skills; financial/tax background; knowledge of IMDMA, related statutes, tax code and tax regulations. Advice to Lawyers and Law Students Interested in Your Practice Area: Matrimonial law is a difficult and complex area of law with emotional clients and spirited litigators. It is one of the most litigious areas of law, so if you are fearful of the courtroom, this is not the area for you. Matrimonial law also requires a certain amount of hand-holding and an understanding that this transaction is the biggest deal of a client's life. If you are not a people person who enjoys intimate contact, then this is not the area for you. How? Career Path to Current Position: Accounting background; externship in domestic relations division; clerkship in Illinois Appellate Court; joined appellate department of matrimonial law firm. Influences and Mentors: Donald C. Schiller, Leonard F. Amari, Dean Robert Gilbert Johnston, Honorable Thomas R. Rakowski. Suggested Reading About Your Practice Area: Divorce Manual: A Client Handbook; Gitlin on Divorce: A Guide to Illinois Matrimonial Law Job Search Techniques Used in Finding Your Position(s): Networking; career services. Bar Affiliations and Activities: ISBA Mutual Insurance Co. (Board of Directors); ISBA (General Assembly; Vice-Chair, Women & the Law; Young Lawyers Division Section Council); CBA (past co-chair, Alliance for Women); Appellate Lawyers Association (past member, Board of Directors); Chicago Bar Foundation (member, Young Professionals Board); John Marshall Law School Alumni Association (president-elect); Justinian Society of Lawyers (officer) Recent Professional Publications: Family Law Flash Points, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (March 1998-Present, Monthly Publication); New Stock Options at Divorce: Legislation Treats Stock Options as Marital Property, Illinois Bar Journal (March 2002); Motions to Vacate and Reconsider, Published and Presented twice a year at the Illinois Judicial Conference sponsored by the Illinois Supreme Court (1996-Present); Full Faith and Credit: Enforcing Orders of Protection Across State Lines, Illinois Bar Journal (August 2000); Equitable Adoption: A New Breed of Children, American Journal of Family Law (Fall 1999); Overheard? Eavesdropping in Illinois, Illinois Bar Journal (July 1999); A Lawyer's Guide to Mandatory Arbitration in Illinois, Illinois Bar Journal (October 1998). Recent Professional Presentations: ABA Annual Meeting, Litigating With Power & Professionalism, August 2001; ISBA Law Ed Series, Practice Skills For New Lawyers, August 2001 and March 15, 2000; ISBA Law Ed Series, Shh! Someone May Be Listening: A Journey Into The Murky World Of Electronic Surveillance, June 23, 2000; Celebrating the First Women in the U.S. District Court, March 30, 2000; CBA Appellate Law Committee, Developing Effective Appellate Skills, Dec. 3, 1998; The John Marshall Law School CLE, Appellate Practice Seminar, October 1997 Memorable Career Moment: Being elected partner; being selected as one of, 40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch; receiving the CBA Alliance for Women Alta May Hulett Award; winning on appeal a highly publicized divorce case involving a record in excess of 35,000 pages and hundreds of exhibits . Intriguing Interests: Reading novels; writing articles; walking; yoga, biking.