Career Footprints

Naz Sachedina: From structured finance associate to director in asset management

Reed Smith alum, Naz Sachedina, shares her journey from qualifying as a lawyer at Reed Smith to her current role as a director at WisdomTree Asset Management. Naz discusses her diverse experiences at Reed Smith, including two secondments, and how these shaped her career. Naz also offers valuable insights on transitioning from private practice to in-house roles and the skills needed for success in the legal industry.

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Wendy Jephson: Leveraging Gen AI and other technologies to help people think brilliantly

Alum Wendy Jephson shares highlights from her very successful and varied career, taking in her time at Reed Smith predecessor firm Richards Butler, as a senior in-house counsel, in several posts as a behavioral psychologist (including at NASDAQ) and more recently as CEO and co-founder of Let’s Think – a behavioral science-led tech company focused on how to elicit, capture and transmit knowledge and understanding within organizations. Wendy demonstrates the ongoing value that her legal training delivers to her business career, not least in building an understanding of deal drivers and blockers.

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Stacey Heyman: Building legal and commercial acumen, one opportunity after another

Alum Stacey Heyman shares highlights from her successful decade as a Reed Smith global regulatory enforcement associate, and in the senior in-house roles she has held since then. Stacey built professional acumen and confidence through trial experience as a new associate, an early-career client secondment in London, and working with detail- and client-service oriented partner role models. Stacey also shares how she secured the advice and support of her Reed Smith mentor during her transition to her first in-house role, setting the stage for an ongoing professional relationship.

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Adam Tachner: Becoming a trusted advisor to Silicon Valley

Alum Adam Tachner traces his path from junior IP associate to a senior business and legal role at AI chipmaker Groq Inc. Adam shares how his unrelenting curiosity about his clients’ businesses, and cultivation of a deep professional network in the tech community, have contributed to his ability to “see around corners” at the leading edge of tech across a 30-year career.

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Jaimee Farrer: From litigation associate to assistant GC in pharma

Reed Smith alumna Jaimee Farrer discusses her path from lateral litigation associate at the firm to assistant general counsel at GSK. Jaimee talks about how she landed her first in-house role, key differences between her law firm and in-house practice, and how the skills she developed as a Reed Smith litigator prepared her for the fast-paced, strategic work of managing major litigation at a global pharmaceutical company.

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