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family and a first-generation American being the daughter of a Germany born father and Spanish born mother.“ As immigrants, my parents really appreciated the opportunities you have in the US,” she recalls.“ Hard work was my parents’ ethos.”
Jacqueline’ s background informs her approach to mentorship, particularly through the Legal Mentor Network. When she speaks to law students or foreign lawyers seeking to break into the American market, she draws on her lived experience. She understands the weight of student loans and the journey of a job search. She reminds them that the path is rarely linear.
“ Be open to all opportunities that you come across”, she encourages mentees. Jacqueline often points out that the“ golden” path to a high-paying job right after graduation is available to only a small percentage of people. For everyone else, it’ s about getting a foot in the door and building a story through persistence.
Defining success
As Jacqueline has moved into more senior roles, her definition of success has undergone a radical transformation. In her twenties, the metrics were traditional: title, money, and firm prestige. Today,
Katten ___________________________________________________________
Katten is a full-service law firm with nearly 650 attorneys in locations across the United States and in London and Shanghai. Clients seeking sophisticated, high-value legal services turn to Katten for counsel locally, nationally and internationally. The firm’ s core areas of practice include real estate, corporate, financial markets and funds, insolvency and restructuring, intellectual property, litigation, structured finance and securitization, transactional tax planning, private credit and private wealth. Katten represents public and private companies in numerous industries, as well as a number of government and nonprofit organizations and individuals. Katten is proud of the close working relationship we have forged with CIC and Jacqueline Keller over many years.
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