Each year, The National Jurist recognizes a new group of Law Students of the Year from nominations sent by law schools nominating their top students. These students leave their mark on their law schools and surrounding communities.
Alison Epperson, now a Case Western Reserve University School of Law graduate, was on our list of Law Students of the Year in 2018.
“One of the most important lessons I learned was that being a good lawyer is not just about how naturally talented or intelligent you are,” Epperson said. “It is also about your passion, dedication, hard work and a lot of writing.”
In 2018, Epperson shared that during her first year of law school, she lost one of her biggest supporters. Her longtime boyfriend took his life. He suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) after playing high school football. But this traumatic experience didn’t derail Epperson. Instead, she used it as motivation to excel both in and out of law school.
“This experience continues to shape the person and lawyer I am today, but at the time, it almost broke me, and I did not know how I would survive law school,” Epperson said. “With the support of family and friends and my determination to live as fulsome of a life as possible, since my boyfriend no longer could himself, I kept moving forward and worked as hard as I could.”
Upon graduation, she told us she would join Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe as a full-time associate in New York. And she did.
She currently serves as Managing Associate in the White Collar Investigations and Trade Compliance practice group.
“I never thought I would end up in big law, but when looking ahead to my 2L summer, I wanted to do a big law summer associateship to widen my experience and better understand the private practice,” Epperson said. “I knew I wanted to be on the East Coast, so I researched firms with a substantial international law practice and started emailing resumes and cover letters to firms with a New York or DC presence.”
Epperson primarily represents individuals and corporations in a broad range of white-collar criminal defense, anti-corruption, anti-bribery, regulatory, and trade matters across the globe with a focus on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws and regulations. Her practice involves conducting internal investigations, representing clients in matters before the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, and enhancing corporate compliance programs.
“One reason I wanted to work for Orrick is because of the firm’s commitment to pro bono work that aligns with my values,” Epperson said.
While at the firm, Epperson has helped clients navigate immigration and asylum matters, worked on death penalty cases, policing and racial justice cases, women’s reproductive health and a range of other constitutional issues.
“I never imagined that I would become a white-collar defense attorney and my path to this practice was not a linear one,” Epperson said. “My biggest advice is to get as much experience as you can and never feel too locked into any one area at the beginning of your career. You should always be looking for ways to grow, both as an attorney and person, throughout every stage of your career.”
