Life After Law School: Katia Leiva

Life After Law School is a new series from Tulane Law School checking in with recent graduates as they begin their legal careers. In each spotlight, we’ll hear about their experiences after graduation, from navigating the transition into practice to finding their place in the legal profession. We’re kicking it off with Katia Leiva (L ‘24), a junior associate at Holland & Knight, Houston. 

Tell us about your current role. What do you do? What does a typical day look like? 

I'm a litigation attorney in Holland & Knight's Houston office, where I'm part of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Practice. I focus on complex commercial litigation, handling cases involving breach of contract, shareholder disputes, employment matters, medical negligence, consumer disputes, wrongful death and oil and gas/maritime litigation.  

Every day is different, which keeps things fun. Some days, I am drafting motions and pleadings, others I am arguing in court or mediating, others I am reviewing discovery documents, and everything in between. I recently argued and won my first summary judgment, securing a complete dismissal for my client! 

Thankfully, I am able to take a lot of ownership in my cases and am very involved in strategizing with my team about case direction. My team is very collaborative, which has given me the opportunity to handle a lot of complex issues even as a junior associate. 

I also maintain a pro bono immigration docket, which I find really fulfilling, particularly as someone who worked in immigration law for four years and participated in Tulane Law's Immigrant Rights Clinic. 

How did you land your first position after Tulane Law? Was your path what you expected, or did it take a few twists? 

My path took a pretty big twist, but quite early on. I went to law school hoping to become an immigration attorney. I'd spent more than four years working as a law clerk in immigration law, and that was the career I envisioned for myself. I didn't even know what big law was when I started as a 1L. 

During 1L fall, I attended a virtual event hosted by Tulane's Texas Law Society featuring attorneys from Holland & Knight's Houston office who were Tulane Law or Tulane University alumni. I really liked how genuine they were. They weren't just selling the firm and seemed like people I'd actually want to work with. I stayed connected with them and eventually interviewed in the spring. I ended up summering at Holland & Knight- Houston after both my 1L and 2L years and knew I wanted to continue my career here. 

Looking back, what experiences at Tulane Law best prepared you for your career? 

I did a lot in law school and while it was overwhelming at times, I value every single experience I had: serving as Senior Articles Editor on the Tulane Law Review, completing the maritime certificate program, tutoring 1L students, working as a Legal Research and Writing Senior Fellow, participating in the Immigrant Rights Clinic, and holding leadership roles in the Latinx Law Student Association and Immigration Law Society. Juggling competing priorities while also working helped me prepare for work as an attorney. 

The biggest skill I took away was multitasking. As an attorney, there are always competing deadlines. Nothing trained me for that better than balancing law review edits, clinic client work, tutoring sessions, and my own readings all at the same time. I had to learn how to prioritize, ask for help, keep multiple projects going, and even say no. 

Those experiences also taught me the value of mentoring, networking, collaborating, leading, and other valuable skills. There is no one right way to do law school. A combination of different experiences helped build me into the attorney I am today. 

What has surprised you most about practicing law (or working in your field) since graduating? 

A couple of things have surprised me. The first is how much of my job involves learning about things that have nothing to do with the law as we learn it in law school. In law school, you're so focused on mastering legal doctrines that you don't fully anticipate how much time you'll spend learning about your clients' actual businesses. Every new case is like a crash course in a different industry.  

One day I can be deep in the inner working of a medical practice and next I'm learning about change-orders in construction contracts. It can feel intimidating at first, feeling like you have no idea how each business works. However, if you approach everything with genuine curiosity, you can get past that initial fear and learn a lot! It also makes you a better advocate to truly understand your client's business, their goals, their competitors, and their priorities. 

Another surprise was finding out how much of litigation is discovery. In law school, I pictured myself researching, writing, and arguing in court all of the time. That does happen, but the reality is that a huge portion of the work is managing discovery. It is not always glamorous work, but it can often be where young associates can get deeply involved in a case and contribute in a meaningful way by showing you know the documents and facts better than anybody else in the room. 

What advice would you give current Tulane Law students as they prepare for graduation and their first job? 

There is no right class to take, no right club to join, no right path. I think people put a lot of pressure on themselves to figure it out early, but that is often not how it works. Do what feels right to you and trust that you'll end up where you need to be. Also, challenge yourself to network, even when it feels uncomfortable. Go to conferences, bar association events, and don't be afraid to reach out to attorneys who are where you want to be. It might feel scary, but I promise most of us genuinely love mentoring students. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to set aside time for a quick coffee or a quick call. 

What's next for you? Are there any goals or areas of practice you're excited to explore? 

Right now, I want to keep my practice broad because every new case teaches me something new and valuable. I'm also hoping to grow my maritime litigation practice. I completed the maritime certificate program at Tulane Law, and I've had the chance to work on maritime cases at Holland & Knight that have reinforced how much I enjoy that work. I'd love to continue building that part of my practice. 

Connect with Katia on LinkedIn here.