On the Rise: Jennifer Coalson
"Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the opportunity to do what I do."
June 19, 2019 at 02:00 PM
3 minute read
Job Title: Partner.
Current primary practice area: Women's and civil rights, and complex civil litigation.
Experience: Parks, Chesin & Walbert, associate, 2011-2014, partner 2017-present; law clerk, Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 2011 and 2014-2017; Counts Law Group, associate, 2010-2011; Carlton Fields, associate, 2008-2009.
Education: University of Georgia School of Law, 2008; Wake Forest University, 2005.
What drew you to a career in law?
With two parents who spent their entire careers in the law, becoming a lawyer was something I always thought about, and a law and economics course in college convinced me it was the right path for me. But it was not until I switched to a plaintiffs practice that I really found my passion for the practice of law. I represent people whose causes I believe in, people who desperately need someone to fight for them against institutions with far greater resources and power than my clients possess. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the opportunity to do what I do.
What is your goal for the next year?
I am focused on growing our firm's women's rights practice. Movements like #MeToo and Time's Up have encouraged women who might otherwise never have come forward to speak out against sexual assault and workplace discrimination. These women have suffered greatly and often silently, and each call presents the chance to let one woman be heard, tell her story, direct her to resources she might be unaware of and, when strict time limitations (as short as six months in the case of many employment claims) permit, pursue justice on her behalf. I am passionate about these cases. I am incredibly proud of the work my firm has already done in this arena, and I hope to see us do even more in the future.
What is your proudest career moment?
It is difficult to pinpoint a single moment or case of which I am most proud; I am most proud that my career thus far has let me help numerous clients achieve success, however they define that word. One former client who came to me after being sexually assaulted at work has gone on to become an author, speaker and coach on issues relating to healing from trauma. Another is now on his way to becoming a lawyer after we successfully petitioned a federal court to prohibit his college from expelling him on the eve of graduation based on groundless misconduct allegations. A third client whose case went to trial was overcome with emotion when the jury found in his favor, not because of the amount they chose to award him but because it was the first time he felt like anybody other than his lawyers believed him. I am proud to have helped these clients and others find their voice, be heard and move on to do great things with their lives.
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