#127: Michelle Kallen – Appellate Partner and Former Virginia Solicitor General

How I Lawyer Podcast with Jonah Perlin

Welcome back to another episode of the How I Lawyer Podcast, where Professor Jonah Perlin interviews lawyers about what they do, why they do it, and how they do it well.

Today’s guest is Michelle Kallen, who is a Partner in Jenner & Block’s Supreme Court and Appellate practice and previously served as the seventh Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia. After graduating from Vanderbilt University Law School, Michelle clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and then worked as a Litigation Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, before moving to the public sector. Following her service as the first woman Solicitor General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Michelle represented the Select Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.

In this episode, Michelle shares valuable insights about the legal profession including:

🗂️ How Michelle’s experience working in the appellate litigation clinic in law school gave her the opportunity to argue in the Sixth Circuit [3:04]

⚖️ How seeking pro bono appellate work as a junior associate allowed her to work on federal appeals early in her career [7:06]

💼 How and why employing an appellate lawyer at the outset of litigation is valuable in constructing a winning appellate strategy [11:28]

🚪 How working in Virginia’s Solicitor General’s Office opened the door to Michelle’s current appellate litigation practice [14:00]

🏛️ How practicing in state court gives you the opportunity to argue a plethora of diverse legal issues [22:09]

📝 How creating a clear argument outline, before drafting, makes it easier and more efficient to write compelling briefs [26:55]

✍️ How she prepares for appellate arguments using the same method that she learned in the appellate litigation clinical during law school [31:45]

🧩 How viewing yourself as a full member of the team, embracing an ownership mindset over your work, and presenting solutions to problems, can set you apart as a junior associate [40:04]

🌟 How surrounding yourself with excellent people, who are both kind and smart, can set you up for an amazing legal career and life [44:17]

This episode is sponsored, edited, and engineered by LawPods, a professional podcast production company for busy attorneys.

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